The Role of Word Order in the Interpretation of Canonical and Non-Canonical Graphic Symbol Utterances: A Developmental Study

Abstract

Graphic symbols are often used to represent words in Augmentative and Alternative Communication systems. Previous findings suggest that different processes operate when using graphic symbols and when using speech. This study assessed the ability of native speakers of French with no communication disorders from four age groups to interpret graphic-symbol sequences of varying length and canonicity. Results reveal that, as they get older, participants show an increase in their capacity to interpret graphic-symbol sequences. Constituent order played an important role in the interpretation of the sequences. However, the specific word-order strategies used varied depending on the age group and the type of sequence presented.

Keywords:

• Graphic symbols
• Utterances
• Augmentative and alternative communication
• Word-order strategies

Acknowledgements

This research was funded by the Social Sciences and Research Council of Canada. The writing of this article was also supported in part by NSF Grant SBE-0541953 to establish the Science of Learning Center for Visual Language and Visual Learning (VL2). Parts of the data were presented at the International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication conference in Düsseldorf, Germany, in August 2006, and at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association conference in Boston in November 2007. The authors thank all the participants in the study, as well as Monica Rios, Marie-Andrée Poirier, Sophie de Broeck, Virginie Isquin, Valérie Legault, Anne-Marie Pauzé, and Josée Goyer who collected the data.

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