Research on Communication in Children and Youth Who Are Deaf-Blind

This is a partial list of materials on this topic available from DB-LINK. In most instances, DB-LINK is able to provide a copy of the complete article. For this and other questions or information that you may need, please contact DB-LINK, (800) 438-9376 or (800) 854-7013 (TTY) or email: info@nationaldb.org

Updated 9/2009

2005-0126

An Analysis of Communicative Functions of Teachers and Their Students Who Are Congenitally Deafblind --Bruce, Susan; Godbold, Emily; Naponelli-Gold, Sarah. RE:view, vol. 36, #2, Summer 2004, pp. 81-90. (2004) Communicative function is the way a communication partner perceives or interprets the meaning of a sender's message. This is different from "intent," which is the purpose held by the sender. Communicative functions typically acquired by young children include protesting, calling, showing an object, giving an object, answering, labeling, requesting an object, requesting an action, commenting on objects, and commenting on actions. This study analyzes and describes the communicative functions of 3 school-age deaf-blind students and their teachers. A detailed procedure was used to identify communicative functions by videotaping and transcribing interactions between the children and their teachers and communicative functions were coded. Interactions were videotaped both prior to and following a teacher in-service training on the functions of communication.

2005-0251

Analyzing Teacher/Child Interactions : What Makes Communication Successful? --Amaral, Isabel. DBI REVIEW, vol. 32, July-December 2003, pp. 12-18. (2003) The success of interactions between caregivers and learners with multiple disabilities depends largely on the ability of the caregiver to interpret and respond to the learner’s nonsymbolic forms of communication. This article describes a study that analyzed missed opportunities for communication (captured on video) between 2 children with multiple disabilities and their teachers and the results of an intervention process designed to reduce the number of missed opportunities. It found that teachers do leave many children’s behaviors unresponded to and that this number can be decreased through intervention. The article includes an opinion scale that was used to analyze communicative behavior.

2006-0110

Applying the Diagnostic Intervention Model for Fostering Harmonious Interactions Between Deaf-Blind Children and Their Educators : A Case Study --Janssen, Marleen J.; Riksen-Walraven, J. Marianne; van Dijk, Jan P. M. American Foundation for the Blind Press. JOURNAL OF VISUAL IMPAIRMENT AND BLINDNESS, vol. 100, #2, February 2006, pp. 91-105. (2006) In an earlier article, the authors presented the Diagnostic Intervention Model for use as a guide in the design and conduct of interventions to foster harmonious interactions between children who are deaf-blind and their educators in various settings. This current article demonstrates the use of the model in everyday practice and the effects of its application in a case study of one child. Single-subject design study. Available on the web: http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/0000019b/80/2a/5a/f7.pdf

2008-0432

BETS. Is it Possible to Evoke Them, in Order to Facilitate the Communication Between the Congenital Deafblind Person and His Communication Partners --Bloeming, Kitty. 14th DbI World Conference on Deafblindness Conference Proceedings, September 25-30, 2007, Perth, Australia. (2007) This is text of a workshop presentation given at the 14th DbI World Conference on Deaf-Blindness. This presentation discusses a study with the focus at expressions that are based on a Bodily Emotional Trace (BET). The main research question was: Does knowledge about expressions that are based on a BET improve the communication between persons who are congenital deafblind and their communication partners?

2008-0323

Come Here While I Say That: Can We Teach Deafblind Adults With Additional Disabilities to Attract Attention and Make Requests? --Mackintosh, Lucy. 14th DbI World Conference on Deafblindness Conference Proceedings, September 25-30, 2007, Perth, Australia. (2007) This is text of a workshop presentation given at the 14th DbI World Conference on Deaf-Blindness. This presentation describes a study carried out into ways to equip people with sensory impairments and intellectual disabilities with the means to attract attention of communication partners before making requests.

2008-0438

Communication and Language Development --Raanes, Eli. 14th DbI World Conference on Deafblindness Conference Proceedings, September 25-30, 2007, Perth, Australia. (2007) This is a brief summary of a workshop presentation given at the 14th DbI World Conference on Deaf-Blindness. This presentation reports on findings in research on Norwegian tactual sign language.

