Multimodal Aac for Individuals with Down Syndrome - Paperback

by Krista M. Wilkinson (Editor), Lizbeth H. Finestack (Editor)

Many people with Down syndrome--one of the most common genetically-linked developmental disabilities--experience difficulty developing spoken and written communication skills. In this groundbreaking book, discover how augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) can enhance communicative competence and improve outcomes for people with Down syndrome across the lifespan. This book fully explores how interdisciplinary, multimodal AAC strategies can promote speech, language, and literacy success across many contexts, including homes, schools, communities, health care settings, and the workplace.

Bringing together an interdisciplinary group of more than 25 experts on AAC and Down syndrome, this is a must-have resource for speech-language pathologists, special educators, and AAC specialists--and a key supplementary text for courses on AAC and developmental disabilities. Use the research-based guidance in this book to help people with Down syndrome develop stronger communication skills and participate meaningfully in their schools and communities, from early childhood through adulthood.

READERS WILL LEARN HOW TO:

• Skillfully pair unaided AAC supports (gestures and manual signs) with aided AAC (technology and other supports external to the body)
• Enrich young children's communication and language development with AAC
• Use AAC to boost older children's vocabulary, grammatical language, and narrative language skills
• Enhance reading instruction using AAC technology
• Supplement speech and improve speech intelligibility with carefully chosen interventions and visual communication aids
• Engage whole families as collaborative partners to integrate AAC supports into everyday life
• Address young adults' communication needs, as they evolve to include more varied communication partners, more complex topics, and new contexts
• Assess cognitive and social functioning in adolescents and adults who use AAC
• Support communication and self-advocacy across health care settings with AAC strategies

Author Biography

Krista M. Wilkinson, Ph.D., is a professor at the Penn State University. Her current research applies the tools of neuroscience, in particular automated eye tracking technologies, to understand visual and cognitive processing of individuals with severe disabilities.

Lizbeth H. Finestack, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is an associate prof. at the University of MN in the Dept. of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences. She is also a speech-language pathologist (SLP) certified by the ASLHA.

Leonard Abbeduto, Ph.D., is the Director of the MIND Institute, the Tsakopoulos-Vismara Endowed Chair, and Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the UC, Davis.

Phebe Albert, M.A., is currently a 5h-year graduate student in the Clinical Neuropsychology program at GA State University. She completed her B.S. in Psychology at the University of FL.

Salena Babb, M.Ed., is a Ph.D student in the Dept. of Educational Psychology, Counseling, and Special Ed. Her research includes implementing AAC within community, vocational, and social settings for adolescents with severe disabilities and complex communication needs.

Andrea Barton-Hulsey, M.A., CCC-SLP, is an Assistant Prof. in the School of Communication Science and Disorders at FL State University. Her research is focused on understanding factors that support language and literacy development in children with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Marie Moore Channell, Ph.D., is an Assistant Prof. of Speech and Hearing Science at the University of IL at Urbana-Champaign.

Candace Evans, M.A., is currently working towards her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology at GA State University. She is interested in the development of social emotional competence, and the role that language abilities play in social development, in children who are atypically developing.

Evelyn L. Fisher, Ph.D., is a post-doc fellow in pediatric neuropsychology at University of NM. She completed her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with a specialization in neuropsychology at GA State University.

Gregory M. Fosco, Ph.D., is an Associate Prof. of Human Development and Family Studies and serves as the Associate Director of the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center at The Penn State University. He studies family systems processes, including family-level, interparental, and parent-adolescent relationships as they relate to adolescent developmental risk for substance use, problem behavior, and internalizing problems, as well as the role of the family in promoting adolescent well-being.

Christine Holyfield, Ph.D., is an Assistant Prof. of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of AR. Her research is focused on evaluating AAC technology and strategies for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including individuals who are beginning communicators.

Raymond D. Kent, Ph.D.is Professor Emeritus of the Dept. of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of WI-Madison. His primary research interests are speech intelligibility in various clinical populations, typical and atypical development of speech in children, and the development and refinement of methods for the study of speech and its disorders.

Gal Kaldes, CCC-SLP, is a Ph.D. student at GA State University and a licensed SLP. She has had both clinical and research experience with children who demonstrate significant language delays and benefit from AAC.

Emily Laubscher, M.S., CCC-SLP, is a speech-language pathologist and doctoral candidate in communication sciences and disorders. She has over 10 years of experience working with individuals with complex communication needs.

Marika R. King, Ph.D., is an assistant prof. in the Dept. of Communicative Disorders and Deaf Education at UT State University. Her research interests center around understanding and supporting the communication outcomes of bilingual children who use AAC.

Susan J. Loveall, Ph.D., is an assistant prof. in the Dept. of Special Education and Communication Disorders at the University of NE-Lincoln. Her research focuses on learning, language, and literacy in intellectual and developmental disabilities, with a special focus on the Down syndrome phenotype.

Kelsey Mandak, Ph.D., is currently the AAC Research and Outreach Coordinator in the Dept. of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Penn State University.

David B. McNaughton, Ph.D., teaches coursework in augmentative communication, assistive technology, and collaboration skills for working with parents and educational team members. He is especially interested in the development and evaluation of online educational materials to build capacity in AAC service delivery.

Emily D. McFadd, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is a speech-language pathologist who received her doctorate from the Dept. of Communication Sciences & Disorders at the University of WI-Madison. Her research focuses on understanding interactions between speech production and language skills for expressive communication in children with Fragile X syndrome, Down syndrome and Autism.

Tara O'Neill, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, M/b>is an assistant prof. at Misericordia University. Her primary area of interest is the design of aided AAC systems to meet the needs and skills of the individuals who use them.

MaryAnn Romski, Ph.D., is Regents Prof. of Communication, Psychology, and Communication Sciences and Disorders at GA State University, and a Director of the Center for Research on Atypical Development and Learning. Dr. Romski is a certified SLP with more than 40 years of clinical experience.

Bobbi L. Rohwer, M.S., CCC-SLP, is a Ph.D. student in the Speech-Language Hearing Sciences department at the University of MN. She worked as a pediatric speech-language pathologist specializing in complex communication needs and later as a content developer for a social skills app released in 2019.

Rose A. Sevcik, Ph.D., is Distinguished Prof. of Psychology and Chair of the Developmental Psychology Doctoral Program. She has made significant contributions to the field of developmental and learning disabilities and language and reading intervention research through more than 100 peer-reviewed publications, chapters, and books and numerous presentations at national and international conferences.

Stephanie L. Santoro, M.D., is a clinical geneticist dedicated to improving the health of patients with genetic syndromes. Her area of clinical expertise and research focus is Down syndrome.

Houri K. Vorperian, Ph.D., is a full time scientist directing the study of the biological basis of speech development with the Vocal Tract Development Lab at the Waisman Center, University of WI-Madison. Her research focus is on assessing structure/function interactions in shaping vocal tract structures with the ultimate goal of promoting multi-disciplinary treatment approaches to enhance speech intelligibility and communication.

Casy Walters, M.Ed., CCC-SLP, is a speech-language pathologist and doctoral student in the Developmental Psychology dept. at GA State University. Her research has examined the impact of early AAC intervention on speech sound development in toddlers. She worked as an SLP in both public school and private clinic settings.