Effects of Augmentative and Alternative Communication Intervention on School Readiness Skills from Young Children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Introduction: Young children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) who have limited speech and language require access to augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) intervention, including technology and instruction. While research shows that AAC intervention can effectively support communication from children with IDD, research on its impact on school readiness skills is limited. Methods: Two preschool aged children with IDD participated in this study. Using a single case, multiple baseline across responses design for each participant, this study evaluated the effectiveness of an AAC intervention, including a high-tech AAC with a personalized color photo visual scene display with modeling, time delay, prompting, and social praise. The targeted responses were three questions from the participants’ state kindergarten readiness standards, including: “What is your first name?”; “What is your last name?”; and “How old are you?”. Results: In baseline, both participants demonstrated little success communicating answers to questions. During intervention, both participants mastered the school readiness skill of responding accurately and independently to the targeted questions. Conclusion: The current study shows that with early access to AAC intervention, children with IDD may begin to build communication skills that align with school readiness standards, providing them increased opportunity to participate fully and meaningfully in general education curricula, upon entering kindergarten.