Background: Gestures or manual signing are valid options for augmentative and alternative communication. However, the data in the literature are limited to a few neurodevelopmental disorders, and less is known about its application in the community setting.
Objectives: This case report explores the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of tact training with augmentative gestural support intervention for a child affected by a language disorder with challenging behaviors in a community setting.
Methods: Baseline assessments were conducted using the Verbal Behavior Milestone Assessment and Placement Program (VB-MAPP) and Griffiths Mental Developmental Scale-III (GMDS-III). The patient received six months of standard treatment, consisting of neuropsychomotor and speech therapy each twice a week, with improved cooperation in proposed activities, but no improvement in language. Afterward, a total of 24 sessions of tact training with augmentative gestural support interventions were performed. Data were collected by two independent observers and analyzed to measure language and behavioral outcomes.
Results: VB-MAPP scores increased form minimal communication and social interaction at T0 (baseline) to improved compliance but unchanged language skills at T1 (after standard therapy). After tack training with augmentative gestural support (T2), VB-MAPP scores showed significant improvements, with notable increases in verbal operants, independence in communication, and intersubjectivity skills. GMDS-III scores at T2 also demonstrated growth in social, communicative, and cognitive skills. Additionally, challenging behaviors were reduced by more than 70% and nearly resolved by the end of the intervention.
Conclusions: Personalized approaches appear to be essential for interventions tailored to developmental age. Further research is needed to determine the effectiveness of these approaches for other neurodevelopmental disorders, identify patient characteristics that may be predictors of outcomes to tailor the intervention, and explore the generalization of the results obtained with these strategies.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/jcm13226790 | DOI Listing |
Augment Altern Commun
January 2025
Department of Special Education, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
Special education teachers support students with complex communication needs across the day. Yet, evidence suggests that these professionals are entering the field without being fully prepared to support these students by having the knowledge and skill to implement augmentative and alternative communication practices. The lack of preparedness from these professionals creates barriers for students with complex communication needs, their families, and other team members.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction Young children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) who have limited speech and language require access to augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) intervention, including technology and instruction. While research shows that AAC intervention can effectively support communication from children with IDD, research on its impact on school readiness skills is limited. Methods Two preschool aged children with IDD participated in this study.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAust Crit Care
January 2025
School of Nursing and Midwifery, Griffith University, Queensland, Australia; NHMRC CRE in Wiser Wound Care, Griffith University, Queensland, Australia.
Background: Communication boards are a low-technology tool used to facilitate interactions with mechanically ventilated patients in intensive care units (ICUs). Research on the acceptability of communication boards in resource-limited intensive care settings is lacking.
Aim: The aim of this study was to assess patients' and nurses' experienced acceptability of implementing a communication board in Sri Lankan ICUs.
Int J Lang Commun Disord
January 2025
Division of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa.
Background: There is a global need for synthetic speech development in multiple languages and dialects, as many children who cannot communicate using their natural voice struggle to find synthetic voices on high-technology devices that match their age, social and linguistic background.
Aims: To document multiple stakeholders' perspectives surrounding the quality, acceptability and utility of newly created synthetic speech in three under-resourced South African languages, namely South African English, Afrikaans and isiXhosa.
Methods & Procedures: A mixed methods research design was selected.
Int J Speech Lang Pathol
January 2025
Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication, Faculty of Humanities, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
Purpose: A systematic review was conducted to describe various viewpoints expressed in speech-language pathology literature over four decades concerning ethics knowledge in the profession.
Method: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were employed. Our sample search encompassed peer-reviewed journal articles sourced from electronic databases including MEDLINE, CINAHL, ERIC, MasterFILE Premier, E-Journals, Africa-Wide Information, and Academic Search Premier, spanning the period from 1980 to 2022.
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