AAC Misconceptions AAC Misconceptions AAC Misconceptions AAC Misconceptions Answered using Answered using Answered using Answered using

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Misconception 1: Misconception 1: Misconception 1: Misconception 1: This child isn’t ready for AAC. They don’t This child isn’t ready for AAC. They don’t This child isn’t ready for AAC. They don’t This child isn’t ready for AAC. They don’t have cause and effect yet!have cause and effect yet!have cause and effect yet!have cause and effect yet!

Reality: AAC intervention helps grow cognitive abilities, and impaired abilities to understand cause and effect does not mean they cannot learn AAC or be successful (Goossens', 1989; Kangas & Lloyd, 1988; Zangari & Kangas, 1997)!

Misconception 2: Misconception 2: Misconception 2: Misconception 2: This child talks! Won’t AAC mean they will This child talks! Won’t AAC mean they will This child talks! Won’t AAC mean they will This child talks! Won’t AAC mean they will talk less since they won’t need to rely on their verbal speech talk less since they won’t need to rely on their verbal speech talk less since they won’t need to rely on their verbal speech talk less since they won’t need to rely on their verbal speech anymore?anymore?anymore?anymore?

Reality: AAC can promote natural speech when speech and AAC are both used (Millar, Light, & Schlosser, 2006; Sedey, Rosin, & Miller, 1991). Children with autism can actually increase their spontaneous utterances when using a speech generating device (Kasari et al., 2014).

Misconception 3: Misconception 3: Misconception 3: Misconception 3: This child is too young. They aren’t even in This child is too young. They aren’t even in This child is too young. They aren’t even in This child is too young. They aren’t even in school yet!school yet!school yet!school yet!

Reality: AAC in preschool populations has been shown to improve grammar (Binger & Light, 2007; Harris, Doyle, & Haff, 1996), receptive language (Brady, 2000; Drager et al., 2006), and vocabulary (Romski, Sevcik, Barton-Hulsey, & Whitmore, 2015).

Beach Pathologist, 2017

Sources

Binger, C., & Light, J. (2007). The effect of aided AAC modeling on the expression of multi-

symbol messages by preschoolers who use AAC. Augmentative and Alternative

Communication, 23, 30–43.

Brady, N. C. (2000). Improved comprehension of object names following voice output

communication aid use: Two case studies. Augmentative and Alternative

Communication, 16, 197–204.

Drager, K. D. R., Postal, V. J., Carroulus, L., Castellano, M., Gagliano, C., & Glynn, J. (2006).

The effect of aided language modeling on symbol comprehension and production in

2 preschoolers with autism. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology,

15, 112–125.

Goossens', C. (1989). Aided communication intervention before assessment: A case study of

a child with cerebral palsy. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 5, 14–26

Harris, L., Doyle, E. S., & Haaf, R. (1996). Language treatment approach for users of

AAC: Experimental single-subject investigation. Augmentative and Alternative

Communication, 12, 230–243.

Kangas, K., & Lloyd, L. (1988). Early cognitive skills as prerequisites to augmentative and

alternative communication use: What are we waiting for? Augmentative and

Alternative Communication, 4, 211–221.

Kasari, C., Kaiser, A., Goods, K., Nietfeld, J., Mathy, P., Landa, R., . . . Almirall, D. (2014).

Communication interventions for minimally verbal children with autism: A

sequential multiple assignment randomized trial. Journal of the American Academy

of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 53, 635–646.

Millar, D. C., Light, J. C., & Schlosser, R. W. (2006). The impact of augmentative and

alternative communication intervention on the speech production of individuals

with developmental disabilities: A research review. Journal of Speech, Language,

and Hearing Research, 49, 248–264.

Romski, M., Sevcik, R. A., Barton-Hulsey, A., & Whitmore, A. S. (2015). Early intervention and

AAC: What a difference 30 years makes. Augmentative and Alternative

Communication, 31, 181–202.

Sedey, A., Rosin, M., & Miller, J. (1991, November). The use of signs among children with

Down syndrome. Poster presented at the Annual Convention of the American

Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Atlanta, GA.

Zangari, C., & Kangas, K. (1997). Intervention principles and procedures. In L. Lloyd, D. Fuller,

& H. Arvidson (Eds.), Augmentative and alternative communication (pp. 235–253).

Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Credit for background, font, and frame: imlovinlit.blogspot.com

Beach Pathologist, 2017