The Impact of Presupposition on the Syntax and Morphology of a Child Who Uses AAC

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (12) ◽  
pp. 13-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patti L. Solomon-Rice ◽  
Gloria Soto ◽  
Wesley Heidenreich
Keyword(s):  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Background Information ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Complex Sentences ◽  
Communication Partner ◽  
Communication Needs ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Pragmatic Presupposition

Children with complex communication needs often rely on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) to communicate. Use of AAC can result in messages with limited syntax and morphology that are difficult for communication partners to understand. This case study examines the linguistic productions of a child who uses high-tech AAC, with emerging literacy skills, under two pragmatic presupposition conditions. In Condition 1, the child believes the communication partner has a larger amount of background information about the topic being discussed. In Condition 2, the child presupposes the communication partner has less background information about the topic being discussed. Condition 2 resulted in the child's production of more complex morphology and syntax in comparison to Condition 1. The results suggest pragmatic presupposition might have impacted the level of morphologic and syntactic complexity produced. Possible clinical implications and suggestions for facilitating production of linguistically complex sentences are discussed.

Improving Patient Safety and Patient–Provider Communication

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
pp. 1017-1027 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard R. Hurtig ◽  
Rebecca M. Alper ◽  
Karen N. T. Bryant ◽  
Krista R. Davidson ◽  
Chelsea Bilskemper
Keyword(s):  
Acute Care ◽  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Health Care Team ◽  
Provider Communication ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Patient Provider Communication ◽  
Acute Care Settings ◽  
Nurses Perceptions ◽  
Communication Needs ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Many hospitalized patients experience barriers to effective patient–provider communication that can negatively impact their care. These barriers include difficulty physically accessing the nurse call system, communicating about pain and other needs, or both. For many patients, these barriers are a result of their admitting condition and not of an underlying chronic disability. Speech-language pathologists have begun to address patients' short-term communication needs with an array of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) strategies. Method This study used a between-groups experimental design to evaluate the impact of providing patients with AAC systems so that they could summon help and communicate with their nurses. The study examined patients' and nurses' perceptions of the patients' ability to summon help and effectively communicate with caregivers. Results Patients who could summon their nurses and effectively communicate—with or without AAC—had significantly more favorable perceptions than those who could not. Conclusions This study suggests that AAC can be successfully used in acute care settings to help patients overcome access and communication barriers. Working with other members of the health care team is essential to building a “culture of communication” in acute care settings. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.9990962

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.

An Adapted Assessment Model for Emergent Literacy Conducted via Telepractice

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 48-56
Author(s):  
Schea N. Fissel ◽  
Pamela R. Mitchell ◽  
Robin L. Alvares
Keyword(s):  
Service Delivery ◽  
Emergent Literacy ◽  
Service Provision ◽  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Assessment Model ◽  
Literacy Assessment ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Augmentative Alternative Communication ◽  
Communication Needs

Children with complex communication needs (CCN) exhibit multiple needs in a variety of domains, including language, literacy, and speech. Children with CCN often require augmentative/alternative communication (AAC), a mode of communication designed to compensate for the communication and related disability patterns of individuals with CCN (Light, Beukelman, & Reichle, 2003). Given the diverse needs of this population, service provision presents challenges to teachers and therapists alike. Telepractice service provision offers solutions to guide service delivery for children with CCN, who may be located in remote settings with limited access to AAC specialists. The tele-AAC working group of the International Society on Augmentative and Alternative Communication (ISAAC) 2012 Research Symposium highlighted a need for increased information on telepractice service delivery for children with CCN in the area of literacy. To date, evidence-based practices for assessment of literacy skills in children with CCN are limited. In addition, literacy assessment for children with CCN via telepractice presents challenges requiring adaptation for telepractice service delivery. This paper summarizes existing literature examining literacy assessment and intervention, and applies these principles to development and implementation of adapted literacy assessment methods conducted via telepractice for a child with CCN.

Teacher-Implemented AAC Intervention to Support Peer Interaction in an Inclusive Preschool Classroom: A Pilot Study

Inclusion ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 78-91
Author(s):  
Michelle C. S. Therrien
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Peer Interaction ◽  
Inclusive Classrooms ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Inclusive Preschool ◽  
The Social ◽  
Communication Needs ◽  
Support Teacher ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Children with complex communication needs confront many barriers to peer interaction and, without intervention, are at risk for social isolation, even in inclusive classrooms. The aims of this pilot study were to determine the feasibility of training a preschool teacher to implement a peer interaction intervention and to measure the impact on the participating children. The teacher in this study was taught to program an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) app and to implement a peer interaction intervention. The teacher's positive perception of the training and intervention, along with the social improvements seen in this pilot study are promising. More research is needed to increase confidence in the effectiveness of this training to support teacher-implemented intervention and peer interaction in inclusive classrooms.

