A scoping review of AAC research conducted in segregated school settings.
Most AAC research locks kids in separate rooms and chases speech, while social and academic outcomes stay ignored.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Iacono et al. (2022) mapped every AAC study done in separate special-ed classrooms between 2000 and 2020.
They found 141 papers and sorted each one by goal: communication, school work, or peer interaction.
What they found
Almost half of the studies (69) only looked at making requests or labeling items.
Only 27 studied reading, math, or other class work. Just 17 asked if kids made friends or joined games.
How this fits with other research
Johnson et al. (2021) and Leaf et al. (2012) show AAC boosts talking, but their studies sit in the same separate rooms.
Chung et al. (2012) watched AAC users in regular classes and saw them talk mainly to aides, not friends.
Oh-Young et al. (2015) found kids in inclusive rooms do better in both grades and friendships than kids in separate rooms.
Together the picture is clear: we keep studying how to talk in rooms that give little chance to use the skills with peers or grade-level work.
Why it matters
If you write AAC goals, look beyond requesting. Add peer lunch tables, group projects, and grade-level reading tasks. Push for inclusive settings where the new words can actually be used.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: School education for children with severe disabilities tends to occur in restricted or segregated settings, especially for students who require augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). AIM: We sought to understand the role played by AAC, especially in supporting students' academic learning and social participation in studies conducted in segregated school settings. METHODS: We conducted a scoping review, searching five databases, supplemented by hand, ancestral and forward citation searches of studies published from 2000 to 2020 involving compulsory school-aged students and featuring AAC. Data were extracted and summarized regarding study and participant characteristics, and key findings. RESULT: Our search yielded 141 studies conducted in a segregated setting (n = 129) or mixed settings (n = 12). Most studies focused on communication skills (n = 69); academic skills (n = 27) and social participation (n = 17) were addressed to a far lesser extent. CONCLUSIONS: Research into students requiring or using AAC has focused on teaching communication skills and far less on academic learning and social activities of classrooms and schools. There is a need for research that extends beyond functional communication into how AAC can promote access to these key aspects of school education.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2022 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2021.104141