Parents’ Perceptions and Experiences with Their Children’s Use of Augmentative/Alternative Communication: A Systematic Review and Qualitative Meta-Synthesis

Abstract

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) consists of any method of communicating that supplements or completely substitutes oral and/or written language when it is impaired. Therefore, it enables children with complex communication needs to develop their full communicative potential. However, despite the many benefits of AAC and its widespread use, several review studies have underscored the problems faced by parents and children who use AAC in their daily lives. The general objective of this systematic review and qualitative meta-synthesis is to provide a complete overview of parents’ experiences and perceptions with their children’s use of AAC. Specifically, it aimed to identify common themes and subthemes of interest and to analyze the research quality of the selected studies. An exhaustive literature search was carried out using different electronic databases. Nineteen studies were included, involving 297 parents. A thematic synthesis was undertaken. Three main themes and nine subthemes were identified: service support (accessibility, providers and coordination); characteristics of AAC systems (usability and acceptability, features, cost and funding); and integration of AAC in daily life (family, school, social and community). Findings raise a need for more services that support children with complex communication deficits in different contexts, more functional use of AAC systems at school and in real-world situations, as well as service assistance over an extended time period.

Percepciones del profesorado sobre el papel de los sistemas aumentativos y alternativos de comunicación

“…El factor "necesidades del alumnado usuario de SAAC" recoge las puntuaciones más bajas, un resultado que puede responder al desconocimiento del potencial de estos sistemas o a la complejidad que puede conllevar su implementación (Berenguer et al, 2022).…”

“…En esta misma línea, una investigación acerca de los mitos y realidades de la CAA (Romski;Sevcik, 2005) concluía que las familias ejercen un rol principal y prioritario y deben ser consideradas a la hora de plantear la implementación de un sistema de comunicación aumentativo y/o alternativo. No obstante, en el entorno sociofamiliar todavía persiste un desconocimiento generalizado sobre la implementación y uso de los SAAC tal y como indica una reciente revisión de 19 documentos acerca de percepciones y experiencias relacionadas con la CAA en entornos familiares (Berenguer et al, 2022).…”

Attitudes of speech therapists towards the use of augmentative and alternative communication

“…Zato je neophodno da tim koji učestvuje u odabiru i implementaciji AAK ima razvijen odnos u kom dele sve važne informacije, kako bi se adekvatno sagledale potrebe korisnika u svakom od postojećih domena. 22 Intervencija AAK zahteva uključenje većeg broja stručnjaka, od kojih se, kroz zajedničko delovanje i kontinuiranu saradnju, očekuje da pokažu rezultate koji su objektivno najpogodniji za određenog korisnika (uz, naravno lično zadovoljstvo samog korisnika).23 U istraživanju koje se bavilo opsežnim pregledom literature na američkom govornom području izvodi se kao zaključak da se najbolja praksa ogleda, odnosno najpribližnije željeni ishodi dostižu, ukoliko je prisutna saradnja tima.24 Zato je neophodno imati u vidu nivo pristupačnosti i saradnje sa različitim nivoima formalne podrške. Međutim, neučestvovanje tima u dovoljnoj meri se kasnije pokazalo kao ograničavajući faktor, za koji su ispitanici pokazali da predstavlja smetnju u procesu implementacije AAK.…”

Pictogram Prediction in Alternative Communication Boards: a Mapping Study

“…Some research points out the barriers or difficulties faced by AAC users when using these tools for communication. [Pereira et al 2019, Donato et al 2018, Berenguer et al 2022]. An example of difficulty is the time needed to construct and communicate sentences [Pereira et al 2019, Berenguer et al 2022, making communication less fluid and causing frustration in the user and his interlocutor.…”

“…[Pereira et al 2019, Donato et al 2018, Berenguer et al 2022]. An example of difficulty is the time needed to construct and communicate sentences [Pereira et al 2019, Berenguer et al 2022, making communication less fluid and causing frustration in the user and his interlocutor. To overcome this problem, a robust AAC system must support sentence construction by facilitating pictogram searching and selection [Franco et al 2018].…”