The availability and accessibility of basic concept vocabulary in AAC software: a preliminary study.

Core vocabulary lists obtained through the analyses of children's utterances include a variety of basic concept words. Supporting young children who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) to develop their understanding and use of basic concepts is an area of practice that has important ramifications for successful communication in a classroom environment. This study examined the availability of basic concept words across eight frequently used, commercially available AAC language systems, iPad© applications, and symbol libraries used to create communication boards. The accessibility of basic concept words was subsequently examined using two AAC language page sets and two iPad applications. Results reveal that the availability of basic concept words represented within the different AAC language programs, iPad applications, and symbol libraries varied but was limited across programs. However, there is no significant difference in the accessibility of basic concept words across the language program page sets or iPad applications, generally because all of them require sophisticated motor and cognitive plans for access. These results suggest that educators who teach or program vocabulary in AAC systems need to be mindful of the importance of basic concept words in classroom settings and, when possible, enhance the availability and accessibility of these words to users of AAC.

Influence of computerized sounding out on spelling performance for children who do and do not rely on AAC.

PURPOSE: Spelling is an important skill for individuals who rely on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). The purpose of this study was to investigate how computerized sounding out influenced spelling accuracy of pseudo-words. Computerized sounding out was defined as a word elongated, thus providing an opportunity for a child to hear all the sounds in the word at a slower rate. METHODS: Seven children with cerebral palsy, four who use AAC and three who do not, participated in a single subject AB design. RESULTS: The results of the study indicated that the use of computerized sounding out increased the phonologic accuracy of the pseudo-words produced by participants. CONCLUSION: The study provides preliminary evidence for the use of computerized sounding out during spelling tasks for children with cerebral palsy who do and do not use AAC. Future directions and clinical implications are discussed. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION: We investigated how computerized sounding out influenced spelling accuracy of pseudowords for children with complex communication needs who did and did not use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Results indicated that the use of computerized sounding out increased the phonologic accuracy of the pseudo-words by participants, suggesting that computerized sounding out might assist in more accurate spelling for children who use AAC. Future research is needed to determine how language and reading abilities influence the use of computerized sounding out with children who have a range of speech intelligibility abilities and do and do not use AAC.

Developing an "essential functions" rubric: purposes and applications for speech-language-hearing academic programs.

This article describes the purpose and application of an essential functions rubric for prospective and current students engaged in the study of communication sciences and disorders. Adopted in 2007 by the Council on Academic Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CAPCSD), the essential functions rubric identifies core skills and attributes in five areas: communication, motor, intellectual-cognitive, sensory/observational, and behavioral/social. CAPCSD does not intend the rubric to be prescriptive but rather expects that it will be adapted to reflect the unique mission or circumstances of each academic program. The value of an essential functions rubric for academic programs is the opportunity it provides to educate students about the roles and responsibilities of the disciplines. A rubric also allows academic programs an objective basis for counseling students about professional expectations. Importantly, an essential functions rubric gives both students and programs opportunities to determine what, if any, accommodations might be employed to allow students who are otherwise qualified to help them succeed both academically and clinically.

Extended follow-up of a randomized controlled trial of the Lidcombe Program of Early Stuttering Intervention.

BACKGROUND: In the Lidcombe Program of Early Stuttering Intervention, parents present verbal contingencies for stutter-free and stuttered speech in everyday situations. A previous randomized controlled trial of the programme with preschool-age children from 2005, conducted in two public speech clinics in New Zealand, showed that the odds of attaining clinically minimal levels of stuttering 9 months after randomization were more than seven times greater for the treatment group than for the control group. AIMS: To follow up the children in the trial to determine extended long-term outcomes of the programme. METHODS & PROCEDURES: An experienced speech-language therapist who was not involved in the original trial talked with the children on the telephone, audio recording the conversations using a telephone recording jack. Parental reports were gathered in addition to the children's speech samples in order to obtain a balance of objective data and reports from a wide range of situations. OUTCOMES & RESULTS: At the time of this follow-up, the children were aged 7-12 years, with a mean of 5 years post-randomization in the 2005 trial. Twenty of the 29 children in the treatment arm and eight of the 25 children in the control (no treatment) arm were able to be contacted. Of the children in the treatment group, one (5%) failed to complete treatment and 19 had completed treatment successfully and had zero or near-zero frequency of stuttering. Three of the children (16%) who had completed treatment successfully had relapsed after 2 or more years of speech that was below 1% syllables stuttered. Meaningful comparison with the control group was not possible because an insufficient number of control children were located and some of them received treatment after completing the trial. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS: The majority of preschool children are able to complete the Lidcombe Program successfully and remain below 1% syllables stuttered for a number of years. However, a minority of children do relapse and will require their parents to reinstate the treatment procedures.

Randomised controlled trial of the Lidcombe programme of early stuttering intervention.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the efficacy of the Lidcombe programme of early stuttering intervention by comparison to a control group. DESIGN: A pragmatic, open plan, parallel group, randomised controlled trial with blinded outcome assessment. SETTING: Two public speech clinics in New Zealand. PARTICIPANTS: Stuttering preschool children who presented to the speech clinics for treatment. Inclusion criteria were age 3-6 years and frequency of stuttering of at least 2% syllables stuttered. Exclusion criteria were onset of stuttering during the six months before recruitment and treatment for stuttering during the previous 12 months. 54 participants were randomised: 29 to the Lidcombe programme arm and 25 to the control arm. 12 of the participants were girls. INTERVENTION: Lidcombe programme of early stuttering intervention. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Frequency of stuttering was measured as the proportion of syllables stuttered, from audiotaped recordings of participants' conversational speech outside the clinic. Parents in both arms of the trial collected speech samples in three different speaking situations before randomisation and at three, six, and nine months after randomisation. RESULTS: Analysis showed a highly significant difference (P = 0.003) at nine months after randomisation. The mean proportion of syllables stuttered at nine months after randomisation was 1.5% (SD 1.4) for the treatment arm and 3.9% (SD 3.5) for the control arm, giving an effect size of 2.3% of syllables stuttered (95% confidence interval 0.8 to 3.9). This effect size was more than double the minimum clinically worthwhile difference specified in the trial protocol. CONCLUSIONS: The results provide evidence from a randomised controlled trial to support early intervention for stuttering. The Lidcombe programme is an efficacious treatment for stuttering in children of preschool age.