Augmentative and Alternative Communication and Speech Production for Individuals With ASD: A Systematic Review
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
White, E. N., Ayres, K. M., et al. (2021).
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 51, 4199-4212.
This systematic review investigates the effects of augmentative and alternative communication interventions on speech development in individuals who do not produce speech functionally who have an intellectual disability or who are on the autism spectrum. This article updates and extends the review conducted by Schlosser & Wendt (2008). See the associated article below.
Not stated
1975 to May 2020
Peer-reviewed studies (excludes only A-B designs and pre- and post-test designs)
28
<div>In studies investigating the efficacy of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) interventions in children with an intellectual disability or who are on the autism spectrum, AAC interventions resulted in improved AAC use and improved speech production. AAC outcomes were higher than or equal to speech production outcomes in all but one study. While some studies observed a functional relationship between speech production outcomes and AAC across AAC modalities (6/25), the majority of participants did not demonstrate speech gains exceeding their AAC skills. More than half of the studies reported low effects on speech production outcomes. One study found that individuals with fewer characteristics of autism and more expressive language at baseline demonstrated greater increases in speech production.</div>
