Barriers to participation in kindergarten literacy instruction for a student with augmentative and alternative communication needs

Abstract

Preliminary findings and implications from this study were presented at the 45th Annual Convention of the International Reading Association in Indianapolis, Indiana, April 30, 2000.The author would like to express sincere gratitude to the kindergarten teacher who cooperated with this study and willingly allowed the researcher unlimited access to her classroom. The author also thanks all the school personnel and students who made this study possible as well as the Purdue University AAC Group for their feedback during the course of this project. The author especially thanks Erna Alant, University of Pretoria, South Africa for her guidance in the organization of key sections of this manuscript. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Social Interactions of Students with Disabilities Who Use Augmentative and Alternative Communication in Inclusive Classrooms

“…Additional research is needed to examine salient barriers to students' use of their AAC devices in general education classrooms, which may include limited availability, student competence in using the device, expectations and training of support personnel, occurrence of comprehensive planning, peer attitudes, or provision of communication opportunities (Beck, 2009;Calculator, 2009;Pufpaff, 2008;Stoner, Angell, & Bailey, 2010). Educators may also draw on the Participation Model (Beukelman & Mirenda, 2005) to evaluate the access and opportunity associated with students' AAC devices in inclusive settings.…”

Experiences about Reading and Writing Development Narrated by Students with Severe Speech and Physical Impairment

“…In particular, the use of high-tech, speech-generating augmentative and alternative communication devices in writing makes it possible for students with SSPI to express their thoughts (Lidström, 2011); such use thus contributes significantly to literacy development (Wilkins & Ratajzcak, 2009). Furthermore, because there often exists a huge gap between a child's language-reception and language-expression abilities, high quality reading and writing instruction is needed to bridge this gap (Pufpaff, 2008) and thereby prevent an arrest in literacy development (Dahlgren Sandberg, 2006).…”

“…Several studies have revealed that only a small proportion of classroom time is dedicated to literacy activities for this group of students. One reason seems to be a lack of confidence in supporting literacy learning for these students among educators, speech and language therapists, and parents (Dahlgren Sandberg, 1998;Fallon & Katz, 2008;Larsson, 2008;Light & McNaughton, 1993;Malmqvist, 2001;Pufpaff, 2008;Ruppar, Dymond, & Gaffney, 2011;Zascavage & Keefe, 2007). Such research findings indicate an underestimation of these students' learning potential, which may lead to deprivation of students' capabilities (Sen, 1992) and which has been associated with discrimination by Zascavage and Keefe (2004, p. 231):…”

Instructional Methods that Foster the Reading Development of Students with Significant Intellectual Disabilities

“…The opportunity and access barriers that have limited reading development arise from professional and societal attitudes, educational practice, instructional priority, lack of knowledge, and a paucity of research-based instructional methods [14,15]. First, the belief that literacy skill limitations are "innate" [16] has influenced the instructional curriculum of students with significant ID.…”