Purpose: Students with multiple disabilities who are beginning communicators require augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) to communicate during school and participate in its academic and social aspects. Triadic gaze is a method for accessing low-tech AAC that minimizes physical demands on access for students with limited mobility, such…

Purpose: Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is an intervention approach that can promote communication and language in children with multiple disabilities who are beginning communicators. While a wide range of AAC technologies are available, little is known about the comparative effects of specific technology options. Given that…

Purpose: The present article illustrates how the National Household Education Surveys (NHES; U.S. Department of Education, 2009) database might be used to address questions of relevance to researchers who are concerned with literacy development among young children. Following a general description of the NHES database, a study is provided that…

Purpose: A school-based treatment program for tube-fed children with medically complex conditions and food refusal was implemented to facilitate the children's transition to oral feeding and advance their eating skills. Method: The program combined educational and therapeutic goals. It was implemented in a regional public school for children with…

Purpose: This article reviews population trends and general characteristics of children with dysphagia in schools, provides an overview of dysphagia teams and the roles of the speech-language pathologist (SLP) in school and hospital settings, and describes assessment and treatment of swallowing and feeding problems in children with complex medical…

Specific program suggestions are provided to enable the speech-language pathologist to utilize the mealtime setting to integrate both vocal and nonvocal communicative objectives. The roots of interaction and communication which underly both vocal and nonvocal systems are described. (Author)

The study found that five multiply handicapped two-year-olds engaged in a greater frequency of communicative behaviors, a higher number of limb movements, and a higher developmental level of communicative behaviors when the interaction was child-initiated compared to when it was adult-initiated. (Author/JDD)

The paper describes a model of services for 38 infants and young children whose primary handicap was a communication disorder or for whom a communication disorder was a related problem. Data indicated that the model was effective in producing child growth in receptive and expressive language, as well as other developmental areas. (Author/CL)

This article suggests that the speech-language pathologist may appropriately serve as a case manager for students who have multiple needs and describes a case management model. The skills necessary for effective case management are outlined and functional outcomes are demonstrated with a child and family story. (Contains references.) (DB)

The article addresses the need to identify the unconventional, nonsymbolic behaviors of children with severe, multiple disabilities. Suggestions for improving the frequency and quality of communicative interactions by building on the child's current behavioral repertoire. (Author/DB)

This study examined the coexistence of other communicative disorders with voice disorders in about 3,400 children in grades 1-12 at 100 sites throughout the United States. The majority of voice-disordered children had coexisting articulation deviations and also differed from controls on two language measures and mean pure-tone hearing thresholds.…

Results were considered significant in that 11 percent of the students screened were identified as potentially hearing impaired as compared to 4 percent of the regular Baltimore City School student population who failed hearing screenings. (Author)

This article summarizes recent research into incidence of speech and language disorders in behaviorally handicapped children. Issues facing clinicians working with these children are discussed, including speech-language objectives and techniques, appropriate behavior management techniques, and consultation with other professionals. (Author/PB)

Children with laryngeal pathologies or alterations in laryngeal structure and/or function often present with complex medical profiles. This article presents case studies for the speech-language pathologist that provide information regarding management decisions and specific treatment options. (Author/DB)