Augmentative and alternative communication systems used by people with cerebral palsy in Scotland: Demographic survey

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The present survey shows that in 1991–1992 there were 72 children, 37 adolescents, and 107 adults with cerebral palsy in Scotland who used some form of an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) system. Among these, 61% were males and 39% were females. There has been a substantial increase in the use of AAC systems over the last 3 years and, indeed, over 50% of users have had their AAC systems no longer than 1 year. The AAC systems identified in this study were broadly divided into low-technology and high-technology systems. Although the data show a tremendous increase in the use of high-technology systems, the low-technology systems still accounted for more than 50% of all AAC systems used at present. There were a variety of methods of access both with low- and high-technology systems, indicating that a considerable proportion of users must rely on methods of access other than hand pointing. The majority of high-technology systems had voice output and all of the low-technology systems required listener interpretation (reading) of the message. It is important that, in addition to AAC systems, the users employed both their own idiosyncratic forms of nonverbal communication as well as other, more formalized, symbolic systems. Although the findings indicate that the great majority of users employed their AAC systems both in formal and informal situations, more investigations are necessary to establish why 22.2% of users employed their AAC systems only in formal (i.e., therapy and school) contexts.

This publication has 2 references indexed in Scilit: