Eye-Tracking Measures Reveal How Changes in the Design of Aided AAC Displays Influence the Efficiency of Locating Symbols by School-Age Children Without Disabilities

2014 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 455-466 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krista M. Wilkinson ◽  
Tara O’Neill ◽  
William J. McIlvane
Keyword(s):  
Eye Tracking ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
School Age Children ◽  
Visual Modality ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Display Design ◽  
Line Drawings ◽  
Communication Impairments ◽  
Speed And Accuracy

Purpose Many individuals with communication impairments use aided augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems involving letters, words, or line drawings that rely on the visual modality. It seems reasonable to suggest that display design should incorporate information about how users attend to and process visual information. The organization of AAC symbols can influence the speed and accuracy with which children select a target symbol on a display. This research examined why some displays facilitate responding. Method Eye-tracking technology recorded point-of-gaze while children without disabilities engaged in a visual search task with 2 AAC displays. In 1 display, symbols sharing an internal color were clustered together. In the other display, like-colored symbols were distributed. Dependent measures were (a) latency to fixate on the target compared with distracters and (b) the number of fixations to target and distracters. Results Participants were significantly slower to fixate on the target when like-colored symbols were distributed; there was a significant increase in the number of fixations to distracters that did not share color with the target. Conclusions Efficient search was related to minimizing fixations to nonrelevant distracters. Vulnerability to distraction can be a significant problem in individuals with disabilities who use AAC. Minimizing the intrusion of such distraction may, therefore, be of importance in AAC display design.

The Effect of Symbol Background Color on the Speed of Locating Targets by Adults Without Disabilities: Implications for Augmentative and Alternative Communication Display Design

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
pp. 1482-1488
Author(s):  
Jennifer J. Thistle
Keyword(s):  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
The Other ◽  
Background Color ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Display Design ◽  
Line Drawings ◽  
Research With Children ◽  
Study Participants ◽  
Perceptual Factors

Purpose Previous research with children with and without disabilities has demonstrated that visual–perceptual factors can influence the speech of locating a target on an array. Adults without disabilities often facilitate the learning and use of a child's augmentative and alternative communication system. The current research examined how the presence of symbol background color influenced the speed with which adults without disabilities located target line drawings in 2 studies. Method Both studies used a between-subjects design. In the 1st study, 30 adults (ages 18–29 years) located targets in a 16-symbol array. In the 2nd study, 30 adults (ages 18–34 years) located targets in a 60-symbol array. There were 3 conditions in each study: symbol background color, symbol background white with a black border, and symbol background white with a color border. Results In the 1st study, reaction times across groups were not significantly different. In the 2nd study, participants in the symbol background color condition were significantly faster than participants in the other conditions, and participants in the symbol background white with black border were significantly slower than participants in the other conditions. Conclusion Communication partners may benefit from the presence of background color, especially when supporting children using displays with many symbols.

Framework for Selecting Vocabulary for Preliterate Children Who Use Augmentative and Alternative Communication

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 1000-1009
Author(s):  
Allison Bean ◽  
Lindsey Paden Cargill ◽  
Samantha Lyle
Keyword(s):  
Language Impairment ◽  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Developmentally Appropriate ◽  
School Age Children ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
School Based ◽  
Selection For ◽  
Nonverbal Children ◽  
Grammatical Structures ◽  
Insufficient Knowledge

Purpose Nearly 50% of school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs) provide services to school-age children who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). However, many SLPs report having insufficient knowledge in the area of AAC implementation. The objective of this tutorial is to provide clinicians with a framework for supporting 1 area of AAC implementation: vocabulary selection for preliterate children who use AAC. Method This tutorial focuses on 4 variables that clinicians should consider when selecting vocabulary: (a) contexts/environments where the vocabulary can be used, (b) time span during which the vocabulary will be relevant, (c) whether the vocabulary can elicit and maintain interactions with other people, and (d) whether the vocabulary will facilitate developmentally appropriate grammatical structures. This tutorial focuses on the role that these variables play in language development in verbal children with typical development, verbal children with language impairment, and nonverbal children who use AAC. Results Use of the 4 variables highlighted above may help practicing SLPs select vocabulary that will best facilitate language acquisition in preliterate children who use AAC.

