Ef fects of AAC Device Training Through Scripts on Communicative Functions of Children with Nonverbal Mental Retardation

Shin, Young-Pae; Jeon, Byung-Un

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Commun Sci Disord. 2001;6(2): 355-373.

Young-Pae Shin^` , and Byung-Un Jeon^`

신영배(Shin, Young-Pae)| 전병운(Jeon, Byung-Un)

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of AAC device training through script s on communicative functions of children with nonverbal mental retardation. The subject s were four students with nonverbal mental retardation in a special school. This study used parallel treatment s design across subject s. An AAC device was offered without instruction for its use in the baseline condition. The training program was composed of instruction for learning the AAC symbols, and script -based pragmatic training by AAC use to do proper communicative functions. The conclusions drawn from this study were as follows: Fir st , all four subject s acquired the proper communicative functions through scripted-based AAC device training. Second, all of the subject s acquired the proper communicative functions in the known- script s more than in the unknown- script s. Third, except for known- scripts, there is little or no difference between AAC device types regarding their influence on acquisition of communicative functions. Fourth, various communicative functions of the children were increased by the AAC device training.