Light, J. (2022, April 14). Augmentative and alternative communication supports for individuals with autism. Presentation at the full committee meeting of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee. https://iacc.hhs.gov/meetings/iacc-meetings/2022/full-committee-meeting/april13-14/
Janice Light spoke about augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) for individuals with autism at the recent meeting of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, April 13-14, 2022. Watch the video of Dr. Light’s talk and read a summary of key points below!
Dr. Light’s talk highlighted the importance of AAC and the research demonstrating its potential to support individuals on the autism spectrum.
Current AAC interventions tend to focus on requesting; we have an opportunity to build communicative competence for individuals on the autism spectrum by leveraging the power of AAC to support independent communication for multiple purposes.
To support communication as effectively as possible, AAC must be personalized to meet each individual’s needs, skills, and preferences. We must determine which AAC technologies work best for whom and under which conditions.
Traditional AAC systems often do not meet the needs of individuals on the autism spectrum. Visual scene display (VSD) and video visual scene display (video VSD) technologies, developed by the RERC on AAC, are new AAC technologies that are particularly well-suited for supporting beginning communicators and for enhancing social interaction and participation in valued activities.
Furthermore, it is critical for AAC technologies to support the transition from picture-based communication to literacy to maximize communication and participation in society. Research conducted by the RERC on AAC aims to develop and evaluate AAC system features to support this crucial transition.
The work of the RERC on AAC continues to focus on enhancing the lives of individuals on the autism spectrum, and all individuals with complex communication needs, by developing and evaluating AAC technologies and interventions to support communication and participation in valued experiences.
Select References
Babb, S., McNaughton, D., Light, J., Caron, J., Wydner, K., & Jung, S. (2020). Using AAC video visual scene displays to increase participation and communication within a volunteer activity for adolescents with complex communication needs. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 36, 31-42. doi:10.1080/07434618.2020.1737966 (full text available)
Babb, S., McNaughton, D., Light, J., & Caron, J. (2021). “Two friends spending time together”: The impact of video visual scene displays on peer social interaction for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. Language Speech and Hearing Services in Schools, 52, 1095-1108. doi:10.1044/2021_LSHSS-21-00016 (summary with video examples)
Boyle, S., McNaughton, D., Light, J., Babb, S., & Chapin, S. (2021). The effects of shared e-book reading with dynamic text and speech output on the single word reading skills of young children with developmental disabilities. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 52, 426-435. doi:10.1044/2020_LSHSS-20-00009 (full text available)
Caron, J., Light, J., & McNaughton, D. (2021). Effects of a literacy feature in an augmentative and alternative communication app on single-word reading of individuals with severe autism spectrum disorder. Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 46, 18-34. doi:10.1177/1540796921992123 (full text available)
Chapin, S.E., McNaughton, D., Light, J., McCoy, A., Caron, J., & Lee, D. (2021, early online). The effects of AAC video visual scene display technology on the communicative turns of preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder. Assistive Technology. doi: 10.1080/10400435.2021.1893235 (full text available)
Wilkinson, K., Zimmerman, T. & Light, J. (2021). Visual attention to cued targets in simulated aided augmentative and alternative communication displays for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Journal of Speech Language Hearing Research, 64, 1726-1738. doi:10.1044/2021_JSLHR-20-00451 (full text available)
Video of presentation