scholarly journals Integrating Visual Methods With Dialogical Interviews in Research With Youth Who Use Augmentative and Alternative Communication

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 160940691775094 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gail Teachman ◽  
Barbara E. Gibson
Keyword(s):  
Social Relations ◽  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Photo Elicitation ◽  
Visual Methods ◽  
Data Generation ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Integrated Methods ◽  
Combination Of Methods ◽  
Communication Impairments

Scant information is available to guide the selection and modification of methods for doing research with people with communication impairments. In this article, we describe and illustrate a novel combination of methods used to optimize data generation in research with 13 disabled youth who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Using a critical dialogical methodology developed for the study, we explored links between dominant calls for social inclusion, disabled youths’ social relations and life circumstances, and their position-takings in relation to inclusion. Building on emergent methodologies, we selected and integrated complementary methods: photo-elicitation, a graphic elicitation method termed “Belonging Circles,” observations, and interviews. The interview methods were modified to recognize all AAC modes used by participants and to acknowledge the relational, situated and thus, dialogical nature of all communication in interviews. Each method is described, and rationales for their selection and modification are discussed. Processes used to combine the methods, generate data, and guide analysis are illustrated using a case example from the study. The integrated methods helped illuminate the lives and practices of youth who use AAC and the strategies they used to negotiate inclusion across the social spaces that they traversed. We conclude with reflections on the strengths and limitations of our approach, future directions for development of the methodology, and its potential use in research with a broad range of persons experiencing communication impairments.

Comparative Effects of Picture Symbol With Paired Text and Text-Only Augmentative and Alternative Communication Representations on Communication From Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 584-597
Author(s):  
Christine Holyfield
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
School Age Children ◽  
Book Reading ◽  
Single Subject ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Children With Asd

Purpose Technology features that maximize communicative benefit while minimizing learning demands must be identified and prioritized to amplify the efficiency and effectiveness of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) intervention. Picture symbols with paired text are a common representation feature in AAC systems for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who are preliterate, yet little research about their comparative benefit exists. Method Four school-age children with ASD and limited speech who were preliterate participated in two single-subject studies. In one study, communication of high imageability words (e.g., nouns) on an AAC app during a book-reading activity was compared across two representation conditions: picture symbols with paired text and text only. In the second study, communication of low imageability words (e.g., verbs) was compared. Both studies had baseline, intervention, generalization, and maintenance phases. Results Prior to intervention, participants communicated across both representation conditions at low rates except two participants who were relatively successful using picture symbol with paired text representations of high imageability words. In response to intervention, all participants demonstrated increases in communication across representation conditions and maintained the increases. Participants demonstrated generalization in the text-only representation condition. Conclusions Children with ASD who were preliterate acquired communication at comparable rates regardless of whether an AAC app utilized picture symbol with paired text or text-only representation. Therefore, while larger scale research is needed, clinicians and technology developers could consider increasing the use of text in AAC representation given the inherent value associated with learning to recognize written words. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.13661357

Gaze Toward Naturalistic Social Scenes by Individuals With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: Implications for Augmentative and Alternative Communication Designs

2018 ◽  
Vol 61 (5) ◽  
pp. 1157-1170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiali Liang ◽  
Krista Wilkinson
Keyword(s):  
Down Syndrome ◽  
Visual Attention ◽  
Eye Tracking ◽  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Visual Scene ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Social Content ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
The Social ◽  
Tracking Technology

Purpose A striking characteristic of the social communication deficits in individuals with autism is atypical patterns of eye contact during social interactions. We used eye-tracking technology to evaluate how the number of human figures depicted and the presence of sharing activity between the human figures in still photographs influenced visual attention by individuals with autism, typical development, or Down syndrome. We sought to examine visual attention to the contents of visual scene displays, a growing form of augmentative and alternative communication support. Method Eye-tracking technology recorded point-of-gaze while participants viewed 32 photographs in which either 2 or 3 human figures were depicted. Sharing activities between these human figures are either present or absent. The sampling rate was 60 Hz; that is, the technology gathered 60 samples of gaze behavior per second, per participant. Gaze behaviors, including latency to fixate and time spent fixating, were quantified. Results The overall gaze behaviors were quite similar across groups, regardless of the social content depicted. However, individuals with autism were significantly slower than the other groups in latency to first view the human figures, especially when there were 3 people depicted in the photographs (as compared with 2 people). When participants' own viewing pace was considered, individuals with autism resembled those with Down syndrome. Conclusion The current study supports the inclusion of social content with various numbers of human figures and sharing activities between human figures into visual scene displays, regardless of the population served. Study design and reporting practices in eye-tracking literature as it relates to autism and Down syndrome are discussed. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.6066545

