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CCS Guide To Research & Program Evaluation

May 2025

Predicting the Vocabulary of Early Symbolic Communicators who use AAC

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Introduction and Background

Communication is a basic human right

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Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) is an umbrella term for tools to aid in communication for individuals

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AAC systems role:

                  • Participate in current setting
              • Foundation to later language, literacy, and �communication development

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The vocabulary early communicators have �access to is very important (Beukelman & Light, 2020)

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Objectives/Goals of Project

Research Aim 1: Determine the accuracy at which parents, teachers, and SLPs can predict the words early symbolic communicators who use AAC use in three contexts.�

Research Aim 2: Determine if there are differences in accuracy based on if the parents, teachers, and SLPs used the blank page strategy or the categorical inventories strategy.

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Methodology

Visit 1: Parents, teachers, SLPs predict vocabulary list

Math lesson

SLP session

Dinner

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Visit 2: 15-minute video recording

3 weeks after prediction

Except participant 10 – 2 weeks

Child in each setting

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19

20

16

13

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Findings

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Research Aim 1: Accuracy of predicted words

One-way ANOVA across participants

        • No significant differences across groups
      • F(2,15) = 2.921, p = .085, η2 p = .280

One-way ANOVA across contexts

      • Significant differences
      • F(2, 15) = 3.71, p = .049

Post hoc Tukey’s HSD

        • Significantly more accurate in the math lesson (M = 0.25, SD = 008) than in the dinner setting (M = 0.15, SD, 0.05)

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Research Aim 2: Differences in accuracy between strategies

Independent-samples t test between strategies

      • No significant differences found
      • t(16) =1.5, p = .8.

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Conclusion

Research Aim 1: Accuracy in predictions

SLPs were the most accurate in predicting the words

Consistent with previous literature (Fallon et al., 2001; Dark & Balandin, 2007)

Decently accurate – consider other strategies

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Research Aim 2: Accuracy between strategies

No significant differences

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Recommendations

  • Parents are incredibly powerful resources for early vocabulary prediction – SLPs and teachers need time to collaborate with them to meet the communication needs for early language learners
  • There are a number of ways that you can collect vocabulary prediction that are quick and �incorporate a range of �contributors

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Lessons Learned

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  • This is just one aspect of understanding the communication and participation needs of students who require or use AAC
  • CCS’s participation in this study was appreciated
  • Vocabulary is important and there is still room to better understand what children who use AAC are talking about throughout their days

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Limitations

  • Wide range of individuals – despite being identified as early symbolic communicators
  • Only three contexts throughout the day
  • We did not measure the vocabulary the child had access to on their device
  • We only measured accuracy of words spoken on the device

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Overall Take-Aways

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CCS’s participation in research such as this can lead to a better understanding of how to meet the communication/academic success of students with the most significant needs

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Thank you!

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For questions, please reach out to bfricksemmler@gmail.com