2003-0353

Communication Development in Children who are Deaf-Blind : The Role of Grandparents in Family Centered Intervention --Shaw, Sherry L., Ed.D. Dissertation Presented for the Doctor of Education Degree - The University of Memphis, August 2001. (2001) The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of grandparents in the communication development of their grandchildren who are deaf-blind. The two-tiered study was conducted through the State Projects for children who are deaf-blind in Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee with 143 parents and 80 grandparents. The grandparents identified as most involved provided information about factors that influence their levels of involvement. Results suggested that maternal grandmothers are more involved than other grandparents. Analysis of similarities and differences between dominant cultural groups revealed maternal grandmothers were more involved in African American families than Anglo American families. A needs analysis in areas of communication, nurturing, and school indicated the need for grandparents to be included in the child's communication plan.

2004-0013

Communication Development in Young Children with Deaf-Blindness: : Literature Review III --Bullis, Michael (Ed.) Monmouth, Oregon: Oregon State System of Higher Education, Teaching Research Division. (1987) Published as part of the Communication Skills Center for Young Children with Deaf-Blindness (funded from 1983-1988). Each chapter includes a 15-20 page overview of a certain aspect of communication and then a review of the literature. Available from Teaching Research Publications, 345 N. Monmouth Ave., Monmouth, OR 97361, (503) 838-8800. Chapters: (1) Perspectives on Communication Assessment by Charity Rowland. (2) Tactual/Tactile Assessment by Patty A. Hart & Charles R. Spellman. (3) Visual Assessment by Pamela J. Cress. (4) Auditory Evaluation by Joseph E. Spradlin. (5) Elements of Nonsymbolic Communication and Early Interactional Processes by Ellin Siegel-Causey, Barbara Ernst, & Douglas Guess. (6) Mother-Child Interaction and the Development of Preverbal Communication by Madeline W. Appell. (7) Play, Cognition, and Communication by Joan Rich. (8) Development of Emergent Language by Kathleen Stremel-Campbell & Jimmie Matthews. (9) Contingency Intervention by Philip Schweigert. (10) Augmentative Communication Systems by Pamela Mathy-Laikko, Ann E. Ratcliff, Francisco Villarreul, & David E. Yoder.

2007-0135

Communication During Physical Activity for Youth who are Deafblind : Research to practice --Arndt, Katrina; Lieberman, Lauren J.; Pucci, Gina. Teaching Exceptional Children Plus Volume 1 (2004), Issue 2, Feature Article 1. (2004) Communication is a barrier to accessing physical activity and recreation for many people who are deafblind (Lieberman & MacVicar, 2003; Lieberman & Stuart, 2002). The purpose of this study was to observe effective communication strategies used during four physical activities for youth who are deafblind. Communication during physical activity was analyzed over two summers during a one-week sports camp with eight participants with four different modes of communication. Three themes emerged from the data collected: 1) the importance of allowing time for environmental exploration; 2) the individual and familiar people are essential resources; 3) conceptualizing activities as discrete or continuous emerged as a way of thinking about activity. Available on the web: http://escholarship.bc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1005&context=education/tecplus

2008-0124

Communication in the Early Stage of Language Development in Children with CHARGE Syndrome --Peltokorpi, Sini; Huttunen, Kerttu. BRITISH JOURNAL OF VISUAL IMPAIRMENT, vol. 26, #1, 24-49. (2008) In this pilot study from Finland, communication in the early stage of language development in three one- to eight-year-old children with CHARGE syndrome was explored using video recorded free-play interaction sessions and a parental questionnaire. The children had varying degrees of visual impairment as a result of eye colobomas and hearing loss. Video recorded play sessions were the main method of data collection. Methods of analysis were modifications of the Tait Video Analysis and the Communicative Intention Inventory. The study found that the children mainly used gestures, but also vocalization and some signs. The children used shared attention with their mothers most of the time, with initiations comprising almost half of their communicative expressions. Intentional communication covered 15% to 18% of the communicative acts.

