scholarly journals Typical Toddlers' Participation in “Just-in-Time” Programming of Vocabulary for Visual Scene Display Augmentative and Alternative Communication Apps on Mobile Technology: A Descriptive Study

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 737-749 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Holyfield ◽  
Kathryn Drager ◽  
Janice Light ◽  
Jessica Gosnell Caron
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Technology ◽  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Descriptive Study ◽  
Visual Scene ◽  
Just In Time ◽  
Alternative Communication

scholarly journals What's in a Photograph? The Perspectives of Composition Experts on Factors Impacting Visual Scene Display Complexity for Augmentative and Alternative Communication and Strategies for Improving Visual Communication

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
Kevin M. Pitt ◽  
John W. McCarthy
Keyword(s):  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Visual Scene ◽  
Just In Time ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Image Complexity ◽  
Visual Storytelling ◽  
Photographic Image ◽  
Semistructured Interviews ◽  
Communication Needs

Purpose Visual scene displays (VSDs) can support augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) success for children and adults with complex communication needs. Static VSDs incorporate contextual photographs that include meaningful events, places, and people. Although the processing of VSDs has been studied, their power as a medium to effectively convey meaning may benefit from the perspective of individuals who regularly engage in visual storytelling. The aim of this study was to evaluate the perspectives of individuals with expertise in photographic and/or artistic composition regarding factors contributing to VSD complexity and how to limit the time and effort required to apply principles of photographic composition. Method Semistructured interviews were completed with 13 participants with expertise in photographic and/or artistic composition. Results Four main themes were noted, including (a) factors increasing photographic image complexity and decreasing cohesion, (b) how complexity impacts the viewer, (c) composition strategies to decrease photographic image complexity and increase cohesion, and (d) strategies to support the quick application of composition strategies in a just-in-time setting. Findings both support and extend existing research regarding best practice for VSD design. Conclusions Findings provide an initial framework for understanding photographic image complexity and how it differs from drawn AAC symbols. Furthermore, findings outline a toolbox of composition principles that may help limit VSD complexity, along with providing recommendations for AAC development to support the quick application of compositional principles to limit burdens associated with capturing photographic images. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.15032700

AAC Decision-Making and Mobile Technology: Points to Ponder

2014 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 104-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Ann Abbott ◽  
Debby McBride
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Mobile Technology ◽  
Communication System ◽  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Evaluation Process ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Ipod Touch ◽  
Feature Match

The purpose of this article is to outline a decision-making process and highlight which portions of the augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) evaluation process deserve special attention when deciding which features are required for a communication system in order to provide optimal benefit for the user. The clinician then will be able to use a feature-match approach as part of the decision-making process to determine whether mobile technology or a dedicated device is the best choice for communication. The term mobile technology will be used to describe off-the-shelf, commercially available, tablet-style devices like an iPhone®, iPod Touch®, iPad®, and Android® or Windows® tablet.

Word-Finding Support From Mobile Technology Benefits a Woman With Aphasia

2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yvonne Gillette
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Technology ◽  
Clinical Education ◽  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Feature Matching ◽  
Mobile Technologies ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Alternative Intervention ◽  
Communication Assessment ◽  
Word Finding ◽  
Intervention Costs

Mobile technology provides a solution for individuals who require augmentative and alternative intervention. Principles of augmentative and alternative communication assessment and intervention, such as feature matching and the participation model, developed with dedicated speech-generating devices can be applied to these generic mobile technologies with success. This article presents a clinical review of an adult with aphasia who reached her goals for greater communicative participation through mobile technology. Details presented include device selection, sequence of intervention, and funding issues related to device purchase and intervention costs. Issues related to graduate student clinical education are addressed. The purpose of the article is to encourage clinicians to consider mobile technology when intervening with an individual diagnosed with mild receptive and moderate expressive aphasia featuring word-finding difficulties.

