Showing papers in "Augmentative and Alternative Communication in 1988"
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a review of the research which has considered the interaction patterns of individuals using augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems and highlight the major methodological issues and findings.
Abstract: This paper reviews the research which has considered the interaction patterns of individuals using augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems and highlights the major methodological issues and findings. Most noteworthy of the limitations to this research is the lack of reliable and socially valid measures to evaluate the outcomes of intervention in the field. Directions for future research are suggested. Specifically, it is proposed that future research is required to articulate a model of communicative competence for individuals using AAC systems. This model should consider both the personal perspective of the user and the broader social perspective, as determined by partners and by third party observers.
298 citations
TL;DR: An integrated review of the current literature in this area, suggests future research directions, and delineates clinical and educational implications of integration of behavioral and technological advances in the AAC field are provided.
Abstract: Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) research and intervention for individuals with severe intellectual disabilities has advanced significantly in the last 5 years. This paper provides ...
108 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examine various issues related to the problems of acquisition and generalization experienced by people with severe disabilities who rely on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems.
Abstract: This paper examines various issues related to the problems of acquisition and generalization experienced by people with severe disabilities who rely on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems. Many of these individuals experience difficulties using newly acquired communication skills in settings, and with conversational partners, that differ from those introduced in the instructional context. Methods of promoting functional communication skills are addressed, with particular emphasis placed on the need to incorporate environmental variables into the instructional process. Implications for future clinical-educational and research endeavors are discussed.
97 citations
TL;DR: The literature regarding cognitive prerequisites to communication development for nondisabled children and for individuals with disabilities is reviewed in this article, where issues related to providing communication teaching programs are discussed, and specific intervention strategies are presented.
Abstract: The observation of correlations between cognitive abilities and language and communication abilities in normally developing children has led to the assumption that there are specific cognitive prerequisites to the development of symbolic communication. For many individuals with severe disabilities, this focus has led to a clinical decision to teach these prerequisite skills or to wait for them to emerge before providing communication programs either for teaching speech or for introducing augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) techniques. In this paper, literature regarding cognitive prerequisites to communication development for nondisabled children and for individuals with disabilities is reviewed. Issues related to providing communication teaching programs are discussed, and specific intervention strategies are presented.
90 citations
TL;DR: Results of a comparison of eleven standard vocabulary lists from various fields of investigation and nine user Vocabulary lists from a group of nonspeaking adults indicated that all were small in comparison to the range of possible words and all contained relatively simple words.
Abstract: Appropriate vocabulary selection is a critical aspect of the development of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) approaches. Many sources of vocabulary lists are found in the literature. The general purpose of this investigation is to compare and contrast a number of vocabulary lists in an effort to assess the usefulness of these lists as a source of vocabulary items for adolescent and adult AAC users. Results of a comparison of eleven standard vocabulary lists from various fields of investigation and nine user vocabulary lists from a group of nonspeaking adults indicated that all were small in comparison to the range of possible words and all contained relatively simple words. These vocabulary lists differed from one another in that the majority of words were unique to a single list and that there was not extensive overlap between various pairs of vocabulary lists. When standard vocabulary lists were compared with user lists, results indicated that nearly one-third of the words in user vocabu...
68 citations
TL;DR: The demographic patterns of acquired severe communication disorders, intervention models, intervention strategies, and intervention effectiveness results that have been reported in the literature are reviewed and future research and clinical directions are highlighted.
Abstract: A severe communication disorder that limits the extent to which natural speech meets the communication needs of daily living can result from a variety of diseases, syndromes, and traumas across the...
60 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the assessment and instructional procedures used to introduce an augmentative and alternative communication device to a child with severe communication, visual, and cognitive impairments were described, which consisted of a computer-supported expanded keyboard that produced synthetic speech output when tactile symbols were activated.
Abstract: This report describes the assessment and instructional procedures used to introduce an augmentative and alternative communication device to a child with severe communication, visual, and cognitive impairments. The device consisted of a computer-supported expanded keyboard that produced synthetic speech output when tactile symbols were activated. A verbal prompt-free strategy was employed to teach the child to use the device. Data related to instruction and generalization in a classroom setting are reported. The advantages and limitations of the instructional strategies employed as well as some potential advantages of synthesized speech output for such learners are discussed. Future clinical and research needs are also included.
