Am J Intellect Dev Disabil. 2014 Nov;119(6):516-35. doi: 10.1352/1944-7558-119.6.516.
Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and complex communication needs often rely on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) as a means of functional communication. This meta-analysis investigated how individual characteristics moderate effectiveness of three types of aided AAC: the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), speech-generating devices (SGDs), and other picture-based AAC. Effectiveness was measured via the Improvement Rate Difference. Results indicated that AAC has small to moderate effects on speech outcomes, and that SGDs appear to be most effective when considering any outcome measure with individuals with ASD without comorbid intellectual/developmental disorders (IDD). PECS appears to be most effective when considering any outcome measure with individuals with ASD and IDD. SGDs and PECS were the most effective type of AAC for preschoolers, when aggregating across outcome measures. No difference was found between systems for elementary-aged and older individuals.
自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）和复杂沟通需求的个体通常依赖于辅助和替代沟通（AAC）作为功能性沟通的手段。本荟萃分析研究了个体特征如何调节三种辅助性 AAC 的效果：图片交换沟通系统（PECS）、言语生成设备（SGD）和其他基于图片的 AAC。有效性通过改善率差异来衡量。结果表明，AAC 对言语结果有小到中等的影响，并且在考虑任何结果测量时，对于没有共患智力/发育障碍（IDD）的 ASD 个体，SGD 似乎最有效。当考虑到 ASD 和 IDD 个体的任何结果测量时，PECS 似乎最有效。当综合考虑结果测量时，SGD 和 PECS 是最有效的学龄前儿童 AAC 类型。对于小学和年龄较大的个体，系统之间没有差异。
