ABSTRACT

THIS STUDY INVESTIGATED THE EFFECTIVENESS OF AUGMENTATIVE AND ALTERNATIVE COMMUNICATION (AAC) IN PROMOTING EMOTIONAL EXPRESSION IN CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS (SEN). THE MAIN PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXPLORE CHANGES IN SEN CHILDREN'S EMOTIONAL EXPRESSION AFTER AAC INTERVENTION, INCLUDING CHANGES IN TREATMENT SETTINGS, SCHOOL, AND FAMILY SITUATIONS. IN ADDITION, THIS STUDY ALSO EXAMINED STAKEHOLDERS' VIEWS ON THESE CHANGES AFTER THE INTERVENTION. THIS STUDY USED A SMALL SAMPLE CASE STUDY DESIGN WITH TWO PARTICIPANTS: A 7- YEAR-OLD GIRL WITH DOWN SYNDROME AND A 7-YEAR-OLD GIRL WITH SUSPECTED AUTISM. THE RESEARCH METHODS INCLUDED PRE- AND POST-INTERVENTION ASSESSMENTS, 12 AAC TREATMENT SESSIONS USING THE TD SNAP APP, AND FOLLOW-UP QUALITATIVE INTERVIEWS WITH PARENTS AND TEACHERS. DURING TREATMENT, CONVERSATIONAL READING TECHNIQUES AND A PROGRESSIVE PROMPT HIERARCHY STRUCTURE WERE USED TO TEACH EMOTIONAL EXPRESSION. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE DATA WAS USED TO ANALYSE THE RESULTS. THE QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS INCLUDED EMOTION FREQUENCY, PROMPT TYPE, WAYS OF COMMUNICATION, AND THE QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS INCLUDED STAKEHOLDER FEEDBACK. THE MAIN FINDINGS INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING, 1. BOTH PARTICIPANTS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THEIR ABILITY TO EXPRESS EMOTIONS, WITH ""HAPPY"", ""SAD"", AND ""WORRIED"" BEING THE MOST FREQUENTLY EXPRESSED EMOTIONS. 2. BOTH CHILDREN SHOWED A DECREASE IN RELIANCE ON EXTERNAL PROMPTS AND AN INCREASE IN SPONTANEOUS RESPONSES. 3. THEY ALSO USED MULTIMODAL COMMUNICATION, USING AAC, SPEECH, AND GESTURES. 4. STAKEHOLDERS REPORTED CHILDREN ARE MORE INITIATIVE TO EXPRESS EMOTIONS. 5. PARENTS ALSO NOTED THE BENEFITS OF AAC IN REDUCING FRUSTRATION AND IMPROVING SOCIAL INTERACTIONS. 6. HOWEVER, AAC WAS USED MORE FREQUENTLY AT HOME TO EXPRESS EMOTIONS THAN IN CLASSROOM SETTINGS, SHOWING THE INFLUENCE OF ENVIRONMENT AND CAREGIVER FACTORS. THIS STUDY HIGHLIGHTS THE NEED TO INTEGRATE AAC INTO THERAPEUTIC AND EDUCATIONAL PRACTICES TO SUPPORT THE EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN WITH SEN. IT HIGHLIGHTS THE NEED FOR COLLABORATION BETWEEN SPEECH THERAPISTS, EDUCATORS AND FAMILIES TO CREATE A CONSISTENT AND SUPPORTIVE COMMUNICATION ENVIRONMENT. THIS STUDY IS OF GREAT VALUE TO PRACTITIONERS, AND CAREGIVERS AND POLICY MAKERS WHO SEEK TO CREATE AN INCLUSIVE AND EMPATHETIC ENVIRONMENT FOR CHILDREN WITH COMMUNICATION DISORDERS.