Just-in-Time Supports in Augmentative and Alternative Communication

2015 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 177-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralf W. Schlosser ◽  
Howard C. Shane ◽  
Anna A. Allen ◽  
Jennifer Abramson ◽  
Emily Laubscher ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Just In Time ◽  
Alternative Communication

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

scholarly journals Video Visual Scene Displays With Dynamic Text: Effect on Single-Word Reading by an Adolescent With Cerebral Palsy

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 1272-1281
Author(s):  
Kelsey Mandak ◽  
Janice Light ◽  
David McNaughton
Keyword(s):  
Cerebral Palsy ◽  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Word Reading ◽  
Visual Scene ◽  
Single Subject ◽  
Academic Vocabulary ◽  
Single Word ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Communication Devices ◽  
Single Word Reading

Purpose The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the Transition to Literacy (T2L) feature within video visual scene displays (VSDs) on the single-word reading of academic vocabulary concepts (i.e., weather concepts) by a preliterate adolescent with cerebral palsy and minimal speech. Method A single-subject, multiple-probe, across-word-sets design was used to evaluate the effects of the intervention. The intervention used an augmentative and alternative communication app programmed with video VSDs embedded with hot spots with the T2L feature to teach the adolescent 12 academic vocabulary words. Results The adolescent acquired all target words successfully with only minimal exposure to the written words through the app and was able to generalize her learning to two novel tasks. Using Tau-U to evaluate the size of the observed effects, there were very large effects across all word sets. Conclusions The findings from this study demonstrate the effectiveness of the T2L feature to improve single-word reading in preliterate individuals with minimal speech. The use of video VSDs and T2L technology together may offer professionals a unique way to complement current augmentative and alternative communication devices and literacy instruction for adolescents with minimal speech who are preliterate.

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.

Collaboration in This Environment of Mobile Technology and Change: One Clinician's Perspective

2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-18
Author(s):  
Jennifer A. Leighton
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Technology ◽  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Communication Systems ◽  
Home School ◽  
Community Settings ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Assessment Protocol ◽  
The Past ◽  
Success Stories ◽  
Support Device

The proliferation of mobile technology (commercially available systems, such as the iPads, iPad Minis, Androids, and Windows tablets) has decreased barriers and put communication systems into the hands of many of our persons who use augmentative and alternative communication (PWUAAC). Because there are so many benefits with the advent of mobile technology, so too are there challenges that can come up as a result of this technology (McNaughton & Light, 2013). Moreover, the speed of innovation and the commercial availability of these devices can put teachers, therapists, and families at odds. In the past, devices were harder to obtain, but we had a strong process and assessment protocol to support device acquisition and implementation (Gosnell, Costello, & Shane, 2011). A key component of our role in this new and changing environment is to restructure the discussion and process in order to recapture the type of teamwork and collaboration we previously experienced. This article will discuss issues, strategic ideas, as well as success stories from one clinician's perspective, related to AAC implementation utilizing mobile technology, across home, school, and community settings.

Teaching Preschoolers With Autism to Use Different Speech-Generating Device Display Formats During Play: Intervention and Secondary Factors

2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 821-838
Author(s):  
Cindy Gevarter ◽  
Keri Horan ◽  
Jeff Sigafoos
Keyword(s):  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Visual Scene ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Play Intervention ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Communication Needs ◽  
Selection Of ◽  
Error Types

Purpose Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and complex communication needs are increasingly taught to use tablet-based speech-generating devices (SGDs). An important issue in designing such interventions is the selection of an appropriate format for displaying vocabulary. The purpose of this study was to determine (a) whether young children with ASD can be taught to use different SGD vocabulary display formats and (b) whether there are differences across the formats on a range of secondary measures (e.g., preference and generalization). Method Five preschoolers with ASD (and prior experience with simpler aided augmentative and alternative communication) were taught to use grid and visual scene display SGDs during a play-based intervention. Acquisition of functional responding was assessed using a single-case experimental design. Secondary variables included error types, antecedents for communication, preference, and generalization. Results All participants increased their use of functional target vocabulary using both the grid and the simple visual scene display. Of the five participants, three showed similar performance with both formats, whereas two had slightly higher rates of functional responding with the grid. Individualized differences across participants and formats were apparent across secondary variables (e.g., preference, error types, generalization). Conclusions Both simple grid and visual scene displays may be viable options when teaching functional use of SGDs to children with ASD who have prior aided augmentative and alternative communication experience. Analyzing secondary variables beyond device acquisition (e.g., generalization, preference) may have implications for individualizing intervention.

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