Date of Award
2003
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Programs for Higher Education
Advisor
Carole Zangari
Committee Member
Sandra Savinelli
Committee Member
Barbara Packer
Keywords
AAC, AAC intervention, AAC users, age range, alternative communication, applied dissertation, assistive technology, augmentative communication, clinical implications, communication aids, communication competence, Communication Competence Rating Scale, communicative behaviors, conversational tasks, correlation analysis, criterion referenced tests, high-technology devices, intervention strategies, K. A. Kangas, linguistic competence, norm referenced tests, performance data, perceived competence, researcher interaction, skill growth, social competence, structured conversation, undergraduate students, videotaped samples, weeks of observation
Abstract
This applied dissertation addresses the issue of communication competence as it relates to augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) intervention. Existing practices in AAC intervention are reviewed with emphasis on techniques and strategies. The current study investigated whether AAC intervention correlates to the perceived level of communication competence for individuals who use AAC. Four individuals who use an AAC high-technology device as their primary means of communication participated in this study. The AAC participants included 2 males and 2 females ranging in age from 13-55. Each AAC user interacted with the researcher at two points in time during which communicative behaviors were videotaped. Each AAC participant was engaged in a structured conversational task where they were given the opportunity to respond to similar topic starter questions. Performance data, for three out of the four AAC participants, were collected by over the minimum of 9 weeks. A total of 53 undergraduate students viewed the videotaped communicative samples and provided documentation, using the Communication Competence Rating Scale (K. A. Kangas, 1990), regarding the AAC participants’ communicative behaviors. Performance data were then correlated with undergraduate student ratings. An analysis of the data revealed no correlation between skill growth and perceptions of communicative competence observed in two subjects, and an inverse correlation observed in one subject. The clinical and theoretical implications of these results are discussed.