Caron, J., Laubscher, E., Light, J., McNaughton, D., & Starr, V. (2019, January). Watch and Talk: Effects of Video VSDs on Communication Turns. Poster at the Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) Annual Conference, Orlando, FL.
Caron et al. (2019) Handout (pdf)
Abstract: Watching videos on YouTube, for individuals with ASD, tends to be a solitary activity or a reward. However, this preferred activity can also be a context to promote meaningful communication exchanges. Traditional AAC systems are often separate from the device that plays the preferred videos; in order to watch videos and talk about them, individuals who use AAC must shift their attention away from their preferred activity (the video) in order to compose a message on their AAC system, then shift attention back to the video. This attention-shifting during highly preferred activities is likely to be difficult for many individuals with ASD. Five individuals with severe ASD participated in a single subject study to investigate the effects of embedded video visual scene displays on communication turns, during a 5-min. interaction around preferred YouTube videos. Results indicated an increase in communication turns for all participants.
All ATIA 2019 presentations by students and faculty can be found here.
