Communication is accomplished in many ways--through gestures, body language, writing, and speaking. Most people communicate verbally, without giving much thought to the process, but others may struggle to effectively communicate with others. The ability to express oneself affects behavior, learning, and sociability. When children are unable to…

This paper examines the use of facilitated communication (FC) with individuals having communication disorders, in the context of the research on literacy development and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) methodologies. (Author/DB)

In this systematic replication of a previous study (R. W. Schlosser, D. M. Blischak, P. J. Belfiore, C. Bartley, & N. Barnett, 1998), the effects of speech and print feedback on spelling performance were evaluated. Four children with autism and no functional speech were taught to spell words with a speech-generating device under 3 feedback…

Two prototype voice output communication aids were implemented to compare methods of graphic symbol message formulation; one emulated current devices that require syntactical ordering of icons (Default) and the other used semantic frames (iconCHAT). Message constructions of eight typically developing children (7-10 years of age) using both…

Staff at a day program were trained in Augmentative/Alternative Communication (AAC) strategies and techniques. The goal was to provide training that would allow staff at the centre to use communication strategies when working with their clients. Two training sessions were provided on AAC and communication strategies for all staff at the centre.…

Purpose: This study investigated the impact of syntactic complexity and task demands on construction of utterances using picture communication symbols by participants from 3 age groups with no communication disorders. Method: Participants were 30 children (7;0 [years;months] to 8;11), 30 teenagers (12;0 to 13;11), and 30 adults (18 years and…

This article presents a novel AAC communication aid based on semantic rather than syntactic schema, leading to more natural message construction. Users interact with a two-dimensional spatially organized image schema, which depicts the semantic structure and contents of the message. An overview of the interface design is presented followed by…

This article summarizes research regarding the delivery of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) supports to students with autism. Focus is on: (1) what AAC modality is preferable to use (manual signs or graphic symbols); and (2) what is known about the use of voice output communication aids with people with autism. (Author/DB)

Forty 3-year-olds learned either 12 standard Blissymbols (SBS) or their enhanced forms (EBS). Results demonstrated that the subjects learned EBS faster than SBS, remembered more EBS than SBS, did not differ in the communicative use of SBS and EBS, and were affected more negatively when presented with the untrained SBS than EBS. (Author/JDD)

This study examined the use of dual communication boards for teaching appropriate communication responses to three deaf-blind high school students. Students were able to use the boards with 100% accuracy in three communication routines in both school and community environments. (Author/DB)

This response to Green and Shane (EC 609 759) and Biklen and Duchan (EC 609 760), which presented opposing views of facilitated communication (FC) with people having severe disabilities, is by an author who is herself autistic. It concludes that both the critics and proponents of FC are wrong because of testing problems associated with self-other…

Visual-language and augmentative-communication systems for individuals with pervasive developmental disorders and autism are presented as both legitimate languages and as effective strategies. Methods for choosing target environments, generating appropriate vocabulary, creating interactive language boards, and implementing them with appropriate…

This introductory article to a special issue on the use of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) for persons with autism briefly reviews the history of AAC with this population, summarizes issues identified in the following articles, and notes questions that remain unanswered. (Contains references.) (DB)

This study investigated whether discourse context affected the intelligibility of synthesized sentences for young adult and older adult listeners. Findings indicated a significant facilitating effect of context wherein previous words and sentences are related to later sentences for both listener groups. Results have direct implications for…

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) as an area of clinical and educational practice involves a myriad of decisions related to the symbols, devices, and strategies from which each client must choose. These decision-making points can be productively informed through evidence from comparative intervention studies. The purpose of this…