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.

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.

Recent Advances in Augmentative and Alternative Communication

2015 ◽  
pp. 128-140
Author(s):  
Toby B. Mehl-Schneider
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Technology ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Mobile Technologies ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Complex Communication Needs ◽  
Novel Technologies ◽  
Recent Advances ◽  
Assessment And Treatment ◽  
Communication Needs

With the increased development of mobile technologies, such as smartphones and tablets (i.e. iPhone, iPad), the field of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) has changed rapidly over the last few years. Recent advances in technology have introduced applications (apps) for AAC purposes. These novel technologies could provide numerous benefits to individuals with complex communication needs. Nevertheless, introducing mobile technology apps is not without risk. Since these apps can be purchased and retrieved with relative ease, AAC assessments and collaborative evaluations have been circumvented in favor of the “quick fix”-simply ordering a random app for a potential user, without fully assessing the individual's needs and abilities. There is a paucity of research pertaining to mobile technology use in AAC. Therapists, parents and developers of AAC applications must work collaboratively to expand the research pertaining to the assessment and treatment of children who utilize AAC mobile technologies for communication purposes.

Recent Advances in Augmentative and Alternative Communication

2016 ◽  
pp. 2236-2248
Author(s):  
Toby B. Mehl-Schneider
Keyword(s):  
Mobile Technology ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Mobile Technologies ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Complex Communication Needs ◽  
Novel Technologies ◽  
Recent Advances ◽  
Assessment And Treatment ◽  
Communication Needs

With the increased development of mobile technologies, such as smartphones and tablets (i.e. iPhone, iPad), the field of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) has changed rapidly over the last few years. Recent advances in technology have introduced applications (apps) for AAC purposes. These novel technologies could provide numerous benefits to individuals with complex communication needs. Nevertheless, introducing mobile technology apps is not without risk. Since these apps can be purchased and retrieved with relative ease, AAC assessments and collaborative evaluations have been circumvented in favor of the “quick fix”-simply ordering a random app for a potential user, without fully assessing the individual's needs and abilities. There is a paucity of research pertaining to mobile technology use in AAC. Therapists, parents and developers of AAC applications must work collaboratively to expand the research pertaining to the assessment and treatment of children who utilize AAC mobile technologies for communication purposes.

School-Based Speech-Language Pathologists: Confidence in Augmentative and Alternative Communication Assessment

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Eric J. Sanders ◽  
Thomas A. Page ◽  
Deborah Lesher
Keyword(s):  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Feature Matching ◽  
Linguistic Diversity ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Years Of Experience ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Speech Language Pathologists ◽  
Communication Assessment ◽  
School Based

Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine confidence levels and identify predictors of increased confidence of school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs) relative to different aspects of the augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) assessment process. Method Surveys were completed by 272 school-based SLPs. Questions were designed to capture demographic information and confidence in areas of assessment such as student capabilities, participation, and feature matching. Results There were variable levels of confidence across aspects of assessment. Respondents were less confident in tasks related to assessing students with severe physical impairments and incorporating aspects related to cultural and linguistic diversity in their assessment. SLPs were more confident assessing student participation and unaided communication. Additionally, respondents had less confidence in matching the features of high-tech speech-generating devices to their students. Self-identification as an AAC specialist, years of experience, percentage of caseload of students with complex communication needs, and length of longest continuing education experiences all contributed to predicting confidence in most areas of assessment. However, years of experience did not contribute to predicting confidence in feature matching. Conclusions Results from this study acknowledge that SLPs are likely to have varied degrees of confidence in aspects of assessment related to preparation, clinical experience, and self-identification of specialty. Findings from this study support increasing training opportunities in AAC assessment. As specialization was the strongest predictor of confidence, further research should investigate the characteristics and preparation of self-identified AAC specialists. This is an important first step in pinpointing ways to increase confidence in school-based SLPs.

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.

Augmentative and Alternative Communication: Assessment in the Schools

2008 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa A. Proctor ◽  
Jill Oswalt
Keyword(s):  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Receptive Language ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Literacy Assessment ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Complex Communication Needs ◽  
Communication Assessment ◽  
School Based ◽  
Main Portion ◽  
Communication Needs

Abstract The purpose of this article is to review augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) assessment issues in the schools. Initially, the article discusses the role and responsibilities of school-based speech-language pathologists in the assessment of children with complex communication needs. Next, the article briefly reflects on the importance of teaming in device selection for children with AAC needs. The main portion of the article provides information on assessment tools and resources related to comprehensive assessment for children with complex communication needs. This includes information on assessment of speech production and the relevance in AAC assessment. This is followed by tools and resources for receptive language and expressive language assessment. Also included in this main section is information on tools that examine academic and social participation. Finally, information on literacy assessment for student with complex communication needs is provided. The intent of the article is to provide the reader with a brief overview of assessment tools and resources for children with complex communication needs.

Guidelines for Teaching Speech-Language Pathologists About the AAC Assessment Process

2011 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 82-86
Author(s):  
Iris Fishman
Keyword(s):  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Communication Systems ◽  
Feature Matching ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Team Process ◽  
Basic Principles ◽  
Communication Needs ◽  
The Individual

Abstract Although students may not become augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) clinical specialists, they often will work with individuals demonstrating complex communication needs who benefit from AAC. This necessitates knowledge of some basic principles of assessment including AAC assessment as a team process involving planning and implementing interventions for current and future communication needs; the inclusion of no-tech, low-tech, and high-tech communication systems; and assessing communication needs with partners in the individual's social network. The assessment also must include a capability profile and feature matching to select the appropriate components of the AAC system. Because the system we provide for today will become the system we use tomorrow, assessment must be considered an ongoing process throughout the lifespan of the individual.

A Survey of American Speech-Language Pathologists' Perspectives on Augmentative and Alternative Communication Assessment and Intervention Across Language Domains

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Thomas Kovacs
Keyword(s):  
Continuing Education ◽  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Perceived Competence ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Speech Language Pathologists ◽  
Communication Assessment ◽  
Pragmatic Skills ◽  
Training Practice

Purpose The aim of the study was to collect information about American speech-language pathologists' preprofessional training, practice, self-perceived competence, adequacy of resources, and interest in continuing education related to augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) assessment and intervention strategies addressing each of the five language domains: semantics, pragmatics, phonology, morphology, and syntax. Method An anonymous online survey of American speech-language pathologists was conducted. Results A majority of participants rated their preprofessional training for assessing semantic and pragmatic skills positively. Otherwise, a majority of participants rated preprofessional training for assessment and intervention negatively across language domains. High interest in continuing education opportunities addressing assessment and intervention was found across language domains. A discrepancy between responses to questions addressing semantic and pragmatic skills and responses to questions addressing phonological, morphological, and syntactic skills was consistently found for ratings of preprofessional training, practice, perceived competence, and adequacy of resources. In all cases, higher frequencies of positive ratings were found for questions addressing semantic and pragmatic skills. Conclusions Improved preprofessional training and continuing education opportunities are needed to support AAC assessment and intervention across language domains. Perspectives and practice patterns reflect a historical emphasis on semantic and pragmatic skills in the external evidence base, even though there are several recent journal articles addressing morphology and syntax in clients who use AAC.

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