Concept maps make students' knowledge visible. Creating a mind map gives students an opportunity to organize their knowledge and allows instructors to visualize and assess it. When students create mind maps at multiple time points, instructors can compare the maps and use the themes, patterns, and gaps that emerge to reflect on their teaching and…

This Case Study is based on original research applying a single-case multiple baseline across participants design to investigate the effects of naturalistic augmentative and alternative communication instruction during routines for social closeness for three young neurodiverse children. This Case Study focuses on why a single-case design (SCD) was…

Background: This study explores communication partners' perceptions of their roles and responsibilities in the design, planning and use of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) with individuals with severe/profound intellectual disability. Methods: A qualitative descriptive approach was used. Purposive sampling, data collection and…

Purpose: Children with Down syndrome often have poor speech intelligibility, which can mask expressive language competence; this, in turn, can lead to serious misconceptions about overall competence and intellectual abilities. Although aided augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) can be used to bridge these gaps, children with Down…

Collaborative teams are vital in the service provision for students with complex communication needs. Professional competencies in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) practices are an essential consideration in the distribution of roles and responsibilities each team member will hold within teams. However, it is unclear to what extent…

Both naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions (NDBIs) and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) have been shown to support the language development of children with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder and minimal speech. However, little research has addressed the impact of incorporating AAC systems within NDBIs. This…

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is the branch of behavior science focused on solving problems of social significance. For over six decades, ABA researchers and practitioners have sought to improve the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) through application of evidence-based supports. Influenced by the disability…

Multiple contemporary theories emphasize the quantity and quality of child vocalizations for promoting spoken language acquisition. Yet, empirical evidence for facilitating vocal development is strikingly lacking including for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who have difficulty developing language. We evaluate use of contingent…

Purpose: This study examines the perspectives of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) professionals on the impact of participation in a professional learning community (PLC) focused on delivering AAC services to bilingual children. Specifically, it investigates the professionals' perceptions on (a) their professional development, (b)…

The current study examined vocalizations that occurred during training of the Picture Exchange Communication System for three U.S. preschool-age participants with autism spectrum disorder. In Phase IV, the protocol incorporates a delay to reinforcement in an effort to encourage vocalizations; however, the manual does not suggest additional…

This simulation study assessed the ability of Speech-Output Technologies (SOTs) to keep in-time during conversational repair. Fifty-eight Other Initiated Repair (OIR) initiators were collected from transcripts of repair interaction sequences collected from past research. A range of selection latencies were then used to calculate simulated…

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems has revolutionized the way non-verbal individuals interact with their environment. AI-powered symbolic text prediction offers innovative solutions to enhance expressive and receptive communication, promoting autonomy and social inclusion.…

The present study investigated the relationship between lexicon and grammar in individuals who use graphic symbol-based aided augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Data came from 60 transcripts of generalization sessions that were part of two previous intervention studies, aimed at improving the expressive vocabulary and grammar of 12…

Literacy skills can assist in the navigation and enjoyment of adult life. For individuals who have reached adulthood without strong literacy skills, opportunities for continued literacy learning are few. Redesigning AAC technologies to support literacy skill development could extend literacy learning opportunities for adults with developmental…

Students with complex communication needs have increasingly been using non-dedicated communication systems, such as mobile devices, to support their communication needs. This in turn, has led to an increased used of augmentative and alternative communication apps. The main challenge currently faced is the lack of empirically validated apps and…