Growing up with AAC in the digital age: a longitudinal profile of communication across contexts from toddler to teen

Abstract

Smart technology (e.g., smartphones, smartwatches, tablets) and the age of information have transformed our society and changed the lives of individuals who rely on assistive technology. This study provides a detailed description of an adolescent growing up in the digital age using augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). It documents the participant’s development across language, cognitive, and social domains from ages 2- to 15-years-old, and explores how changes in AAC technology and contextual factors contributed to broad-based outcomes associated with AAC use. In general, results from standardized assessments show growth or stability across domains from ages 2–15. Data from a parent interview provides a narrative description of AAC device use, AAC interventions, and school and family environments. Despite communicative challenges, the participant leveraged advances in AAC technology to develop communicative competence and creatively used his smart devices and the Internet to interact with friends both online and in person.

Keywords:

• Augmentative and alternative communication
• case study
• intervention decisions
• longitudinal research
• outcomes

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Adaptive Behavior Assessment System^TM www.wpspublish.com/abas-ii-adaptive-behavior-assessment-system-second-edition.

2 Proloquo4Text and Proloquo2Go are products of AssistiveWare. www.assistiveware.com for more information.

3 Lexile is a product of Lexile Framework for Reading. See lexile.com for more information.

4 Iowa Tests of Basic Skills^® is a product of Riverside Assessments, LLC and its affiliates. www.riversideinsights.com/

5 GoTalk 8 and GoTalk 20 are products of Attainment Company, www.attainmentcompany.com/

6 Picure Communication Symbols are products of Boardmaker and Tobii-Dynavox. https://goboardmaker.com/pages/picture-communication-symbols.

7 Dynavox Gateway© is a product of Dynavox, now now Tobii Dynavox, www.tobiiDynavox.com.

8 Apple Watch, iPad, iPhone, iPod, iTouch and FaceTime are products of Apple Inc., www.apple.com.

9 SymbolStix is a dynamic symbol set created by News-2-You. www.n2y.com/symbolstix-prime/.

10 Google Search is a web search engine developed by Google Inc. www.Google.com.

11 LEGO^® is a registered trademark of The Lego Group, www.Lego.com.

Additional information

Funding

The early assessment data reported in this paper was collected as part of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders grant DC-03799 to MaryAnn Romski.