Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

This article outlines practical techniques for developing literacy skills in users of high-tech speech-generating augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices. The recommended strategies are intended for general classroom teachers who teach literacy skills to students with typical speech. Many students who use high-tech AAC devices participate in grade-level instruction. Strategies based on the National Reading Panel's research-based findings for effective reading instruction are used as guidelines for adapting instruction to incorporate users of AAC. Techniques for teaching phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, and text comprehension are provided. Because of the emphasis placed on oral reading in developing fluency, this skill area is not directly addressed. Rather, this article provides strategies for developing a skill more directly relevant to AAC users— multimodal meaning making. In using the strategies outlined in this article, classroom teachers will be able to increase the literacy skills of all students with very little adaptation to instruction.

Keywords

AAC alternative communication academic content delivery assistive technology reading disabilities instruction reading

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. ( 2005). Roles and responsibilities of speech-language pathologists with respect to augmentative and alternative communication (Technical report) . Retrieved February 7, 2006, from http://www.asha.org/NR/rdonlyres/2C21C083-CA9C-484E-959E-9A5E7014D3E0/0/v3TRaac.pdf

Baker, L. , & Brown, A.L. (1984). Metacognitive skills in reading. In P. D. Pearson , R. Barr , M. Kamil , & P. Mosenthal (Eds.), Handbook of reading research (pp. 353-394). New York: Longman.

Barton, D. (1994). Literacy: An introduction to the ecology of written language. Oxford, UK: Blackwell .

Beck, J. (2002). Emerging literacy through assistive technology . Teaching Exceptional Children, 35(2), 44-48.

Beukelman, D. , & Ansel, B. (1995). Research priorities in augmentative and alternative communication. Augmentative and Alternative Communication , 11, 131-134.

Brown, A.L. (1980). Metacognitive development and reading. In R. J. Spiro , B. C. Bruce , & W. F. Brewer (Eds.), Theoretical issues in reading comprehension (pp. 453-481). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Dynavox Technologies. (2008). Retrieved October 13, 2008, from http://www.dynavoxtech.com/products/v/features.aspx .

Hill, K.J. (2001). The development of a model for automated performance measurement and the establishment of performance indices for augmented communicators under two sampling conditions. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania .

Hill, K.J. , & Dollaghan, C. (1999, November). Conversations of three-year olds: Implications for AAC outcomes. Paper presented at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Convention, San Francisco.

10.

Janota, J.O. (2004). 2004 Schools survey. Rockville, MD: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

11.

McCormick, L. , & Schiefelbusch, R.L. (1990). Early language intervention: An introduction (2nd ed.). Columbus, OH: Merrill.

12.

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. (2000) Report of the National Reading Panel. Teaching children to read: An evidence-based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction (NIH Publication No. 00-4769). Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.

13.

Romich, B.A. , Vanderheiden, G.C. , & Hill, K.J. (2000) Augmentative communication. In J. D. Bronzino (Ed.), The biomedical engineering handbook (2nd ed., pp. 144-148). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.

14.

Sevcik, R.A. , & Romski, M. (2000). AAC: More than three decades of growth and development . The ASHA Leader, 5(19), 5.

15.

Snow, C. E. , Burns, M. S. , & Griffin, P. (Eds.). (1998). Preventing reading difficulties in young children . Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

16.

Stanovich, K.E. (1994). Constructivism in reading education. Journal of Special Education, 28, 259-274.

17.

Tomlinson, C.A. (1999). The differentiated classroom: Responding to the needs of all learners. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

18.

U.S. Department of Education. (2002). No child left behind act. Retrieved April 15, 2007, from http://www.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/esea02/index.html

Developing Students' Literacy Skills Using High-Tech Speech-Generating Augmentative and Alternative Communication Devices

Abstract

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References