2007-0262

Comparison of Intervention Strategies for Facilitating Nonsymbolic Communication among Young Children with Multiple Disabilities --Siegel-Causey, Ellin. Monmouth, OR: Teaching Research Division, Oregon State System of Higher Education. Research on the Communication Development of Young Children with Deaf- Blindness, Michael Bullis (Ed.) (1989) This study tested propositions derived from Jan van Dijk's movement-based theory. It was based on two assumptions: (1) communication is facilitated by primary caregivers who are nurturing and (2) there should be direct physical contact between the adult and child during early intervention. The study examined the effects of movement intervention and passive intervention during social interaction. The purpose was to ascertain whether there are differences between the effects of movement intervention and passive intervention in promoting nonsymbolic communication behaviors in young children with severe disabilities. The participants were six children between three and five years of age who were identified as severely multiply handicapped and/or deaf-blind. The study used a modified, alternating treatments design that was modified to provide intervention blocks (successive sessions of the same stimulation) rather than rapid alternation of intervention. Overall, the results do not indicate that movement was effective in increasing behaviors among all children in the study. However, three participants showed a difference in their nonsymbolic behaviors during movement interaction. The author notes that it is important to emphasize that research directed toward individuals with the most severe disabilities is not commonly done, nor are treatment effects easy to demonstrate.

2004-0078

Enhancing the Interactive Competence of Deafblind Children : Do Intervention Effects Endure? --Janssen, Marleen J.; Riksen-Walraven, J. Marianne; van Dijk, Jan P.M. JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENTAL AND PHYSICAL DISABILITIES, vol. 16, #1, March 2004, pp. 73-94. (2004) This single-subject design study replicated the results of a previous intervention study [Janssen et al, Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities, 14(1):87-108, 2002] that examined the effects of a training program designed to improve the quality of interactions between deaf-blind children and their educators. This present study was expanded to train educators to improve their responses to deaf-blind children's independent behaviors as well as interactive behaviors, and it included a follow-up phase. The study involved 16 professional educators working with four 7- to 11-year old children. The mean percentage of adequate educator responses was found to increase by 20.2% and remain above baseline during follow-up. Comparable effects were observed for the children. The percentage of appropriate interactive behaviors increased by 29.3% and the percentage of independent behaviors increased by 38.1% and remained well above the baseline level during follow-up.

2008-0537

Evidence-Based Communication Practices for Children with Visual Impairments and Additional Disabilities : An Examination of Single-Subject Design Studies --Parker, Amy T.; Grimmett, Eric S.; Summers, Sharon. JOURNAL OF VISUAL IMPAIRMENT & BLINDNESS, vol. 102, #9, September 2008, pp. 540-552. (2008) This review examines practices for building effective communication strategies for children with visual impairments, including those with additional disabilities, that have been tested by single-subject design methodology. It includes 30 studies, a number of which included children who are deaf-blind. The interventions tested in these studies were grouped into the following five categories: microswitch interventions (17 studies); multi-component partner training (6 studies); dual communication boards (4 studies); object symbols (2 studies); and adult-directed prompting (1 study).

2008-0405

Functions of Unique and Conventional Gestures in Children who are Congenitally Deafblind --Bruce, Susan, Ph.D. 14th DbI World Conference on Deafblindness Conference Proceedings, September 25-30, 2007, Perth, Australia. (2007) This is text of a workshop presentation given at the 14th DbI World Conference on Deaf-Blindness. This presentation describes the results of a research study on the functions of gestures expressed by seven children who are congenitally deafblind.

2007-0486

Gestures Expressed by Children Who Are Congenitally Deaf-Blind : Topography, Rate, and Function --Bruce, Susan M.; Mann, Allison; Jones, Chelsea; Gavin, Mary. JVIB, October 2007, Volume 101, Number 10, pp. 637-652. (2007) This descriptive study examined the topography, rate, and function of gestures expressed by seven children who are congenitally deaf-blind. Participants expressed a total of 44 conventional and idiosyncratic gestures. They expressed 6–13 communicative functions through gestures and 7 functions through a single type of gesture. They also expressed idiosyncratic gestures and used specific gestures for functions other than those that are typically associated with those gestures.

