Table Of ContentAutism and Child Psychopathology Series
Series Editor: Johnny L. Matson
Jennifer B. Ganz
Aided
Augmentative
Communication
for Individuals with
Autism
Spectrum
Disorders
Autism and Child Psychopathology Series
Series Editor
Johnny L. Matson
Department of Psychology
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, LA, USA
For further volumes:
http://www.springer.com/series/8665
Jennifer B. Ganz
Aided Augmentative
Communication for
Individuals with Autism
Spectrum Disorders
With contributions by
Ee Rea Hong and Whitney Gilliland
Jennifer B. Ganz
Texas A&M University
College Station , TX , USA
ISSN 2192-922X ISSN 2192-9238 (electronic)
ISBN 978-1-4939-0813-4 ISBN 978-1-4939-0814-1 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-4939-0814-1
Springer New York Heidelberg Dordrecht London
Library of Congress Control Number: 2014936200
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Pref ace
This book is the sum of the past 18 years of my professional career. When I was a
special education teacher, I worked with young children across a broad range of the
autism spectrum – from students with social and behavioral issues who spoke
fl uently to those with “classic autism” traits who could neither speak nor write in a
manner that was understandable. I was and am most drawn to these children, for
whom it seemed needed a key or an “a-ha” moment to unlock effective communica-
tion. I attended all the training opportunities I could and apprenticed under my
more experienced colleagues to learn how to best teach these children. For children
who could not speak, it became clear to me that aided augmentative and alternative
communication (AAC) could be that key. However, I met with much resistance from
some of my students’ parents who were afraid that aided AAC would give their
children an easy way out of having to talk. Unfortunately, at that time, there was
little research to support the idea that aided AAC could serve as an effective means
of providing the ability to communicate to children with autism and that it would
not inhibit speech. Yet, my, albeit limited, experiences had convinced me that this
could serve as a way for these children to communicate and that, for some children,
the concrete nature of AAC may provide a link to unlocking speech and under-
standing of communication in general. Thus, I embarked on graduate school and
then my career in academia, where I have tried to determine the impacts of AAC on
people with autism and synthesize the body of literature in this area. Although much
research has been published by myself and many others, and many types of aided
AAC have come to be recognized, I believe there is much work left to do. This book
is my attempt to further pull together the state of the art and to suggest where the
fi eld should go from here.
College Station, TX, USA Jennifer B. Ganz
v
Contents
Part I Introduction and Overview
1 Overview of Autism Spectrum Disorders
and Complex Communication Needs ...................................................... 3
Characteristics of ASDs .............................................................................. 3
Social-Communication Skills ................................................................. 4
Restrictive, Repetitive, and Stereotypical Interests
and Behaviors .......................................................................................... 6
Challenging Behaviors and ASD ............................................................ 6
Commonly Co-occurring Conditions and Characteristics ...................... 7
Augmentative and Alternative Communication .......................................... 7
References ................................................................................................... 8
2 Aided Augmentative and Alternative Communication:
An Overview .............................................................................................. 13
Low-Tech Aided AAC ................................................................................ 13
The Picture Exchange Communication System ...................................... 14
High-Tech Aided AAC ............................................................................... 17
Types and Organization of Symbols Used in Aided AAC ...................... 21
Research Support for Aided AAC .............................................................. 22
Conclusions and Future Research Directions ............................................. 25
References ................................................................................................... 26
3 AAC and Assessment of People with ASD and CCN ............................. 31
Evaluating to Select an Aided AAC System ............................................... 32
Assessment of Students with ASD Who Use AAC .................................... 35
Tools for Selection of Specifi c AAC Modes ........................................... 35
Use of Standardized Assessments with People
with ASD and CCN ................................................................................ 36
Comprehensive Developmental and Communication Assessments ....... 37
vii
viii Contents
Informal Evaluation Procedures .............................................................. 38
Selection of AAC Goals .......................................................................... 38
Conclusions ................................................................................................. 39
References ................................................................................................... 39
4 Interdisciplinary Issues and Collaboration
in Assessment and Treatment ................................................................... 43
Family Role and Preference of People with ASD
in Selecting and Implementing AAC .......................................................... 44
Role of School Psychologists...................................................................... 45
Role of Speech-Language Pathologists ...................................................... 46
Roles of Educators, Paraprofessionals, and Daily Service Providers ......... 47
Conclusions ................................................................................................. 49
References ................................................................................................... 49
Part II Interventions and Techniques to Provide Aided AAC
for People with ASD
5 Naturalistic Aided AAC Instruction ........................................................ 55
Introduction ................................................................................................. 56
Naturalistic Instruction and AAC ............................................................... 58
Implementation in Natural Settings and Contexts .................................. 59
Modeling AAC Use and Verbalizations .................................................. 61
Expanding, Scaffolding, and Building
on Previously Acquired Skills................................................................. 62
Implementation of Behavioral Techniques ............................................. 63
Research Support for Naturalistic Interventions Involving
Implementation of Aided AAC with Individuals
with ASD and Other DD ............................................................................. 65
Research with People with ASD ............................................................. 70
Research Involving Modeling of AAC ................................................... 70
Research Involving Behavioral Techniques ............................................ 70
Conclusions and Future Directions ............................................................. 71
References ................................................................................................... 72
6 AAC Intervention Mediated by Natural
Communication Partners ......................................................................... 77
Introduction ................................................................................................. 77
The Case for Involving Parents, Family Members,
and Peers in AAC Intervention ............................................................... 78
Description of Peer- and Parent-Mediated AAC Interventions .................. 79
Information About ASD and CCN and on AAC .................................... 80
Instruction and Coaching in the Intervention .......................................... 82
Research ...................................................................................................... 84
Peer-Mediated Interventions for ASD .................................................... 84
Peer- and Parent-Mediated AAC Interventions for ASD ........................ 85
Contents ix
Peer- and Parent-Mediated AAC Interventions
for Anyone with Disabilities ................................................................... 88
Conclusions ................................................................................................. 88
References ................................................................................................... 90
7 Functional Communication Training with Aided AAC ......................... 95
What Is Functional Communication Training ............................................ 95
Functional Behavior Assessment ............................................................ 96
Functional Communication Training .......................................................... 99
Research on FCT ......................................................................................... 103
FCT Research with People with ASD .................................................... 107
FCT Research Involving AAC with People with ASD ........................... 107
Conclusions ................................................................................................. 108
References ................................................................................................... 108
Part III Controversial Issues in AAC
8 The Controversy Surrounding Facilitated Communication ................. 115
Introduction ................................................................................................. 115
What Is Facilitated Communication? ...................................................... 115
History of Use of FC ................................................................................... 116
Founders’ Claims .................................................................................... 116
Publications Touting the Reported Benefi ts of FC.................................. 118
Research Negating and Cautions Related to the Dangers of FC................. 118
Ongoing and Recent Resurgence of Interest in FC ..................................... 121
Conclusions ................................................................................................. 122
References ................................................................................................... 124
9 Sign Language Versus Aided AAC ........................................................... 127
Arguments for the Use of Sign Language with Individuals with ASD....... 128
Research on the Use of Sign Language with People with ASD ................. 129
Assertions Regarding the Use of Sign Language
to Promote Speech Acquisition ................................................................... 134
Research on the Impact of Sign Language Instruction
on Challenging Behaviors ........................................................................... 135
Comparisons Between Sign Language
and Other Language Instruction .................................................................. 135
Conclusions ................................................................................................. 136
References ................................................................................................... 136
Index ................................................................................................................. 139
