Background: The dialogical approach of meaning making forms a rich and renewing theoretical perspective to study communication between presymbolic communicators and their interaction partners. The aim of this study is to investigate whether an observation scale based on the dialogical theory, the Scale for Dialogical Meaning Making (S-DMM), has…

The paper notes the difficulties with most formal tests of language skills when applied to the assessment of communication and precommunication skills in individuals with severe and multiple handicaps. General principles for assessment and a flexible assessment device are summarized. The Functional Communication Assessment is offered as a basic…

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)

Many children with severe or multiple disabilities, including those with visual impairment, are limited in their ability to communicate. "Communication" is defined as how a person exchanges information about his or her desires, needs, knowledge, and perceptions with another person. Communication can be verbal, written, or nonverbal, such…

The paper describes the development of a computerized symbol processing system which allows nonspeaking severely handicapped persons to create communication electronically. Two pilot studies investigated the use of Rebus and Bliss Symbols with either an Apple Graphics Tablet or the Power Pad, a peripheral which allowed users to activate the…

The manual contains three classifications (impairments, disabilities, and handicaps), each relating to a different plane of experience consequent upon disease. Section 1 attempts to clarify the nature of health related experiences by addressing reponse to acute and chronic illness; the unifying framework for classification (principle events in the…

This manual describes the Wisconsin Sensorimotor Pointing Assessment (WSPA) for individuals with severe communication deficits complicated by other cognitive or motor disabilities, and provides guidelines for its administration. The WSPA was designed to quantify four categories of sensory and motor abilities necessary for initiating and accurately…

A case study is presented of a nine-year-old boy with quadriplegic cerebral palsy and vision impairment, chronicling his development of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) and literacy skills from birth to second grade. Development and use of his AAC system is described, along with activities for language and literacy development.…

Twenty-seven papers are presented from a conference on applications of computer technology for disabled persons. The following titles and authors are represented: "Computer Applications For Rehabilitation Organizations: Finding What You Need" (T. Backer); "Similarities In Cognitive Development Of Severely Physically Handicapped and Younger Regular…

This article explores the effect of augmentative and alternative communication systems on literacy acquisition by young children with severe speech and physical impairments. The possibility of a relationship between the type of graphic symbols used for communication as a preschooler and the child's early reading competency is considered. (DB)

Training modules are presented for speech-language pathologists developing communication programming for Kentucky students with severe, profound, and multiple handicaps. The modules were developed for use in 2-day workshops that specifically deal with communication strategies to enhance opportunities for increased participation and integration for…

Special education is now an established part of public education in the United States--by law and by custom. However, it is still widely misunderstood and continues to be dogged by controversies related to such things as categorization, grouping, assessment, placement, funding, instruction, and a variety of legal issues. The purpose of this…

A theoretical framework for how literacy is learned and an overview of some special learning and technological needs of persons with severe speech and physical impairments are presented. Guidelines are offered for appropriate software selection and specialized computer adaptation for speech output and physical access. (DB)