research
PART 1: Better Assistive Technology Decision Making Through Research
A little over a year ago I overheard a conversation between two of my colleagues who are very knowledgeable about assistive technology (AT). One asked the other if she knew of any research about AT. The reply was, “There really isn’t any research about AT.” I was shocked by that conversation, because there is quite a bit of research regarding AT. It’s led me to research and embark on a mission to help all of us be more aware of the readily available research about AT and how it can inform us as we make decisions about AT for our students with disabilities. This is especially important because federal regulations actu- ally require that our Individualize Education Program (IEPs), in- cluding special education, related services, and supplementary aids and services, be based on peer-reviewed research to the ex- tent practicable (34 C.F.R. §300.320(a)(4)). Since AT is required to be made available, if needed, as part of special education, related services, or supplementary aides and services (34 C.F.R. §300.105), it’s not much of a reach to realize that we need to know about AT research. There is an abundance of research available, and we won’t be able to cover all of it, but included here are some of the key find- ings that every AT Specialist and IEP team member should know. This first article in a two-part series will focus on AT for students with intellectual and low incidence disabilities. Augmentative and Alternative Communication Well Researched One of the most well researched areas of AT is augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Calculator & Black, (2009) reviewed 102 published articles and identified effective practices for teaching AAC to students, including: • Using naturalistic teaching, • Using a system of least prompts, • Training peers and teachers to use the devices,
• Teaching multiple modes of AAC, • Teaching a single symbol for a variety of purposes, and • Introducing the use of communication devices early in a child’s life. Their literature review also suggests strong evidence for the use of AAC for students with significant intellectual disabilities. The absolute misconception that children must have some type of “pre-requisite skills” before AAC is used is still occasionally heard. However, numerous researchers have disproved the belief that persons with significant levels of intellectual disabilities need to reach a certain performance level or that they could not benefit enough from communication devices to justify the cost (Light, Roberts, Dimarco, & Greiner, 1998; McNaughton, Light, & Arnold,
2002; Romski & Sevcik, 1997; Romski & Sevcik, 2000). Use of AAC Does Not Keep a Child from Learning to Talk
Unfortunately, we still hear of service providers and family members who want to postpone the introduction of AAC because they fear that it will delay the development of the child’s spoken language. Research tells us clearly that the use of AAC, including voice output devices, absolutely does not prevent the develop- ment of speech. Some of the best evidence for this comes from a thorough meta-analysis of the literature by Millar, Light, and Schlosser (2006). They reviewed hundreds of studies, eliminat- ing those that were not well designed. They narrowed their focus down to 23 studies of high quality that involved 67 individuals from ages two to 60. These subjects included individuals identi- fied as having developmental disabilities, intellectual disabilities, mental retardation or autism. They looked at speech production before, during and after the introduction of AAC. They found un- equivocally that AAC use did not slow or prevent the development of spoken language. In fact, speech production increased in 89%
Dr. Penny Reed is an independent consultant who provides consultation and training on a variety of topics related to assistive technology with a special focus on helping school districts improve their delivery of assistive technology services. She is the author of numerous publications about assistive technology services. She can be reached at 1happypenny@gmail.com.
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