From the Editors: Augmentative and Alternative Communication Technology to Support Language Across the Lifespan No abstract available

In Memoriam: Saga of a Trailblazer: Katharine G. Butler Founding Editor,: Topics in Language Disorders: March 15, 1925–June 17, 2019 No abstract available

Issue Editor Foreword: Augmentative and Alternative Communication Technology to Support Language Across the Lifespan No abstract available

Augmentative and Alternative Communication Technology Innovations to Build Skills and Compensate for Limitations in Adolescent Language Adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) who also possess limited speech capabilities often display poor language and academic skills in adolescence. However, as with all adolescents, they have personal goals and should have equal access to participation across facets of life including but not limited to education. Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) technologies can support individuals with IDD and limited speech in achieving those goals and experiencing greater participation more like their peers without disabilities in adolescence. Augmentative and alternative communication technologies can be applied in intervention with 2 distinct but complementary guiding priorities. First, technology can be applied to compensate for limitations in language form, content, and/or use to support immediate participation in adolescent pursuits for individuals with IDD. Second, technology can be used as a tool to build skills in language form, content, and/or use that have long-term implications for participation and success in adolescence and adulthood. This article outlines applications of AAC technologies within those guiding priorities. In addition, the article outlines case examples in which adolescents with IDD and limited speech have benefited from AAC technologies to compensate for linguistic difficulties and build their language and communication skills.

Interacting With Persons Who Have ALS: Time, Media, Modality, and Collaboration via Speech-Generating Devices Individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in later stages may rely on a variety of modalities to communicate. The current study used conversational analysis techniques to examine naturalistic face-to-face interaction between a man with late-stage ALS and his wife to understand the types of accommodations they made to ensure that successful meaning was established. Three extracts of talk were selected from a corpus of 30 videotaped interactions between a man with ALS interacting either with his wife or the first author of the study. The extracts were examined for the type of communicative resources used and the ways in which conversants worked together to maintain the temporal–sequential demands of in-person interaction. Conversants used a variety of communication modalities during their social interactions including voice, body, gestures, a speech-generating device (SGD), and the SGD screen to construct utterances for one another, establish meaning, and stay in-time. The pair were successful and maintained conversation expectations in many ways similar to those with nonimpaired voices and bodies. Conversations including an SGD are a highly coordinated and interactive affair that is experienced jointly by all conversants. In this study, the conversational partners were aware of, and sensitive to, the temporal–sequential demands of in-person interaction and the modality restrictions associated with SGD use. Clinical and device design recommendations are discussed.

AAC and Artificial Intelligence (AI) Artificially intelligent tools have given us the capability to use technology to address ever more complex challenges. What are the capabilities, challenges, and hazards of incorporating and developing this technology for augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)? Artificial intelligence (AI) can be defined as the capability of a machine to imitate human intelligence. The goal of AI is to create machines that can use characteristics of human intelligence to solve problems and adapt to a changing environment. Harnessing the capabilities of AI tools has the potential to accelerate progress in serving individuals with complex communication needs. In this article, we discuss components of AI, including (a) knowledge representation, (b) reasoning, (c) natural language processing, (d) machine learning, (e) computer vision, and (f) robotics. For each AI component, we delve into the implications, promise, and precautions of that component for AAC.

Continuing Education Instructions and Questions No abstract available

Growing Up With Technology: Does the Device Go in the Middle? The increasing integration of technology into the daily events and social interactions of our society present incredible opportunities for children with complex communication needs (CCN) who rely on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) strategies. Children with CCN who utilize high-tech AAC options at an early age are essentially growing up with a technology that is inserted into interactions across multiple contexts for communication. An aided system can potentially create additional demands, serve a complementary role, or even be a platform to create a collaborative space for social interaction. This article discusses the impact of technology on contexts for communication and presents a progression from unaided AAC strategies to the use of aided systems for fostering expressive language skills and supporting participation. Augmentative and alternative communication strategies offer many possibilities in terms of access to communication; however, where a device is placed both physically and figuratively can make an important difference.