56 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe an assessment and intervention with a head injured adolescent over a three-year period, which illustrates a two-pronged assessment-intervention model which not only addresses the client's needs and skills, but also provides support and training for facilitators.
Abstract: This paper describes augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) assessment and intervention with a head injured adolescent over a three-year period. The case study illustrates a two pronged assessment-intervention model which not only addresses the client's needs and skills, but also provides support and training for facilitators, that is, the significant others in the client's life. The case study documents the client's transition through a range of AAC systems over the three-year period, as the client's needs and skills in face-to-face interaction and written communication changed and as technological advances in the field increased the range of options available. Changes in the client's systems and in the intervention approaches employed also reflect the learning which occurred among the clinical team as its members became increasingly aware of the complexity of issues in the AAC field.
50 citations
TL;DR: This paper found that the guessability of a symbol's gloss was significantly affected by the dimension of representativeness of the symbol and concreteness of the word it was designed to represent.
Abstract: Twenty student volunteers, naive to Blissymbols, were asked to “guess” the meaning of 64 Blissymbols, each presented without their word gloss. The symbols and their verbal labels were each varied orthogonally on two dimensions of representativeness of the symbol (high/low) and concreteness of the word they were designed to represent (high/low). The representativeness values were obtained from the norms reported by Yovetich and Paivio (1980), while the concreteness values were obtained from the norms reported by the Paivio, Yuille, and Madigan (1968). The subjects' responses were subsequently scored as either “exact/synonymous” or “other.” Results of the analysis of subjects' mean responses for the two dimensions of Blissymbols, using paired f-tests, revealed that the guessability of a symbol's gloss was significantly affected by the dimension of representativeness. The results have implications for understanding the psychological attributes of the graphic representations which are used in clinical and/or ...
37 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a study was conducted to determine if signed and/or spoken symbols could be successfully trained in a child-oriented treatment approach with five preschoolers with various disabilities.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine if signed and/or spoken symbols could be successfully trained in a child-oriented treatment approach with five preschoolers with various disabilities. The influence of this treatment on several parameters of linguistic and sociocommunicative ability was measured in an ABAB withdrawal design. Although unique subject patterns emerged, results indicated that overall: (a) the child-directed treatment setting provided an effective context in which to train signed and/or spoken symbols; (b) both linguistic and sociocommunicative aspects of the subjects' language development were positively influenced during the treatment. A determination of how each of the major treatment components (i.e., child-led orientation and simultaneous input) individually affected subject performance remains for future investigation.
34 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors suggest an ecological framework from which to observe and evaluate the way in which society's attitudes toward disablement could influence the development of sociocommunicative skills in individuals using augmentative and alternative communication (AAC).
Abstract: The manner in which disablement influences the sociocommunicative development of individuals using augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems is receiving preliminary attention in clinical, educational, and family settings. This paper suggests an ecological framework from which to observe and evaluate the way in which society's attitudes toward disablement could influence the development of sociocommunicative skills in individuals using AAC. The role of remediators, and programming issues surrounding the communicative rehabilitation of persons with severe speech impairment are discussed, along with possible directions for future research concerning the sociocommunicative aspects of AAC.
TL;DR: A review of attempts to promote functional uses of AAC systems by persons with severe handicaps is reviewed and a more rigorous validation of the usefulness of these systems for such individuals and their conversational partners is called for.
Abstract: A technological base now exists from which a variety of devices and techniques can be applied to the special augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) needs of individuals with severe handicaps. Accompanying this growing inventory of resources, however, are continued accounts of these individuals' inabilities to use their newly acquired communication systems outside of contrived environments, such as the clinical setting. This position paper begins with a review of attempts to promote functional uses of AAC systems by persons with severe handicaps. The author then calls for a more rigorous validation of the usefulness of these systems for such individuals and their conversational partners. Practitioners are urged to adopt more functional orientations when selecting the content and evaluating the effectiveness of AAC programs.
