Here you’ll find a description of some of the best resources for AT and AAC research online. As healthcare providers, we often work with people who could benefit from assistive technology (AT) which includes the smaller subset of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC).
Whether you’re well-versed or a newbie, you may find a new resource below. While it can be overwhelming to realize there is so much to learn, I prefer to approach it with excitement. Even learning about one new tool or strategy could make a big difference to the next person we evaluate!
Free DIRECT download: Top 10 AAC and AT research sources (cheat sheet). (Email subscribers get free access to all the resources in the Free Subscription Library.)
Outline:
- AAC: Augmentative and Alternative Communication (journal).
- ASHA’s evidence map for AAC.
- ASHA’s practice portal for AAC.
- ASHA’s Special Interest Group 12: AAC.
- ASHAWire.
- Assistive Technology (journal).
- Assistive Technology Outcomes & Benefits (free journal).
- Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology (journal).
- PatientProviderCommunication.org’s annotated bibliography.
- RERC on AAC’s Proceedings.
- Related Eat, Speak, & Think posts.
- What other sources of AT and AAC research do you like?
#1: AAC: Augmentative and Alternative Communication (journal)
The AAC journal is published by ISAAC (International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication). The journal offers:
- Research articles.
- Systematic reviews.
- Meta-analyses.
- Tutorials.
- Forum papers.
- Case studies.
You can access some articles for free. For instance, RESNA offers free ePrints, some of which are from the AAC journal. Some of these ePrints are only free for a limited time. And ATiA offers free research articles, some of which are also from the AAC journal.
An annual subscription is $98 (Canadian). As a professional, you receive a $13 (Canadian) discount on a journal subscription if you become a member of the organization. (If you become a member in your country’s chapter, then you’re automatically a member of ISAAC.)
Membership offers many benefits, including these if you join the US chapter (USSAAC)
#2: ASHA’s evidence map for AAC
#1: ASHA’s evidence map for AAC
ASHA’s evidence map for AAC is a great place to start when you’re trying to find an evidence-based answer for a specific person. When you enter the database, you can easily find articles related to assessment, treatment, and service delivery.
ASHA’s National Center for Evidence-Based Practice in Communication Disorders (N-CEP) has a series of tutorials on YouTube to help us get the most out of the evidence maps. Here’s the first one:
You can read more about ASHA’s evidence maps and how to use them.
You can search for evidence according to the type of AAC you’re interested in, including:
- AAC software/apps.
- Communication boards.
- Gestures.
- Objects.
- Picture cards.
- Sign language.
- Speech-generating devices (SGDs).
- Writing/drawing.
You can also look for specific information about:
- Display configurations.
- Selection techniques.
- Symbol iconicity.
- Vocabulary selection.
#3: ASHA’s practice portal for AAC
ASHA’s practice portal for AAC contains an overview, key issues, resources, and references. There is a wealth of knowledge here, for instance, under Key Issues:
- AAC populations.
- AAC systems.
- Communicative competence.
- AAC myths and realities.
- Incidence and prevalence.
- Roles and responsibilities.
- Assessment.
- Treatment.
- State/Federal laws and regulations.
#4: ASHA’s Special Interest Group 12: AAC
Belonging to ASHA’s Special Interest Group 12: AAC brings many benefits, including:
- 4 self-study CEU activities per year through the Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Group. For instance, this Perspectives of SIG 12 issue offers 2.5 hours of continuing education. You’d pay $5 if you’re a member of any SIG, $35 if you’re an ASHA member, or $46 if you’re not an ASHA member.
- SIG 12 sponsors a Short Course and a seminar at the ASHA convention. If you subscribe to a SIG, you may receive a 50% discount on the Short Course.
- You can participate in SIG 12’s online community.
- SIG 12 holds an affiliate meeting at ASHA’s annual convention.
#5: ASHAWire
You can access more than a thousand articles related to AAC through ASHAWire, including research articles, articles from the ASHA Leader, editorials, and news articles. You can refine your search by:
- Author (and see who the most prolific authors are).
- Publication title.
- Keyword.
- Article type.
- Publication date.
#6: Assistive Technology (journal)
RESNA (Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America) publishes Assistive Technology. Nonmembers can search the journal through the publishers website. As you may expect, the journal publishes on all areas of assistive technology, including AAC.
Members of RESNA have free access to the journal online or pay $30 a year for the print version. There are different types of memberships. An individual membership is $175 a year, and you can read about member benefits.
Members and non-members can earn RESNA CEUs, which may be accepted by ASHA. (I contacted someone at RESNA who said that he believes they’re accepted by ASHA, but since they’re not IACET accredited there could be a problem. He recommends that everyone checks with ASHA.)
#7: Assistive Technology Outcomes & Benefits (free journal)
The annual Assistive Technology Outcomes & Benefits (ATOB) journal is open-access and peer-reviewed. You can access current and past issues for free online or pay for print copies. ATOB is published by ATiA (Assistive Technology Industry Association). Subscribe to receive alerts for future issues.
As an example, SLPs may be interested in the last article in the 2018 issue titled What Adults Who Use AAC Say About Their Use of Mainstream Mobile Technologies by Diane Nelson Bryen and Yoosun Chung.
#8: Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology (journal)
Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology is published eight times a year. It appears that they only offer institutional subscriptions.
Ways to access specific articles:
- Check with your facility library.
- Check with your graduate institution. (Some universities provide library access options to graduates).
- Contact the author.
- Sign up for ResearchGate.net. Many articles have been made available here, and if not, you can request the article with a click of a button.
- Pay for the article.
#9: PatientProviderCommunication.org’s annotated bibliography
PatientProviderCommunication.org provides an in-depth annotated bibliography which includes a synopsis of research articles and other articles pertaining to:
- Understanding the language and cultural barriers that can arise between individuals and their medical providers.
- Understanding other barriers to communication
- Working to overcome all of the barriers to communication.
You can access many of these articles directly from the bibliography.
10. RERC on AAC’s Proceedings
The RERC (Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center) on AAC publishes the proceedings of the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America. Each research article is available online, in audio format, and in PDF.
Related Eat, Speak, & Think posts
What other sources of AT and AAC research do you like?
I’m sure there are other sources of AT and AAC research that I haven’t learned about yet. What would you suggest?
Free DIRECT download: Top 10 AAC and AT research sources (cheat sheet). (Email subscribers get free access to all the resources in the Free Subscription Library.)
Featured image by Martin Adams on Unsplash.
Lisa earned her M.A. in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Maryland, College Park and her M.A. in Linguistics from the University of California, San Diego.
She participated in research studies with the National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) and the University of Maryland in the areas of aphasia, Parkinson’s Disease, epilepsy, and fluency disorders.
Lisa has been working as a medical speech-language pathologist since 2008. She has a strong passion for evidence-based assessment and therapy, having earned five ASHA Awards for Professional Participation in Continuing Education.
She launched EatSpeakThink.com in June 2018 to help other clinicians be more successful working in home health, as well as to provide strategies and resources to people living with problems eating, speaking, or thinking.
Be First to Comment