Holyfield et al. have published a systematic review of AAC intervention research for adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorder
Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Many children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have difficulty with communication – approximately 30% of children with ASD may not use speech as their primary mode of communication. For these individuals, AAC can support communication for social participation, academic learning, and language development. Research has shown that children with ASD can learn to use AAC systems and strategies, however there is still much to learn about how to to best support children with ASD in learning communication skills.
Research at Penn State is investigating how to design and support AAC systems that will help children with ASD
• learn language and communication skills
• develop literacy skills
• participate in general education classrooms
We are also conducting research in order to better understand the perspectives of parents and teachers, and to identify strategies to support communication and collaboration among AAC team members.
Use of Interactive Video VSD for an Adolescent with ASD (Babb et al., 2017)
Salena Babb presented research on the use of videos with integrated visual scene display for adolescents with ASD in vocational settings.
Family-centered services for children with ASD & limited speech: The experiences of parents & SLPs (Mandak & Light, 2017)
99 parents of children with ASD and limited speech and 211 SLPs who served children with ASD and limited speech completed questionnaires measuring their experiences with the provision of family-centered services
Effects of AAC app on single-word reading of preschoolers with ASD — Presentation
This poster session at PSHA 2017 described an investigation of the effects of dynamically displaying text within graphics-based AAC software to support the transition from graphic symbols to single-word reading.
Effects of JIT Intervention with adolescent with ASD — Presentation
This 2017 PSHA Poster presentation reviewed the impact of an AAC app featuring VSDs with JIT programming on the frequency of turns and engagement of an adolescent with ASD.