SPHS Colloquium

You are cordially invited to attend the following Colloquium presented by the SPHS Department and the SPHS PhD Organization.

Erna Alant, Otting Endowed Chair in Special Education, Indiana University, will present, "The Use of Graphic Symbols in AAC: What do we know?"

Monday, February 15, 2010
4:00-5:00 p.m.
Speech and Hearing Building, Room C141
Brief reception to follow

Abstract:
As augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) intervention becomes of age, it is important to investigate strategies that can enhance the access of children to messages in the most effective and economic way. Basic to the issue of providing access to pictographic symbols is the way in which children relate to the symbols. The first exposure to symbols as well as the time invested in learning a symbol set or system can significantly influence the sustainability of the AAC intervention process. Not only do these issues impact the attitude of people toward the use of AAC, they also impose a cognitive load on the potential AAC user that can affect outcomes.

This presentation will review basic information on graphic symbols and then present four recently completed studies (Basson & Alant, 2005; Bornman, Alant & Du Preez, (submitted); Haupt & Alant, 2002; Visser, Alant & Harty, 2008) which explore specific issues in symbol learning and use. Study designs typically are descriptive and comparative in nature to highlight similarities and differences in participants’ performances. Finally, I will briefly comment on the ongoing studies in these areas and address the implications of the findings for future research. Directions for further study will focus on 1) the application of findings to different disability population groups, for example, intellectual disabilities and autism and 2) research questions which need further exploration with typically developing children.