Overview

Many people with Down syndrome—one of the most common genetically-linked developmental disabilities—experience difficulty developing spoken and written communication skills. In this groundbreaking book, discover how augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) can enhance communicative competence and improve outcomes for people with Down syndrome across the lifespan. The newest volume in Beukelman and Light’s respected Augmentative and Alternative Communication Series, this book fully explores how interdisciplinary, multimodal AAC strategies can promote speech, language, and literacy success across many contexts, including homes, schools, communities, health care settings, and the workplace. Bringing together an interdisciplinary group of more than 25 experts on AAC and Down syndrome, this is a must-have resource for speech-language pathologists, special educators, and AAC specialists—and a key supplementary text for courses on AAC and developmental disabilities. Use the research-based guidance in this book to help people with Down syndrome develop stronger communication skills and participate meaningfully in their schools and communities, from early childhood through adulthood. Readers will learn how to: Skillfully pair unaided AAC supports (gestures and manual signs) with aided AAC (technology and other supports external to the body) Enrich young children’s communication and language development with AAC Use AAC to boost older children’s vocabulary, grammatical language, and narrative language skills Enhance reading instruction using AAC technology Supplement speech and improve speech intelligibility with carefully chosen interventions and visual communication aids Engage whole families as collaborative partners to integrate AAC supports into everyday life Address young adults’ communication needs, as they evolve to include more varied communication partners, more complex topics, and new contexts Assess cognitive and social functioning in adolescents and adults who use AAC Support communication and self-advocacy across health care settings with AAC strategies

Full Product Details

9781681254128

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Reviews

Contains a wealth of information that will be relevant to faculty who teach AAC courses and to clinicians who support families...The lifespan approach reminds us that it is never too early or too late to support communication development using multiple modalities. --Pat Mirenda, Ph.D., BCBA-D

Author Information

Dr. Krista Wilkinson is Professor at the Pennsylvania State University and Editor of the American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology (2014-2016). Dr. Wilkinson's research applies the tools of neuroscience to understand visual and cognitive processing of individuals with severe disabilities, in order to optimize visual augmentative and alternative communication interventions used to support their communication functioning. Lizbeth H. Finestack, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is an associate professor in the Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Science at the University of Minnesota. She teaches courses focused on child language development and the assessment and treatment of child language disorders. Her research is focused on identifying the most effective and efficient language approaches to use with children with language impairment. She works with children with neurodevelopmental disorders, such as developmental language disorder, Down syndrome, fragile X syndrome, and autism spectrum disorder.

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