Noun Representation in AAC Grid Displays: Visual Attention Patterns of People with Traumatic Brain Injury

Abstract

Clinicians supporting the communication of people with traumatic brain injury (TBI) must determine an efficient message representation method for augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems. Due to the frequency with which visual deficits occur following brain injury, some adults with TBI may have difficulty locating items on AAC displays. The purpose of this study was to identify aspects of graphic supports that increase efficiency of target-specific visual searches. Nine adults with severe TBI and nine individuals without neurological conditions located targets on static grids displaying one of three message representation methods. Data collected through eye tracking technology revealed significantly more efficient target location for icon-only grids than for text-only or icon-plus-text grids for both participant groups; no significant differences emerged between participant groups.

Keywords::

• Augmentative and alternative communication
• Traumatic brain injury
• Message representation
• Grid-based displays
• Eye tracking
• Visual search

Notes

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the residents and the staff at QLI in Omaha, Nebraska for their participation in the research activities.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

This project was supported in part by the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Communication Enhancement (AAC-RERC) under grant H133E080011 from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) in the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) and in part by Tobii Technologies.

Notes

1. Picture Communication Symbols (PCS) is a product of the Mayer-Johnson company (http://www.mayer-johnson.com, 2014).

2. The Tobii T60 is an eye tracker designed for research purposes by Tobii Technologies (http://www.tobii.com, 2013).

3. Boardmaker is an image software produced by Mayer-Johnson (http://www.mayer-johnson.com, 2014).