Effect of mobile technology featuring visual scene displays and just-in-time programming on communication turns by preadolescent and adolescent beginning communicators.
Christine Holyfield, Jessica Gosnell Caron, Kathryn Drager and 1 others
PMID 29504809WHAT IT FOUND
Five beginning communicators took markedly more turns using a tablet app that let researchers snap photos of ongoing activities and add words instantly.
The average increase was between 13 and 26 turns per 15-minute session, though it is unclear which feature caused the gain.
Key findings
01All five participants showed a markedly higher level of communication turns during the intervention phase compared to baseline.
02The average increase in communication turns per 15-minute interaction ranged from 13 to 26 across the five participants.
03Because the intervention technology differed from baseline devices in multiple ways, the study cannot determine which specific feature drove the improvements.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample size was very small (n=5), severely restricting generalisability. No maintenance or generalisation data were collected due to school year constraints. The intervention was delivered by researchers, not the participants' usual communication partners or school staff. Multiple features differed between the baseline and intervention technologies (e.g., mobile device vs. other AAC, visual scene displays vs. grids, just-in-time programming), making it impossible to isolate which component caused the improvement.
Declared interests
The study was supported by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research. The EasyVSD app was under development by InvoTek, a non-profit organization.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume the tablet app itself is the active ingredient. The study changed multiple things at once, including the device type, the layout, and the programming method, so it cannot tell you which of these features actually increased the communication turns.