The Effects of Direct Instruction on the Single-Word Reading Skills of Children Who Require Augmentative and Alternative Communication

• Published in: Journal of speech, language, and hearing research Vol. 47; no. 6; pp. 1424 - 1439
• Main Authors: Fallon, Karen A, Light, Janice, McNaughton, David, Drager, Kathryn, Hammer, Carol
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States ASHA 01.12.2004; American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
• Subjects: Adolescent; Augmentative and Alternative Communication; Beginning Reading; Case studies; Child; Child Health; Children & youth; Communication Aids for Disabled - statistics & numerical data; Communicative disorders in children; Early Reading; Education, Special; England (Reading); Female; Humans; Learning - physiology; Learning Processes; Linguistics; Literacy; Male; Phonemic Awareness; Phonetics; Phonics; Reading; Reading Achievement; Reading comprehension; Reading Instruction; Reading Programs; Reading Skills; Socioeconomic Factors; Speech Disorders - rehabilitation; Teaching; Teaching Methods; Vocabulary; United Kingdom (Reading)
• ISSN: 1092-4388; 1558-9102
• DOI: 10.1044/1092-4388(2004/106)

Current literature suggests a lack of empirically validated strategies for teaching reading skills to children who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). The current study implemented a single-subject, multiple-probe-across-subjects design to investigate the effects of direct instruction in single-word reading on the performance of students who use AAC. The instructional program targeted the reading skills of 5 participants who had severe speech impairments and ranged in age from 9 to 14 years old. All 5 participants reached criterion for matching targeted written words to corresponding pictures. Three of the 5 participants demonstrated generalization of reading skills to novel-word reading, and 4 of the 5 generalized reading skills to book contexts. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.