2002-0202

Impact of a Communication Intervention Model on Teachers' Practice with Children Who Are Congenitally Deaf-Blind --Bruce, Susan M. JOURNAL OF VISUAL IMPAIRMENT AND BLINDNESS, vol. 96, #3, March 2002, pp. 154-168. (2002) This article presents findings from a larger study on the thinking and practices of two teachers regarding communication intervention for students who are congenitally deaf-blind, prior to and following an in-service program with follow-up coaching. After they were instructed on the communication intervention model, teachers were able to plan and implement communication interventions that addressed the students' needs across all aspects of communication. Includes complete descriptions of theory, methods, and examples of teacher statements about communication skills before and after the training.

2005-0343

The Impact of Congenital Deafblindness on the Struggle to Symbolism --Bruce, Susan M. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DISABILITY, DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATION, vol. 52, #3, September 2005, pp. 233-251. (2005) Most children who are congenitally deafblind are severely delayed in their communication development and many will not achieve symbolic understanding and expression. This article discusses developmental markers cited in the research literature as predictive of or facilitative of the development of symbolism. These markers include the growth toward more abstract representations, the rate of intentional communication, joint attention to objects and others, achievement of abstract play, consonantal and interactive vocalizations, distal gesture, varied early vocabulary and categories, use of varied cues for recall, object permanence, 1:1 correspondence, cause-effect, discrimination skills, and imitation. The impact of congenital deafblindness on the achievement of these milestones, is presented, along with compensatory strategies to support the child's development.

2003-0265

Importance of Shared Communication Forms --Bruce, Susan M. JOURNAL OF VISUAL IMPAIRMENT & BLINDNESS, vol. 97, #2, February 2003, pp. 106-109. (2003) This study addresses the importance of shared communication forms among teachers and children who express themselves at presymbolic to early symbolic levels of communication. It looks at two different classrooms with students who are deaf-blind and the forms of communication used between student and teachers. Looks at how accessible communication was to the students.

2006-0316

Interaction Between the Teacher and the Congenitally Deafblind Child --Vervloed, Mathijs P. J.; van Dijk, Rick J. M.; Knoors, Harry; van Dijk, Jan P. M. AMERICAN ANNALS OF THE DEAF, vol. 151, #3, pp. 336-344. (2006) This article describes a detailed case study that analyzed videotaped interactions between a teacher and a deafblind boy aged three years and four months. The types and quality of interactions that occurred during videotaped sessions of daily activities (bathing, dressing, and playing with favorite objects) are described. The authors note that "empirical data on development, interaction, communication, and language in deafblind children is very rare," and propose that the method of analyzing interactions used for this study could be replicated and used in future research.

2008-0308

The Intersection of the Development of Gestures and Intentionality --Crais, Elizabeth; Douglas, Diane Day; Campbell, Cheryl Cox. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH, vol. 47, #3, June 2004, pp. 678-694. (2004) This study examined the development of deictic and representational gestures in 12 typically developing children from 6 to 24 months of age. Gestures were categorized into J. Bruner's (1981) 3 broad (and 8 specific) communicative functions: behavior regulation (i.e., requesting objects, requesting actions, protesting), joint attention (i.e., commenting, requesting information), and social interaction (i.e., representational gestures, attention seeking, social games). Ongoing parental completion of researcher-created gesture recording forms and monthly researcher observational confirmation were used to capture the emergence and consistent use of targeted gestures. Within each specific functional category, a hierarchy of development was documented for the gestures and behaviors used to signal that intent. This study provides rich detail as to the order of emergence of common deictic and representational gestures and their relationship to other preceding and concomitant behaviors that children use to signal their intentions. Furthermore, the results document younger ages of emergence, in comparison with previous studies, for most of the targeted gestures and provide insight into the controversy in the literature regarding the relative emergence of declarative and imperative gestures.

