2016 TASH Conference

All children need access to communication that empowers them to express their wants and needs, interact socially, participate fully in their environments, and share and receive information about the world. Although aided augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) offers a critical means to communicate for many children with complex communication needs, learning to use AAC involves more than being provided a deviceƒ??it requires children are supported and taught. This presentation shares the findings of a systematic review of 48 studies involving aided AAC modeling as a strategy to promote childrenƒ??s (i.e., birth to 21 years old) communication. In the review, intervention approaches were categorized according to three types of aided AAC modelingƒ??augmented input, models as prompts, and models within instructional demonstrations. Although the procedures and intervention components of these approaches varied, they were generally effective at improving diverse measures of childrenƒ??s expressive communication. This review offers key insight for researchers, educators, and family members by describing approaches to aided AAC modeling, evaluating their effectiveness, highlighting areas needing future research, and offering implications for practice.