TL;DR: Critical professional and research issues related to public policy, documentation, and direct service provision are addressed in terms of the transitions experienced by the field and directions for future development.
Abstract: The field of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) has emerged as a rapidly developing area. This paper highlights a number of critical professional and research issues which were the subject of discussion at a recent meeting of several members of the AAC community. Issues related to public policy, documentation, and direct service provision are addressed in terms of the transitions experienced by the field and directions for future development.
TL;DR: The evaluation of an efficient augmentative and alternative communication program for a microcomputer that considers the features of speed, flexibility, expense, and vocabulary preparation time and highlights the interdependence of word cost and selection time in determining communication rate.
Abstract: This article describes the evaluation of an efficient augmentative and alternative communication program for a microcomputer that considers the features of speed, flexibility, expense, and vocabulary preparation time. The program uses frequency-based prediction algorithms and menu selection to reduce word cost while maintaining complete vocabulary flexibility. Two studies of how this program affected word cost and a third study in which the program was field tested with an augmentative communication user are repotted. The research highlights the interdependence of word cost and selection time in determining communication rate.
TL;DR: In this paper, a new model for augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) evaluation and system selection is described based on focusing the efforts of the clinical team on determining the client's functional needs, skills, and environmental factors, from which a specification for an ideal device is generated.
Abstract: A proposed new model for augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) evaluation and system selection is described. This model is based on focusing the efforts of the clinical team on determining the client's functional needs, skills, and environmental factors, from which a specification for an ideal device is generated. This generic device specification is then presented to the appropriate manufacturers and/or their representatives, who respond by proposing a system solution which they feel best meets the specification. The clinical team then selects from the proposed systems based on how well they actually meet the needs of the client. This model relieves the clinical team of the need to be thoroughly familiar with all available systems by calling on the expertise of the manufacturers and representatives, who should be expert in their own products. Thus, the manufacturer and representatives become an ad hoc source of expertise to the clinical team. With the adoption of a standard format for the gene...
TL;DR: The tendency to use the performance of nondisabled speakers as the standard against which to compare the performances of persons using augmentative and alternative communication techniques must be evaluated carefully to assure that the resulting conclusions are accurate and sensitive to the purpose of the communicative behaviors under investigation.
Abstract: The assessment of the communication effectiveness of individuals who use augmentative and alternative communication techniques remains an important clinical and research activity. However, the tendency to use the performance of nondisabled speakers as the standard against which to compare the performance of persons using augmentative and alternative communication techniques must be evaluated carefully to assure that the resulting conclusions are accurate and sensitive to the purpose of the communicative behaviors under investigation.
TL;DR: The purpose of this study was to measure the impact on receptive and expressive language skills of teaching nonspeaking students to use a newly developed computerized symbol processor system.
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to measure the impact on receptive and expressive language skills of teaching nonspeaking students to use a newly developed computerized symbol processor system. The system consisted of an Apple Ile computer, a Power Pad graphics tablet, and software which allowed the user to write with picture symbols by pressing the desired space on the Power Pad. The system was tested with 43 students from three schools: two self-contained day schools for students with mental disabilities and a residential institution for individuals with severe and multiple disabilities. A pretest-posttest control group design was employed to determine if the intervention had any effects on the receptive and expressive language skills of the system users. Those in the treatment group were taught to use the system for 15 to 20 minutes per day, 5 days a week for 8 consecutive weeks. Those in the control group received no instruction on the system, but participated in their regular classroom instruction duri...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors discuss iconicity and iconicity in Augmentative and Alternative Communication: Vol. 4, No. 3, pp. 180-181, with a focus on iconicity.
Abstract: (1988). Further comments on iconicity. Augmentative and Alternative Communication: Vol. 4, No. 3, pp. 180-181.
TL;DR: The fifth biennial international conference on augmentative and alternative communication as discussed by the authors was held in 1988, with the theme " Animations of the mind" focusing on the human subject's ability to make decisions.
Abstract: (1988). The fifth biennial international conference on augmentative and alternative communication: Animations of the mind. Augmentative and Alternative Communication: Vol. 4, No. 3, pp. 130-176.