2006-0076

Participating Children and Their Teams --Chen, Deborah; Downing, June; Minor, Lavada; Rodriguez-Gil, Gloria. Northridge: Department of Special Education, California State University, Northridge. Successful Adaptations for Learning to Use Touch Effectively: Interacting with Children who are Deaf-Blind or Visually Impaired and Have Additional Disabilities, pp. 7-11. (2005) This is a description of the research findings of Project SALUTE, which conducted a number of activities related to tactile learning in children who are deaf-blind. One component of Project SALUTE involved research with four children in whom tactile strategies were identified, implemented, and evaluated. Data analysis was based on videotaped observations over the course of the two years that the children were followed. Findings included an increase in the use of appropriate tactile strategies by family members and service providers; a decrease in the use of hand-over-hand guidance by family members and service providers; an increase in positive and more active responses from children during interactions, including increased attention to the partner, increased frequency of responses to object queues and signs, and increased frequency of expressive communication; an increase in adults' expectation of a child's response as measured by an increase in "wait time" and using less support to prompt a response; and an increase in readability and elaboration of adults' interactions with children. Available on the web: http://www.projectsalute.net/Description/Descriptionhtml/Descriptionmain.html

2003-0042

Professional Judgments of the Intentionality of Communicative Acts --Carter, Mark; Iacono, Teresa. AUGMENTATIVE AND ALTERNATIVE COMMUNICATION, vol. 18, #3, September 2002, pp.177-191. (2002) The accuracy and reliability of professional's judgments of the communicative intentionality of acts and behavioral indicators associated with those acts were examined in this study. Twenty special education teachers and 19 speech pathologists were asked to make judgments regarding the intentionality and the presence of behavioral indicators for videotaped segments of sequences of behavior for one normally developing child, two Down syndrome children, and three children with high support needs. The clinical implications of the findings and directions for future research are suggested.

2007-0185

Promoting Interactions With Infants Who Have Complex Multiple Disabilities : Development and Field-Testing of the PLAI Curriculum --Chen, Deborah, PhD; Klein, Diane M., CCC-SLP, PhD; Haney, Michele, PhD. INFANTS AND YOUNG CHILDREN, vol. 20, #2, April-June 2007, pp149-162. (2007) This article describes primary outcomes of the development and field-testing of the curriculum "Promoting Learning Through Active Interaction" with 27 infants and their caregivers and early interventionists in 2 different states. The curriculum was designed to provide a systematic approach to supporting interactions with infants who have sensory impairments and complex multiple disabilities and who are at the preintentional level of communication. Participating infants had both a visual impairment and hearing loss and additional disabilities. Their families represented diverse socioeconomic, educational, and cultural backgrounds, and participating early interventionists varied widely in their qualifications. Results indicate that a diverse group of families used the strategies successfully and found them to be helpful in supporting their children's interactions and communication development. The article outlines key components of the curriculum and discusses evaluation data on the basis of caregiver feedback on use of strategies and analysis of videotaped observations on the caregivers' use of sensory cues with their infants.

2007-0482

Research Report : The Use of Tangible Cues for Children with Multiple Disabilities and Visual Impairment --Trief, Ellen. JVIB, October 2007, Volume 101, Number 10, pp.613-619. (2007) The purpose of the study presented in this article was to introduce a communication system that uses tangible cues to the preschool and lower school children at the Lavelle School for the Blind in the Bronx, New York, who met the criteria for the intervention. The 25 students selected as participants in this study ranged in age from 4 to 16 years and had multiple disabilities, including either total blindness or low vision, moderate to severe cognitive delays, motor impairments ranging from mild to severe, and significant language delays or no expressive language. Tangible cues were learned by 15 of the 25 students who participated in this study. The 10 children who were unable to learn this skill were the most severely delayed in cognitive, motor, and visual skills as measured by their psychological and educational evaluations. The use of tangible cues with a student with multiple disabilities and visual impairment can provide the student with a communication system to express his or her wants and needs, make choices, and understand simple tasks and routines. The selection for actually designing and making the tangible cues must be carefully considered, and the highest level of iconicity should be used to represent the object or activity for the student to make the connection.

