Visual Supports for Shared Reading With Young Children: The Effect of Static Overlay Design
By Jackson, Carla Wood; Wahlquist, Jordan; Marquis, Cassandra; Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), Volume 27, Number 2, pages 91-102Publication Date: June 2011
Study examined the effects of two types of static overlay design on children’s use of a speech generating device using shared storybook reading with an adult. Two types of design were investigated: visual scene display, which uses a digital photo or picture scene in which vocabulary items are embedded; and grid display, in which graphic symbols are displayed and arranged in a linear row and column system. The pilot study included two groups: 26 preschool children with typical communication skills, and 13 with complex communication needs. All participants engaged in shared reading with two books using each visual layout on an Activity Pad speech generating device (SGD). The children averaged a greater number of activations when presented with a grid display during introductory exploration and free play. There was a large effect of the static overlay design on the number of silent hits, evidencing more silent hits with visual scene displays. On average, participants demonstrated relatively few spontaneous activations of the SGD while the adult was reading, regardless of overlay design. When responding to questions, children with communication needs appeared to perform better when using visual scene displays, but the effect of display condition on the accuracy of responses to “wh” questions was not statistically significant. In response to an open ended question, children with communication disorders demonstrated more frequent activations of the SGD using a grid display than a visual scene. Suggestions for future research as well as potential implications for designing augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems for shared reading with young children are discussed.
Published by: International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (ISAAC) (Website:http://www.isaac-online.org)
