SUMMARY The purpose of this investigation was to quantify normal nutritive sucking, using a microcomputer‐based instrument which replicated the infant's customary bottle‐feeding routine. 86 feeding sessions were recorded from infants ranging between 1–5 and 11‐5 months of age. Suck height, suck area and percentage of time spent sucking were unrelated to age. Volume per suck declined with age, as did intersuck interval, which corresponded to a more rapid sucking rate. This meant that volume per minute of sucking time was fairly constant. The apparatus provided an objective description of the patterns of normal nutritive sucking in infants to which abnormal sucking patterns may be compared. RÉSUMÉ Allures développementales de la succion nutritionnelle normale chez le nourrisson Le but de cette recherche a été de quantifier la succion nutritionnelle normale, utilisant un appareillage monté sur micro‐ordinateur, reproduisant les habitudes alimentation au biberon des nourrissons. 86 sessions alimentation furent enregistrées chez des nourrissons âgés de 1, 5 à 11,5 mois. L'importance de la succion, aire de succion et le pourcentage de temps passéà la succion n'est pas apparu reliéà l'âge. Le volume absorbé par succion variait avec âge, de même que intervalle entre deux succions, ce qui se traduisait par un taux de succion plus rapide. Cela signifiait que le volume absorbé par minute de succion restait sensiblement constant. L'appareillage a fourni une description objective des allures de la succion nutritionnelle normale du nourrisson, permettant une comparaison avec les succions anormales. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG Entwicklungsmuster des normalen Saugens bei Kindern Es war das Ziel dieser Arbeit, das normale Saugen mit Hilfe eines durch Mikrokomputer gesteuerten Gerätes zu quantifizieren, das die gewöhnliche Routine der Flaschenfütterung beim Kind wiedergab. 86 Fütterungen von Kindern im Alter zwischen 1–5 und 11‐5 Monaten wurden aufgenommen. Saughöhe, Saugbereich und der Zeitanteil des Saugens hatten keine Relation zum Alter. Das Volumen pro Zug nahm mit dem Alter ab, wie auch das Interval zwischen den Zügen, was zu schnellerem Saugen führte. Das bedeutet, daß das Saugvolumen pro Minute ziemlich konstant war. Das Gerät lieferte eine objektive Beschreibung der normalen Saugmuster bei Kindern, mit denen abnorme Saugmuster verglichen werden können. RESUMEN Esquemas de desarrollo de la succión nutritiva normal en lactantes El propósito de esta investigación fue el cuantificar la succión nutritiva normal, usando un instrumento basado en un microcomputador que copiaba la rutina acostumbrada del niño al alimentarse con biberón. Se registraron 86 sesiones de alimentación en niños de 1,5 a 11,5 meses de edad. El vigor de la succión, el área de succión y el porcentaje de tiempo pasado succionando no estaban en relación con la edad. El volumen de la succión declinaba con la edad, lo mismo que el intervalo entre ca da succión, lo que correspondía a una frecuencia de succión más rápida. Esto significa que el volumen por minuto de tiempo...

Use of eye-gaze assistive technology (EGAT) provides children/youths with severe motor and speech impairments communication opportunities by using eyes to control a communication interface on a computer. However, knowledge about how using EGAT contributes to communication and influences dyadic interaction remains limited. Aim: By video-coding dyadic interaction sequences, this study investigates the impacts of employing EGAT, compared to the Non-EGAT condition on the dyadic communicative interaction. Method: Participants were six dyads with children/youths aged 4–19 years having severe physical disabilities and complex communication needs. A total of 12 film clips of dyadic communication activities with and without EGAT in natural contexts were included. Based on a systematic coding scheme, dyadic communication behaviors were coded to determine the interactional structure and communicative functions. Data were analyzed using a three-tiered method combining group and individual analysis. Results: When using EGAT, children/youths increased initiations in communicative interactions and tended to provide more information, while communication partners made fewer communicative turns, initiations, and requests compared to the Non-EGAT condition. Communication activities, eye-control skills, and communication abilities could influence dyadic interaction. Conclusion: Use of EGAT shows potential to support communicative interaction by increasing children’s initiations and intelligibility, and facilitating symmetrical communication between dyads.

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The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is an evidence-based AAC system that often is chosen as a first intervention for young children with complex communication needs who are not developing spoken communication. Speech language pathologists (SLPs) often plan to transition to a speech-generating device (SGD) for long-term use after students successfully progress through the PECS protocol. The minimum criterion for device selection and purchase should be appropriate and independent use of the SGD across environments. The transition process should begin with an assessment of the student's PECS skills so modifications can be made to facilitate the transition to the SGD. Teaching strategies that are part of the PECS protocol are used to teach spontaneous, efficient, and effective use of the SGD. Successful transition occurs when the student uses the SGD in social interactions similar to his use of PECS and when he or she has developed the skills that will ensure continued language growth.

The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is used to systematically teach functional communication through an evidence-based protocol. As a low-tech AAC system, PECS differs from many treatment protocols in that the learner must give a picture or a sequence of pictures to a communicative partner, thus ensuring social approach and interaction. Students who have mastered Phase IV of the PECS protocol and use a large, categorized vocabulary and sentence structure are candidates for transition to a speech generating devise (SGD). When choosing the SGD, the transition team has an ethical responsibility to ensure that the PECS user does not lose current communication abilities, such as independent access, initiation and efficiency of interactions, and sentence structure and length across environments. With careful assessment of SGD features, the clinician can select a device to replicate current PECS skills and allow for language growth. The use of relevant training strategies from the PECS protocol will help the clinician ensure a successful transition to and use of the SGD.