Visual-spatial cognition in children using aided communication

Abstract

Children with severe motor impairments are restricted in their manipulation and exploration of objects, but little is known about how such limitations influence cognitive development. This study investigated visual-constructional abilities in 75 children and adolescents, aged 5;0–15;11 (years;months), with severe speech impairments and no intellectual disabilities (aided group) and in 56 children and adolescents with typical development (reference group). Verbal comprehension, non-verbal reasoning, and visual-spatial perception were assessed with standardized tests. The task of the participants was to verbally instruct communication partners to make physical constructions identical to models that the partner could not see. In the aided group, 55.7% of the constructions were identical to the models participants described, compared to 91.3% in the reference group. In the aided group, test results explained 51.4% of the variance in construction errors. The results indicate that the participants’ language skills were decisive for construction success. Visual-perceptual challenges were common among the aided communicators, and their instructions included little information about size and spatial relations. This may reflect less experience with object manipulation and construction than children with typical development, and using aided communication to instruct others to make three-dimensional constructions. The results imply a need for interventions that compensate for the lack of relevant experience.

Keywords:

• Aided communication
• speech and motor impairment
• non-verbal reasoning
• visual-spatial cognition
• assessment

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the participating children, their parents, and the professionals who worked with the children. Thanks to Carmen Basil, Marc Coronas, Annika Dahlgren Sandberg, Debora Deliberato, Margareta Jennische, Kaisa Launonen, Janice Murray, Susanne Møller, Leila Nunes, Gregor Renner, Martine Smith, Catia Walter, Ole Wriedt and Chih-Kang Yang for providing data.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Notes

1 Lego^® is the product of the Lego Group, Billund, Denmark. www.lego.com

Additional information

Funding

This reasearch was supported by the Ontario Federation of Cerebral Palsy, Canada; São Paulo Research Foundation, Brazil; Milp Foundation and Royal Kentalis, The Netherlands and Stiftelsen Sophies Minde, Norway.