Research Priorities

The following research topics are priorities for funding and support by the AAC Research Alliance:

AAC and Autism

Purpose: Many students with Autism Spectrum Disolrder (ASD) have difficulty with effective expressive communication. The AAC Research Alliance is interested in gathering evidence that addresses the following questions:

  1. How does the use of Speech-Generating Devices (SGD) by individuals with ASD impact communication?
  2. What is the relationship between SGD use and the following factors in children with ASD?
    1. Changes in behavior,
    2. Ability to generalize language across environments, and
    3. Maintenance of language progress.
  3. How do specific therapy interventions using SGDs impact individuals with different kinds of ASD?

Core Vocabulary and Effectiveness of Communication

Purpose: More information is desired about how individuals who use SGDs best communicate. The AAC Research Alliance is interested in gaining insight and understanding into the following questions:

  1. How does the use of core vocabulary in SGDs impact the speed (fluency) of expressive communication?
  2. How does the use of a core vocabulary in SGDs impact effectiveness of student communication and participation in core content subject area classrooms?

Best Practice AAC Therapy Interventions and SGD Use

Purpose: We seek to discover what therapy tools and processes are being used by professionals and what effect these interventions are having on specific populations of individuals with disabilities.

  1. What AAC interventions are effective in yielding specific outcomes (ie. language acquisition, functional communication, participation, etc.)?
  2. Which AAC interventions are most effective in yielding outcomes with specific populations?

Other Topics of Interest:

  1. How effectively are SGD users interfacing with computers?
  2. How do SGD users access the Internet? What are the most effective methods, interfaces?
  3. Iconicity: How does the particular symbol set employed in an SGD impact the effectiveness of communication?
  4. What is the relationship between use of contextual scenes and enhancement of communication?