2008-0421

Research to Practice: Steps for Supporting Communication During Physical Activity for People who are Deafblind --Arndt, Katrina; Lieberman, Lauren. 14th DbI World Conference on Deafblindness Conference Proceedings, September 25-30, 2007, Perth, Australia. (2007) This is a brief summary of a workshop presentation given at the 14th DbI World Conference on Deaf-Blindness. This presentation describes a research to practice presentation reviewing ways to support communication during physical activity.

2001-0443

Tactile Learning Strategies for Children who are Deaf-Blind : Concerns and Considerations from Project SALUTE --Chen, Deborah, Ph.D.; Downing, June, Ph.D.; Rodriguez-Gil, Gloria, M.Ed. Monmouth, OR: Teaching Research Division. DEAF-BLIND PERSPECTIVES, vol. 8, #2, Winter 2000/2001, pp. 1-6. (2000/2001) Identifying effective tactile strategies for deaf-blind children who also have cognitive or physical disabilities is particularly challenging. Project SALUTE (Successful Adaptations for Learning to Use Touch Effectively), a federally funded model demonstration project, is addressing the need for a more informed approach to the use of these methods. This article discusses key issues and concerns regarding the use of tactile strategies based on Project SALUTE's initial activities - a review of publications and input from focus groups. The article outlines the literature and focus group findings which serve as the basis for the work of the remaining three years of Project SALUTE. Available on the web: http://www.tr.wou.edu/tr/dbp/pdf/dec00.PDF

2000-0589

Tangible Symbols, Tangible Outcomes --Rowland, Charity; Schweigert, Philip. AUGMENTATIVE AND ALTERNATIVE COMMUNICATION, vol. 16, #2, June 2000, pp. 61-78. (2000) This 3-year study on the use of tangible symbols (objects and pictures) by 41 children with a variety severe and multiple disabilities was conducted to follow up on an earlier study by the authors that revealed the utility of tangible symbols for children who are deafblind. The children all had combinations of the following major disabilities: mental retardation (9), developmental delay (32), vision impairment (23), hearing impairment (8), autism (9), orthopedic impairment (23), seizure disorder (8), and medical fragility (6). Seven children had combined vision and hearing impairment plus additional disabilities. All were cognitively delayed. Of the 41 participants, only 6 failed to acquire tangible symbols, demonstrating their usefulness for children with a broad range of abilities. A number of the participants progressed beyond tangible symbols and learned to use abstract symbol systems, including speech. Data describing the progress of participants are presented. Participants are grouped according to outcomes, and the characteristics of each group are discussed in terms of the communication skills of participants as they began intervention. A correction to 2 figures published in a later AAC issue (vol. 16, #3, p. 205) is appended to this article.

2005-0002

Teaching a Child with Multiple Disabilities to Use a Tactile Augmentative Communication Device --Mathy-Laikko, Pamela; Iacono, Teresa; Ratcliff, Ann; Villarruel, Fransisco; Yoder, David; Vanderheiden, Gregg. ACC AUGMENTATIVE AND ALTERNATIVE COMMUNICATION, vol. 5, #4, pp.249-256. (1989) A single case design was used in this study to determine the preferences for tactile surfaces of a child with multiple disabilities including deaf-blindness. Within each session the child tended to depress a switch covered with a velveteen surface more frequently than switches covered with other textured surfaces. In a second phase of the study, the child's preferred surface was paired with a contingent response of social interaction from her caregiver. The child appeared to become more selective in her activation of the switch with her preferred surface, but did not increase her overall level of activation. Finally, it was found that the child switched to a high proportion of usage of a different surface when it, rather than the velveteen, was paired with the contingent social response. Single-subject design study. This was previously published as the following: Mathy -Laikko, et al. (1989). Training a child with multihandicaps to use a tactile augmentative communication device. In, Michael Bullis (Ed.), Research on the communication development of young children with deaf-blindness (pp. 87-103). Monmouth, OR: Teaching Research Division, Oregon State System of Higher Education.

