A Collaborative Approve to Assessing Augmentative & Alt Communication

Speech-language pathologists and board-certified behavior analysts (BCBAs) are frequently part of augmentative and alternative communication teams in settings such as public schools or clinics to develop knowledge and skills of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) to ensure optimal outcomes for their clients. AAC can support communication through functional communication development, replacement for challenging behaviors, and to augment natural speech acquisition. There is no one-size fits all approach to AAC (Light & McNaughton, 2012). AAC is designed to be individualized to the needs of the user and the family. There appear to be individual variables that may contribute to a better fit with different types of AAC (Nunes, 2015). For example, children who do not sustain joint attention may be better suited to an AAC system built around a picture exchange, as the act of exchanging the picture requires shared attention (Flippin et al., 2010). However, research is minimal that compares outcomes between use of a speech generating device program and a low-tech pictures exchange for students with limited joint attention to determine if the SGD has comparative benefit for children with limited joint attention. The purpose of our research attempts to answer questions about what individual variables lead to better fit with specific AAC systems. Results for at least three participants will be presented with specific implications related to collateral behaviors such as challenging behavior, preference, social validity, and possible prerequisites. integrity.
Objectives:
Participants will be able to:
• Describe multimodal systems for augmentative and alternative communication.
• Discuss aspects of initial data collection in augmentative and alternative communication assessment.
• Utilize cases to reflect aspects of early augmentative and alternative communication intervention
Authorship: Valerie Boyer, Grace Lafo, Denise Croft, Lesley Shawler, Yeni Ramos, and Karli Wright
Presented by:
Valerie Boyer, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Dr. Valerie Boyer is an associate professor and program director in communication disorders and sciences at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Dr. Boyer is a licensed and certified speech-language pathologist. Dr. Boyer is recognized as a Mark and Susan Ashley Endowed Professor. She supervises graduate students at the Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders. She also conducts research on AAC with young children with ASD.
Grace Lafo, B.S., B.A., Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Grace Lafo is a first-year master’s student in the Communication Disorders and Sciences program who is also completing a verified course sequence to become a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst. Grace is the current Research Coordinator for CASD, studying augmentative and alternative communication, instructive feedback, and parents’ experiences with the autism spectrum disorder diagnostic process in southern Illinois. A majority of her client experience involves teaching functional communication to children with challenging behaviors.
Denise Croft, M.S., CCC-SLP, Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Denise Croft is currently serving as interim director at the Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders. She is an assistant lecturer, clinical supervisor, and externship coordinator for the Communication Disorders and Sciences Program at Southern Illinois University - Carbondale (SIUC). Denise is a licensed and certified speech-language pathologist. She holds the ASHA Certificate of Clinical Competence. She supervises graduate students in the Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Lesley Shawler, Ph.D., BCBA, Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Dr. Lesley Shawler is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and earned her Ph.D. from the Institute of Applied Behavior Studies - Endicott College in 2019 under the advisement of Dr. Caio Miguel. She completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at Kennedy Krieger Institute and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in the Neurobehavioral Unit and Clinical Outcomes department. Dr. Shawler has experience working with individuals with developmental disabilities and mental health diagnoses across the lifespan and in a myriad of settings. Her main expertise includes the assessment and treatment of challenging behavior and teaching verbal behavior to individuals with Autism and other neurodevelopmental disabilities.