endever* corbin endever* corbin is a multiply disabled semispeaking autistic self-advocate. Their life has improved so markedly since getting access to AAC that they now spend a lot of their time on research, presentations, consulting,… Speech is Simpy Exhausting (corbin, 2024)
by Patrick Regan Patrick Regan Patrick Regan has been an AAC user for more than 27 years. He experiences Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 2, and he received his first speech-generating device a few… The First Word in Accessibility is ACCESS (Regan, 2024)
Creative uses of a visual scene display (VSD) approach to supporting communication
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The iPad and other mobile technologies provide powerful new tools to potentially enhance communication for individuals with developmental disabilities, acquired neurogenic disorders, and degenerative neurological conditions. These mobile technologies offer a number of potential benefits, including: (a) increased awareness and social acceptance of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), (b) greater consumer empowerment in accessing AAC solutions, (c) increased adoption of AAC technologies, (d) greater functionality and interconnectivity, and (e) greater diffusion of AAC research and development. However, there remain a number of significant challenges that must be addressed if these benefits are to be fully realized…
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Light and McNaughton apply the framework proposed by the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) to illustrate the need to re-think AAC intervention to improve outcomes for individuals with complex communication needs, and to foster a new generation of intervention research that will provide a solid foundation for improved services. Specifically, the paper emphasizes the need to take a more holistic view of communication intervention and highlights the following key principles to guide AAC intervention and research: (a) build on the individual’s strengths and focus on the integration of skills to maximize communication, (b) focus on the individual’s participation in real-world contexts, (c) address psychosocial factors as well as skills, and (d) attend to extrinsic environmental factors as well as intrinsic factors related to the individual who requires AAC.
Susan Fager and David Beukelman describe AAC services for people with minimal movement capability, including individuals with brainstem stroke, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Guillan Barre’ Syndrome, and chronic myasthenia gravis.
Dana Nieder describes the impact of early access to AAC for her daughter, Maya.
This module provides an introduction to literacy instruction for learners with complex communication needs, and describes the impact of literacy instruction for Anna, a young girl with autism spectrum disorders ( ASD).
Drs. Howard Shane, Jessica Gosnell, David McNaughton, and Sam Sennot discuss the use of mobile communication technologies (e.g., the iPad) by children with complex communication needs (webcast)
Howard Shane and Meghan OBrien (Boston Childrens Hospital) describe the use of the Visual Immersion Program to develop the comprehension and expressive language skills of individuals with autism