Incorporating discriminative stimuli into functional communication training with augmentative and alternative communication devices: a tutorial.
Daniel R Mitteer, Kayla R Randall, Leslie J Van Winkle and 1 others
PMID 32238004WHAT IT FOUND
This tutorial describes how to embed color-coded discriminative stimuli into AAC software to signal when communication responses are reinforced.
It provides a step-by-step progression for teaching functional communication and thinning schedules, but notes that formal efficacy evaluations of these specific software applications are still needed.
Key findings
01Practitioners can program discriminative stimuli directly onto AAC displays by coloring grids or buttons to signal reinforcement versus extinction components.
02Response restriction and stimulus fading are recommended remedial strategies when individuals do not readily discriminate between FCR buttons or schedule components.
03While FCT with discriminative stimuli has broad empirical support, formal evaluations of these procedures specifically on AAC devices are needed to demonstrate their efficacy.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The paper is a tutorial and does not report new data from patients. The authors explicitly state that formal evaluations of these specific procedures on AAC devices are still needed to demonstrate efficacy. Guidance is based on existing literature and clinic experience rather than a controlled trial of the described AAC-specific methods.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat this as evidence that embedding discriminative stimuli in AAC software works. The authors state that formal evaluations of these specific procedures on AAC devices are needed to demonstrate their efficacy, so this is a proposed method based on general FCT literature, not a proven intervention for AAC systems.