Influence of computerized sounding out on spelling performance for children who do and do not rely on AAC

Abstract

Purpose: Spelling is an important skill for individuals who rely on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). The purpose of this study was to investigate how computerized sounding out influenced spelling accuracy of pseudo-words. Computerized sounding out was defined as a word elongated, thus providing an opportunity for a child to hear all the sounds in the word at a slower rate. Methods: Seven children with cerebral palsy, four who use AAC and three who do not, participated in a single subject AB design. Results: The results of the study indicated that the use of computerized sounding out increased the phonologic accuracy of the pseudo-words produced by participants. Conclusion: The study provides preliminary evidence for the use of computerized sounding out during spelling tasks for children with cerebral palsy who do and do not use AAC. Future directions and clinical implications are discussed.

Implications for Rehabilitation

• We investigated how computerized sounding out influenced spelling accuracy of pseudowords for children with complex communication needs who did and did not use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC).

• Results indicated that the use of computerized sounding out increased the phonologic accuracy of the pseudo-words by participants, suggesting that computerized sounding out might assist in more accurate spelling for children who use AAC.

• Future research is needed to determine how language and reading abilities influence the use of computerized sounding out with children who have a range of speech intelligibilityabilities and do and do not use AAC.

• AAC
• cerebral palsy
• phonological accuracy
• spelling

Acknowledgements

This research study was completed as part of the requirements of the first author’s dissertation study. The authors would like to thank the following individuals: John Bernthal, Pamela Hart, Dixie Sanger, Roger Bruning, and Amy Pellatz Haisch. We are particularly appreciative of the time and effort provided by the parents and children involved in this study.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no declarations of interest. The research project was supported in part by the Barkley Trust, Nebraska Speech-Language-Hearing Endowment (NSLHE) Fund Grant 2010, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institute for Deafness and Communication Disorders (NIDCD) Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Pre-doctoral Fellowship (NIH F31 DC010965-02). The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article. The opinions contained in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the National Institutes of Health.

Notes

¹Marantz CM311A digital recorder, Marantz America, LLC, 100 Corporate Drive, Mahwah, NJ 07430-2041, USA

²Crown CM311A headset microphone, Crown Audio, Inc., P. O. Box 88807, Chicago, IL 60695-1807, USA

³Adobe Audition, www.adobe.come/products/audition.html, San Jose, CA, USA

⁴Names of participants have been changes for confidentiality purposes. All names provided are pseudo-names created for the purpose of the manuscript.

⁵Dynavox V, DynaVox Mayer-Johnson, 2100 Wharton Street, Suite 400, Pittsburgh, PA 15203, USA

⁶Eco-14, Prentke Romich Company (PRC) World Headquarters, 1022 Heyl Road, Wooster, OH 44691, USA

⁷Vantage Lite, Prentke Romich Company (PRC) World Headquarters, 1022 Heyl Road, Wooster, OH 44691, USA