Extending communicative competence: Observations of Facebook when using AAC — Presentation

Caron, J., Eskin, N., Farrell, K. (2017, March).   Extending communicative competence: Observations of Facebook when using AAC.  Poster session at the Pennsylvania Speech-Language Hearing Association (PSHA) Convention in Harrisburg, PA.  [Handout]
With rapid technological change influencing the way we communciate, the recognition of the use of social media for individuals who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) has not been fully translated into access and practice. Social media contributes new contexts for communication and engagement, both in and out of the therapeutic context, for individuals who use AAC.   This, coupled with the increased digitalization of communication and daily living tasks, necessitates this issue brought forefront when considering how to best maximize communication outcomes.
Li (2010) proposed a framework for social media consumer engagement including watching, sharing, commenting, producing, and curating. This framework can be applied to address ways to expand communicative competence by intervening in the online context for individuals who use AAC.  An example of this framework application was presented through a case study of an individual with cerebral palsy who uses AAC. This individual was observed on Facebook for three months. Descriptive statistics relative to most commonly used behaviors (e.g., ‘liking’ posts, sharing photos) shed light into starting points of future interventions in order to maximize communication across all environments for individuals who use AAC.
Given the expansion of communication environments and modes (e.g., social media) and the limited research to date, the current study expands understanding of ways to systematically approach new interventions for individuals who use AAC.