Improving Facilitation of Student Communication Through Observational Feedback Within a Partner Instruction Model

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Laura E. Hayes ◽  
Matthew C. Traughber
Keyword(s):  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Instructional Model ◽  
Advanced Practice ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Implementation Quality ◽  
Step Model ◽  
Communication Partner ◽  
Communication Needs ◽  
K 12 ◽  
Mean Length Of Utterance

Purpose The purpose of this study was to further evaluate an eight-step partner instructional model developed by Kent-Walsh and McNaughton that has been demonstrated to improve implementation quality and fidelity among adults in clinical and educational settings who support the use of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) for individuals with complex communication needs. Method This study examined the effectiveness of the eight-step model in a K–12 special education setting. Participants included 26 staff and 19 students. Effects on both communication partner modeling and student AAC system use were assessed. The study expanded upon prior research by employing a group design, including largely adolescent participants, and utilizing multiple AAC hardware and software types. Results Staff receiving training and coaching via the full eight-step model demonstrated gains in the percentage of utterances modeled, and their student partners increased mean length of utterance. The study failed to find statistically significant differences between the experimental group and a comparison group receiving only Stages 1–5 of the model. Conclusion Findings provide additional evidence for the viability of the eight-step instructional model as a methodology to promote the communication skills of students who utilize AAC, and also point to the advanced practice and feedback element of the model as a potential mediator of intervention outcomes.

Toward an Understanding of the Interplay Between Culture, Language, and Augmentative and Alternative Communication

2008 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 113-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Blake Huer
Keyword(s):  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Linguistic Competence ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Full Inclusion ◽  
Societal Norms ◽  
Personal Experiences ◽  
Communication Needs ◽  
And Function ◽  
Cultural Choices ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The discovery of appropriate forms and function for linguistic competence in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is linked to an understanding of the complexity of culture, cultural choices, the impact of acculturation on practices, societal norms and perceptions, and persons' with complex communication needs (PWCCN) basic human rights to full inclusion in social, educational, economic, and personal experiences on an everyday basis. This article focuses on these topics in order to promote further discussion regarding the influence of culture on the practice of AAC.

It's Not About the Technology, or Is It? Realizing AAC Through Hard and Soft Technologies

2011 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 64-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Albert M. Cook
Keyword(s):  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Smart Phones ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Electronic Circuits ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Complex Communication Needs ◽  
Expressive Communication ◽  
Communication Needs

Abstract To many people, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) implementation is synonymous with technologies of various types. For many others, technology is but one, sometimes small, piece of the implementation puzzle. So, is AAC about the technology or not? This paper presents a broad picture of technology as consisting of both hard and soft technologies. The article supports both types of technology as necessary for successful AAC implementation. For many individuals, hard technologies are necessary to support expressive communication. High-tech hard technologies have many options, but only a few fundamental principles, with truly unique new characteristics rarely being introduced. What does change, however, is the platform upon which the AAC devices are built. Originally, AAC devices were based on simple electronic circuits, then specialized computers, and, finally, general computers. Most recently, smart phones and pad computers have been used as the platform for AAC device functions. In this paper, I contend that it is not the technology that is critical; rather, it is our ability to take advantage of that technology for the benefit of people with complex communication needs.

scholarly journals Deep Neural Network-based Speaker-Aware Information Logging (SAIL) for Augmentative and Alternative Communication

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gang Hu ◽  
Szu-Han Kay Chen ◽  
Neal Mazur
Keyword(s):  
Neural Network ◽  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Deep Neural Network ◽  
Visual Analysis ◽  
High Tech ◽  
User Performance ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Data Logging ◽  
Communication Needs ◽  
Data Log

People with complex communication needs can use a high-technology Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) device to communicate with others. Currently, researchers and clinicians often use data logging from high-tech AAC devices to analyze AAC user performance. However, existing automated data logging systems cannot differentiate the authorship of the data log when more than one user accesses the device. This issue reduces the validity of the data logs and increases the difficulties of performance analysis. Therefore, this paper presents a solution using a deep neural network-based visual analysis approach to process videos to detect different AAC users in practice sessions. This approach has significant potential to improve the validity of data logs and ultimately to enhance AAC outcome measures.

An Exploratory Study on Augmentative and Alternative Communication Classroom Integration Training for Special Educators Who Work With Children With Complex Communication Needs in the Bahamas

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
pp. 991-1016
Author(s):  
Shameka Stanford ◽  
Ovetta Harris
Keyword(s):  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Special Educators ◽  
Communication Disorders ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
The Bahamas ◽  
Complex Communication Needs ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Communication Needs ◽  
Classroom Integration ◽  
And Training

Purpose In 2011, the United Nations estimated there were between 180 and 220 million youth with disabilities living around the world, and 80% of them resided in developing countries. Over the last 6 years, this number has increased significantly, and now, over 1 million people live in the Caribbean with some form of disability such as communication disorders resulting in complex communication needs (CCN). Method This publication discusses the benefits of an exploratory, descriptive, nonexperimental study on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) classroom integration training for 8 special educators in the Bahamas who work with children with CCN. Results The results of this study revealed that 100% of the participants reported the study to be effective in increasing their knowledge and skill in the area of implementing AAC into their classrooms, enhancing their ability to team teach and incorporate AAC opportunities for all students with CCN within their classrooms, and increasing their knowledge and skill overall in the areas of AAC and CCN. Conclusion The findings highlight an important area of potential professional development and training that can be replicated in other English-speaking Caribbean territories focused on AAC classroom integration training program for special educators who teach students with CCN.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document