Patenaude, D., McNaughton, D., & Liang, Z. (2024). Using visual scene displays with young children: An evidence-based practice synthesis. Journal of Special Education Technology, 0(0) 1-13 ..read more

Pope, L., Light, J. & Laubscher, E. (2024).The Effect of Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions and Aided AAC on the Language Development of Children on the Autism Spectrum with Minimal Speech: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-024-06382-7 ..read more

Children with complex medical and communication needs often experience extensive or frequent hospital stays and rely on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) strategies to communicate in this environment. In order for these AAC strategies to be successfully implemented, providers need the skills for successful implementation. Health care providers seldom receive training to effectively communicate with these children, which may lead to limited participation opportunities for the child during inpatient interactions ..read more

McCarty, T. V., & Light, J. C. (2023). “It’s like a guessing game all the time”: Parent insights on barriers, supports, and priorities for children with cortical visual impairment and complex communication needs. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 39(4), 256–269. https://doi.org/10.1080/07434618.2023.2206904 ..read more

Individuals with multiple disabilities are among the most challenging to serve and AAC teams often lack direction in determining effective interventions. Children with both visual and motor impairments often have complex communication needs. Often the the term multiple disabilities is used to capture individuals who experience two or more impairments. This scoping review focused on the research evidence on AAC interventions for individuals with complex communication needs and multiple disabilities ..read more

This article describes how a decoding feature in the T2L program affects single-word reading. The words were targeted in adapted books with individuals with Down syndrome. Participants showed increased reading ability including decoding novel words ..read more

The RERC on AAC will present at CEC 2024 ..read more

The RERC on AAC will be presenting at the ATIA2024 Conference in Orlando, Florida on January 25-27. Handouts will be available below ..read more

In our current project (2024), we are gathering information about the experiences of AAC users in directing personal care. We are especially interested in learning about how effective communication with Direct Support Professionals (e.g., personal care attendants, group home workers) can enhance participation in independent living and community activities for AAC users. If you are ..read more

The current preliminary study evaluated an AAC technology feature designed to support literacy development. The study used a multiple probe across participants design. Three adults with Down syndrome who had limited speech and only basic decoding skills participated ..read more