Examining dynamic visual scene displays: implications for arranging and teaching symbol selection.

Purpose: Evidence supports using visual scene displays (VSDs) with young children using speech-generating devices. This study examined initial and subsequent performance during VSD use by children age 24-27 and 33-36 months to explore child characteristics that may relate to navigational skill differences.

Method: Children located 9 vocabulary items using a dynamic VSD. Tests of mean difference and analyses of variance were both completed to examine within- and between-age-group performance for accuracy and latency across 3 time points: at initial exposure, at criterion, and at a 2-week maintenance session for each of 2 linked navigational pages.

Results: Results indicated that, at initial exposure, older participants' symbol selections were significantly more accurate and significantly faster when navigating through each page of a 2-page dynamic VSD. Results also indicated that though younger participants required significantly more sessions to achieve mastery, when the effects of practice and language comprehension were controlled, performance differences between age groups were not found when maintenance was evaluated.

Conclusions: Older children perform better than younger children on initial opportunities. However, younger children learn to use VSDs in relatively few instructional opportunities, suggesting that VSDs can be used with children as young as 2 years of age.