Department of Special Education and Child Development, University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Department of Special Education, Illinois State University, Normal.
Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch. 2022 Jan 5;53(1):167-180. doi: 10.1044/2021_LSHSS-21-00052. Epub 2021 Dec 13.
Although there is a strong evidence base supporting the use of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) in school settings, the research-to-practice gap in this area remains a concern. Few studies have examined how AAC systems are implemented in school settings and whether these systems adequately promote communicative competence for students with complex communication needs. The aim of this case study was to better understand the ways in which elementary-age students with complex communication needs used AAC throughout daily routines.
Observations of five students, four receiving services under the category of autism and one under intellectual disability, in school settings were conducted to document the communication function, type of AAC systems used, and the times and activities during which AAC systems were accessible. In addition, supplemental interviews were conducted to understand the rationale for AAC implementation from the perspective of the special education teacher and speech-language pathologist.
Overall, findings from the observations and interviews indicated that a variety of AAC modes were utilized. Interactions represented a range of communicative functions, with the exception of social closeness, and were primarily observed during academic activities. However, there were some discrepancies between observations and interview data.
Although these findings provide insight into how students with complex communication needs may use AAC in elementary school settings, more research is needed to explore AAC use across a range of students, classrooms, and schools. We present specific future research directions, along with implications and recommendations for AAC teams and researchers.
尽管有大量证据支持在学校环境中使用辅助和替代沟通（AAC），但该领域的研究到实践差距仍然令人关注。很少有研究探讨 AAC 系统在学校环境中的实施情况，以及这些系统是否充分促进了具有复杂沟通需求的学生的沟通能力。本案例研究的目的是更好地了解具有复杂沟通需求的小学生在日常活动中使用 AAC 的方式。
对五名学生（四名被归类为自闭症，一名为智力残疾）在学校环境中的观察，以记录沟通功能、使用的 AAC 系统类型以及 AAC 系统可访问的时间和活动。此外，还进行了补充访谈，以从特殊教育教师和言语语言病理学家的角度了解 AAC 实施的基本原理。
总体而言，观察和访谈的结果表明，使用了多种 AAC 模式。互动代表了一系列沟通功能，除了社交亲密关系外，主要发生在学术活动中。但是，观察结果和访谈数据之间存在一些差异。
尽管这些发现提供了一些关于具有复杂沟通需求的学生在小学环境中可能如何使用 AAC 的见解，但需要更多的研究来探索在不同学生、课堂和学校中使用 AAC 的情况。我们提出了具体的未来研究方向，以及对 AAC 团队和研究人员的影响和建议。
