The use of mobile technology is ubiquitous in modern society and is rapidly increasing in novel use. The use of mobile devices and software applications ("apps") as augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is rapidly expanding in the community, and this is also reflected in the research literature. This article reports the social-communication outcome results of a meta-analysis of single-case experimental research on the use of high-tech AAC, including mobile devices, by individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including autism spectrum disorder. Following inclusion determination, and excluding studies with poor design quality, raw data from 24 publications were extracted and included 89 A-B phase contrasts. Tau-U nonparametric, non-overlap effect size was used to aggregate the results across all studies for an omnibus and moderator analyses. Kendall's S was calculated for confidence intervals, p-values, and standard error. The omnibus analysis indicated overall low to moderate positive effects on social-communication outcomes for high-tech AAC use by individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Although high-tech augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is commonly used to teach social-communication skills to people with autism spectrum disorder or intellectual disabilities who have complex communication needs, there is a critical need to evaluate the efficacy of this approach. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the quality of single-case experimental design research on the use of high-tech AAC to teach social-communication skills to individuals with autism spectrum disorder or intellectual disabilities who have complex communication needs, to determine if this intervention approach meets the criteria for evidence-based practices as outlined by the What Works Clearinghouse. Additionally, information on the following extended methodological standards is reported on all included studies: participant description, description of setting and materials, interventionist description, baseline and intervention description, maintenance, generalization, procedural integrity, and social validity. The results from 18 multiple-baseline or multiple-probe experiments across 17 studies indicate that using high-tech AAC to teach social-communication skills to individuals with autism spectrum disorder or intellectual disabilities and complex communication needs can be considered an evidence-based practice, although the review of comparison (i.e., alternating treatment) design studies did not indicate that high-tech AAC is significantly better than low-tech AAC.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of an iPad-based speech-generating device (SGD) and an intervention package in teaching multi-step requesting to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The intervention package comprised discrete trial teaching, time delay, graduated guidance, and reinforcement. Social validity data were also collected from parents and teachers. Three male participants with ASD, aged 4-5 years, participated in the study, which was conducted using a multiple-probe-across-participants design. Findings of the study showed that the SGD and the intervention package were effective in teaching multi-step requesting to all participants. Furthermore, the target skill was maintained and generalized to different materials and individuals. Social validity findings indicated that opinions of the mothers and teachers were positive. On the other hand, the father of one participant stated that he was concerned with possible negative effects of using tablet computers. The findings are discussed with regard to the parents' opinions, and implications for practice and research.

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Background/Aims: Individuals with autism spectrum disorder often have significant speech deficits, or complex communication needs. People with complex communication needs frequently reach adulthood without sufficient tools to communicate effectively and require instruction in the use of augmentative and alternative communication. Because communication is ubiquitous, best practice in augmentative and alternative communication instruction involves primary communication partners, such as caregivers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the use of a speech generating app via a tablet, as implemented by a caregiver, to increase requesting in an adult with autism spectrum disorder. Methods: This case study is a pilot study involving the provision of instruction to a primary caregiver of a young woman with autism spectrum disorder and complex communication needs. First, the primary caregiver was trained to use the speech generating app. After the primary caregiver met the performance criteria, she taught the woman with autism spectrum disorder and complex communication needs how to use the app independently. Findings: The caregiver quickly learned the steps of implementing the augmentative and alternative communication intervention and maintained use of these skills at high rates several months after the intervention was completed. Furthermore, the young woman with complex communication needs also increased use of augmentative and alternative communication, although her results were variable and were not maintained. Conclusions: Despite the positive findings from this study regarding the accuracy of the primary caregiver's intervention implementation, future research should examine a better way to meet the needs of adult people with autism spectrum disorder and complex communication needs when using augmentative and alternative communication systems.

: The main purpose of this study was to meta-analyse the single-case studies on the use of activity schedules with individuals with autism spectrum disorders. The other purposes were to assess the design standards of activity schedule studies, estimate the treatment effect of activity schedule, describe the characteristics of activity schedule studies, and determine whether activity schedule is an evidence-based practice for children with autism spectrum disorders in improving appropriate behaviours. The nonoverlap of all pairs (NAP) was used to analyse the treatment effect measure. According to results, seven out of 32 activity schedule studies met the design standards with and without reservation. Twenty-four children with autism spectrum disorders whose age ranged between 3 and 17 years participated in the studies. The target behaviours were on task, independent transition, appropriate peer-play, and following schedule. The photographs and texts were used in both traditional and innovative activity schedules. The overall NAP score shows that the activity schedule has a strong effect for those participants with autism spectrum disorders. Finally, this meta-analysis indicates that an activity schedule can be recommended as an evidence-based practice to improve the appropriate behaviours of children with autism spectrum disorders.