The Effects of Aided AAC Interventions on AAC Use, Speech, and Symbolic Gestures

ABSTRACT

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) service provision can be time-consuming, and it is important to ensure that the time invested in aided AAC interventions is worth the costs. As children who use AAC are multimodal communicators, it is important to understand the effects that aided AAC interventions may have not only on AAC use but also on other communication modes, including speech and symbolic gestures. Toward these ends, this article contains a review of commonly used AAC intervention techniques, a discussion of how use of these techniques affects aided AAC use, and an examination of the effect that AAC interventions have on other communication modes, including speech and various types of gestures. Overall, current research findings indicate that aided AAC interventions can be highly effective for teaching students who use AAC to become more effective communicators and that such interventions do not have a negative effect on speech—and may, in some cases, have a positive effect on speech.

Aided AAC modeling - augmentative and alternative communication - gestures - intervention - language - speech - vocalizations

REFERENCES

• 1 Light J, Collier B, Parnes P. Communicative interaction between young nonspeaking physically disabled children and their primary caregivers: part III—modes of communication.  Augment Altern Commun. 1985;  1 125-133
• 2 Romski M, Sevcik R, Cheslock M, Barton A. The system for augmenting language: AAC and emerging language acquisition. In: Mc Cauley RJ, Fey ME Treatment of Language Disorders in Children. Baltimore, MD; Paul H. Brookes Publishing 2006: 123-147
• 3 Romski M A, Sevcik R. Breaking the Speech Barrier: Language Development Through Augmented Means. Baltimore, MD; Paul H. Brookes Publishing 1996
• 4 Bondy A S, Frost L A. The Picture Exchange Communication System.  Focus Autistic Behav. 1994;  9 1-19
• 5 Charlop-Christy M, Carpenter M, Loc L, LeBlanc L, Kellet K. Using the picture exchange communication system (PECS) with children with autism: assessment of PECS acquisition, speech, social-communicative behavior, and problem behavior.  J Appl Behav Anal. 2002;  35 213-231
• 6 Charlop-Christy M, Jones C. The picture exchange communication system: nonverbal communication program for children with autism spectrum disorders. In: McCauley RJ, Fey M Treatment of Language Disorders in Children. Baltimore, MD; Paul H. Brookes Publishing 2006
• 7 Light J, Binger C. Building Communicative Competence with Individuals Who Use Augmentative and Alternative Communication. Baltimore, MD; Paul H. Brookes Publishing 1998
• 8 Kent-Walsh J, Light J. General education teachers' experiences with inclusion of students who use augmentative and alternative communication.  Augment Altern Commun. 2003;  19 104-124
• 9 Rosa-Lugo L I, Kent-Walsh J. Effects of parent instruction on communicative turns of Latino children using AAC during storybook reading.  Communication Disorders Quarterly. 2008;  In press.
• 10 Binger C, Kent-Walsh J, Berens J, Del Campo S, Rivera D. Teaching Latino parents to support the multi-symbol message productions of their children who require AAC.  Augment Altern Commun. 2008;  , in press
• 11 Binger C, Kent-Walsh J, Del Campo S, Hickman S, Marquez C, Rivera D. Teaching educators and parents to support language development in AAC. Presented at: Annual Conference of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, November 2006 Miami, FL;
• 12 Nigam R, Schlosser R, Lloyd L. Concomitant use of the matrix strategy and the mand-model procedure in teaching graphic symbol combinations.  Augment Altern Commun. 2006;  22 160-177
• 13 Binger C, Light J. The effect of aided AAC modeling on the expression of multi-symbol messages by preschoolers who use AAC.  Augment Altern Commun. 2007;  23 30-43
• 14 Bridwell N. Clifford the Big Red Dog. Pueblo, CO; Scholastic 1988
• 15 Houghton J, Bronicki B, Guess D. Opportunities to express preferences and make choices among students with severe disabilities in classroom settings.  J Assoc Pers Sev Handicaps. 1987;  12 18-27
• 16 Kent-Walsh J. The Effects of an Educational Assistant Instructional Program on the Communicative Turns of Students Who Use Augmentative and Alternative Communication during Book-Reading Activities [doctoral dissertation]. University Park, PA; Penn State University 2003
• 17 Wacker D P, Berg W K, Harding J W. Replacing socially unacceptable behavior with acceptable communication responses. In: Reichle J, Beukelman D, Light J Exemplary Practices for Beginning Communicators: Implications for AAC. Baltimore, MD; Paul H. Brookes Publishing 2002: 97-121
• 18 Millar D, Light J C, Schlosser R W. The impact of augmentative and alternative communication on the speech production of individuals with developmental disabilities: a research review.  J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2006;  49 248-264
• 19 Yoder P, Stone W L. A randomized comparison of the effect of two prelinguistic communication interventions on the acquisition of spoken communication in preschoolers with ASD.  J Speech Lang Hear Res. 2006;  49 698-711
• 20 Sigafoos J, Didden R, O'Reilly M. Effects of speech output on maintenance of requesting and frequency of vocalizations in three children with developmental disabilities.  Augment Altern Commun. 2003;  19 37-47
• 21 Light J, Binger C, Kelford Smith A. Story reading interactions between preschoolers who use AAC and their mothers.  Augment Altern Commun. 1994;  10 255-268
• 22 von Tetzchner S, Martinsen H. Words and strategies: conversations with young children who use aided language. In: von Tetzchner S, Jensen MH Augmentative and Alternative Communication: European Perspectives. San Diego, CA; Singular Publishing Group 1996: 65-88
• 23 Lilienfeld M, Alant E. The social interaction of an adolescent who uses AAC: the evaluation of a peer-training program.  Augment Altern Commun. 2005;  21 278-294

1 A second coder reanalyzed between 20% and 40% of the data for all of the measures shown on Figs. [1] and [2]. Mean reliability for each measurement for each child ranged from 79% to 100% (grand mean = 93%), indicating that the data were reliably coded.

5 It should be noted that manual signs were excluded from these data. The children in these studies seldom used manual signs; Antonio and Adam each used one sign during the entire investigation, and Oscar used six. The remaining children used no manual signs.