AAC Use by People With TBI: Affects of Cognitive Impairments

2010 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 79-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah E. Wallace
Keyword(s):  
Traumatic Brain Injury ◽  
Brain Injury ◽  
Service Provision ◽  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Cognitive Impairments ◽  
Recovery Process ◽  
Multimodal Communication ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Communication Impairments

Abstract Survivors of traumatic brain injury (TBI) use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) to compensate for communication impairments. However, various cognitive impairments resulting from TBI affect AAC intervention and, thus, require special consideration. The purpose of this article is to address four areas that professionals who provide AAC may need to consider as part of their service provision to people with TBI: (a) the evolution of AAC use during the recovery process, (b) the effect of cognitive impairments on multimodal communication, (c) appropriate message representation, and (d) difficulties with AAC navigation resulting from cognitive impairments. Finally, this paper provides some suggestions and some areas of future research related to survivors of TBI use of AAC.

What Are the Attention Demands of Aided AAC?

2012 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer J. Thistle ◽  
Krista M. Wilkinson
Keyword(s):  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Visual Display ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Display Design ◽  
Attentional Demands ◽  
Multiple Tasks ◽  
Literature Base ◽  
Aided Aac ◽  
The Voice ◽  
Attention Demands

Abstract The act of communicating requires the management and use of attention. Communicating using aided Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) may place unique attentional demands because of the length of time it can take to convey a message. From turning on the AAC device to activating the voice output, there are multiple tasks that call upon attention. Reducing the length of time to communicate may reduce the amount of attention required. Using the existing literature base related to display design, we offer considerations for designing the visual display that influence the speed of aided AAC.

Reading, Writing and AAC: Mobile Technology Strategies for Literacy and Language Development

2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-25
Author(s):  
Kerry Davis ◽  
Sean Sweeney
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Technology ◽  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Mobile Technologies ◽  
Language And Literacy ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Powerful Means ◽  
Communication Impairments ◽  
Technology Strategies

Mobile technology (e.g., tablets, smartphones) continues to take public school and overall therapeutic environments by storm. The merging of mobile technology and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) can be a relatively low-cost solution for individuals with communication impairments. Still, practitioners need to be equipped to make informed decisions about when, how, and why specific mobile technologies and related applications might support a child's language, literacy, and academic skills, possibly in conjunction with AAC. Language and literacy development are a critical aspect of a speech-language pathologist's scope of practice (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 2007). Therefore, when considering mobile technologies for learning, the practitioner needs to consider the interplay between reading, writing, and communication. For children with complex communication profiles, speech-language pathologists can use mobile technologies as a powerful means to foster communication, language, and literacy skills.

Augmentative and Alternative Communication in the Geriatric Population: A Review of Literature

2009 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 42-46
Author(s):  
Christopher Crema
Keyword(s):  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Care Plan ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Review Of Literature ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Complex Dynamic ◽  
Geriatric Population ◽  
Vast Number ◽  
Communication Impairments ◽  
Lateral Sclerosis

Abstract Speech-language pathologists working in the subacute rehabilitation setting often evaluate and treat patients with complex communication impairments. Many of these patients benefit from the use of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) to facilitate expression of basic wants and needs. When it comes to implementing an AAC system into a care plan, there are a vast number of options available. A thorough evaluation is crucial when determining the most appropriate AAC system to use. These systems can range from gesturing, to a static overlay board, to a more complex, dynamic high tech device. Implementation of AAC systems has been proven to assist people with severe communication deficits that have been caused by a variety of medical conditions. Numerous studies have documented the efficacy of the use of AAC systems with individuals with traumatic brain injury, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, and developmental disabilities. However, little has been documented regarding the use of AAC in the dementia, aphasia, and geriatric populations. This article will review the literature regarding the use of AAC with these populations.

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