Augmentative & Alternative Communication Supporting Children & Adults With Complex Communication Needs Fourth Edition

• advancing literacy skills (new chapter by Janice Light and David McNaughton)
• conducting effective, culturally appropriate assessment to determine AAC needs
• choosing AAC interventions appropriate for age and ability
• selecting AAC vocabulary tailored to individual needs
• using new consumer technologies as easy, affordable, and non-stigmatizing communication devices
• understanding types of symbols and how individuals use them
• promoting social competence
• supporting language learning and development
• providing effective support to beginning communicators
• planning an inclusive education for students with complex communication needs

An essential core text for tomorrow's professionals—and a key reference for inservice practitioners—this new fourth edition expertly prepares readers to support the communicative competence of children and adults with a wide range of complex needs.

What's new:

• New literacy chapter
• Extensive updates reflecting current consumer technology
• Helpful end-of-chapter study questions
• Updated resource sections and glossary
• All the latest research and best practices in every chapter

David R. Beukelman, Ph.D is the Barkley Professor of Communication Disorders at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Director of Research and Education of the Communication Disorders Division, Munroe/Meyer Institute of Genetics and Rehabilitation at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, A research partner in the Rehabilitation Engineering and Research Center in Augmentative and Alternative Communication, and a senior researcher in the Institute for Rehabilitation Science and Engineering at the Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital. With Pat Mirenda, he co-authored the textbook, Augmentative and Alternative Communication: Management of Severe Communication Disorders in Children and Adults. He served as editor of the Augmentative and Alternative Communication Journal for four years.

Janice Light, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Department of Communication Disorders at the Pennsylvania State University. She is actively involved in research, personnel preparation, and service delivery in the area of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Her primary interest has been furthering understanding of the development of communicative competence and self-determination by individuals who require AAC.

Dr. Light is the principal investigator on several federally-funded research grants to improve outcomes for individuals who have significant communication disabilities through the use of augmentative and alternative communication. She is one of the project directors in the Augmentative and Alternative Communication Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (AAC-RERC), a virtual research consortium funded by the National Institute for Disability and Rehabilitation Research.

In 1996, Dr. Light was recognized as the Don Johnston Distinguished Lecturer by the International Society of Augmentative and Alternative Communication for her leadership in the AAC field. In 1999, she received the Dorothy Jones Barnes Outstanding Teaching Award at the Pennsylvania State University.

Dr. Mirenda earned her doctorate in behavioral disabilities from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. For 8 years, she was a faculty member in the Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders, University of Nebraska–Lincoln. From 1992 to 1996, she provided a variety of training, research, and support services to individuals with severe disabilities through CBI Consultants, Ltd., in Vancouver, British Columbia. She is now Professor in the Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology and Special Education at the University of British Columbia. From 1998 to 2001, she was editor of the journal Augmentative and Alternative Communication. In 2004, she was named a Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and was awarded the Killam Teaching Prize at the University of British Columbia. In 2008, she was named a Fellow of the International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication. Dr. Mirenda is the author of numerous book chapters and research publications; she lectures widely and teaches courses on augmentative and alternative communication, inclusive education, developmental disabilities, autism, and positive behavior support. Her current research focuses on describing the developmental trajectories of young children with autism and factors that predict the outcomes of early intervention.

About the Contributors

Preface

Acknowledgments

Part I Introduction to Augmentative and Alternative Communication

1. Augmentative and Alternative Communication Processes
2. Message Management: Vocabulary, Small Talk, and Narratives
3. Symbols and Rate Enhancement
4. Alternative Access
5. Principles of Assessment
6. Assessment of Specific Capabilities
7. Principles of Decision Making, Intervention, and Evaluation

Part II Augmentative and Alternative Communication Interventions for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities

8. Augmentative and Alternative Communication
Issues for People with Developmental Disabilities
9. Supporting Participation and Communication for Beginning Communicators
10. Language Development and Intervention: Challenges, Supports, and Instructional Approaches
11. Instruction to Support Linguistic and Social Competence
12. Literacy Intervention for Individuals with Complex Communication Needs Janice C. Light and David B. McNaughton
13. Educational Inclusion of Students with Complex Communication Needs

Part III Augmentative and Alternative Communication Interventions for Individuals with Acquired Disabilities

14. Adults with Acquired Physical Conditions with Laura Ball
15. Adults with Severe Aphasia and Apraxia of Speech Kathryn L. Garrett and Joanne P. Lasker
16. Adults with Degenerative Cognitive and Linguistic Disorders with Elizabeth Hanson
17. Individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury with Susan Fager
18. Augmentative and Alternative Communication in Intensive, Acute, and Long-Term Acute Medical Settings

References

Resources and Web Links

Index