ERIC Number: EJ1467732
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-May
Pages: 9
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1525-7401
EISSN: EISSN-1538-4837
Available Date: 0000-00-00
Implications of Constraints on the Language of Emerging Aided Communicators and Intervention Decisions: A Tutorial
Communication Disorders Quarterly, v46 n3 p177-185 2025
This tutorial offers speech-language pathologists (SLPs) an opportunity to consider the theoretical constructs of language acquisition theory and the multifactorial determinants that can impinge on the language acquisition process for children with complex communication needs. The system of constraints observed through the lens of optimality theory is discussed alongside intrinsic and extrinsic barriers associated with children who acquire their first language simultaneous to their introduction to aided augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems. This examination calls into question whether the language competence of emerging aided communicators may be masked by their ability to produce language that accurately represents their understanding of their native language. Specific to this question is whether vocabularies available to emerging aided communicators, opportunities to access aided language models, and intervention decisions made by SLPs may be implicated in the language acquisition and development process. Suggestions for clinical practice are offered as a means of mitigating adverse outcomes related to extrinsic constraints.
Descriptors: Augmentative and Alternative Communication, Speech Language Pathology, Language Acquisition, Language Proficiency, Assistive Technology, Technology Uses in Education, Educational Technology, Vocabulary Development, Communication Disorders, Language Impairments, Communication (Thought Transfer)
SAGE Publications and Hammill Institute on Disabilities. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub-com.bibliotheek.ehb.be
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1California State University-Long Beach, USA