2003-0367

Toward a Diagnostic Intervention Model for Fostering Harmonious Interactions Between Deaf-Blind Children and Their Educators --Janssen, Marleen J.; Riksen-Walraven, Marianne; Van Dijk, Jan P. M. JOURNAL OF VISUAL IMPAIRMENT AND BLINDNESS, vol. 97, #4, April 2003, pp.197-214. (2003) This article describes the Diagnostic Intervention Model, a training program to foster harmonious interactions and communication between deaf-blind children and their educators in various settings (e.g., school, group, home). The model involves a cyclic process in which observations of interactions between deaf-blind children and their educators are used as a basis for the creation of intervention aims related to eight core categories of interactive behavior (initiatives, confirmations, answers, turns, attention, intensity, affective involvement, independent acting). The article lays the groundwork for this by first discussing the significance of harmonious interactions in children's social and emotional development and the difficulties deaf-blind children and their educators face when attempting to develop such harmonious interactions. It also includes a detailed review of previously developed intervention models and strategies that have focused on interaction and early communication with individuals who are deaf-blind.

2005-0001

Use of Microswitch Technology to Facilitate Social Contingency Awareness as a Basis for Early Communication Skills --Schweigert, Philip. AAC AUGMENTATIVE AND ALTERNATIVE COMMUNICATION, vol. 5, #3, pp. 192-198. (1989) Individuals with vision and hearing impairments in combination with severe orthopedic impairments often fail to demonstrate any clear awareness of contingent relationships between their own behaviors and environmental outcomes. Without contingency awareness, it is not possible to engage in intentional communicative behavior. A single case design is presented involving a 7-year-old deaf-blind child with severe orthopedic impairments who demonstrated no contingency awareness. The study was designed to examine the use of microswitch technology to facilitate awareness of social contingencies as a potential foundation for the development of intentional communicative behavior. Results indicated that the child increased the targeted motor behavior (activating a microswitch) under conditions involving the delivery of social contingencies, but not under conditions involving the delivery of nonsocial contingencies. Subsequent clinical applications are described to illustrate the direct impact of these findings on procedures for training the child's expressive and receptive communication skills. Single-subject design study.

2007-0122

Using a Single-Switch Voice Output Communication Aid to Increase Social Access for Children with Severe Disabilities in Inclusive Classrooms --Cosbey, Joanna Evans; Johnston, Susan. RESEARCH AND PRACTICE FOR PERSONS WITH SEVERE DISABILITIES, Summer 2006, Vol. 31, No. 2, pp. 144-156. (2006) Study conducted in which three children with severe multiple disabilities were taught to use a voice output communication aid (VOCA) to request preferred items or friends during play activities. The VOCA used in the study was a single switch device programmed with the phrase, “That looks fun. Can I play?” Data were collected regarding the number of times the children used the device during play activities, as well as the number of times the participants’ peers responded. The study’s results indicated that the students acquired communication skills while using the VOCA over the course of the intervention, as the device allowed them to successfully interact with their nondisabled peers. Implications for future research are discussed. This study was conducted by researchers at the Department of Special Education in Salt Lake City, Utah.

2008-0254

Using Action Plans to Support Communication Programming for Children Who Are Deafblind --Bruce, Susan M. RE: VIEW, vol. 39, #2, Summer 2007, pp. 71-83. (2007) The author describes the use of action plans to support 2 teachers' post-in-service implementation of communication strategies with 3 children who are deaf-blind. In the action plans, the teachers recorded changes in thinking and instructional practices under the 4 aspects of communication: form, function, content, and context. They also recorded their concerns about implementation and their requests for follow-up support. One teacher focused initially on forms of communication and later on context; the other teacher implemented practices across all 4 aspects, primarily because of the influence of regularly scheduled team meetings.