David E. Yoder

Childhood reading and writing experiences of literate adults with severe speech and motor impairments

A retrospective survey was conducted to determine some of the childhood reading and writing experiences and shared personal characteristics of a group of 22 literate adults with congenital severe speech and physical impairments. Professionals in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) conducted face-to-face interviews using a standard protocol. Descriptive data relative to the nature of the individuals and the home and school contexts of literacy learning are reported. Results indicate that these individuals grew up in home and school environments with abundant reading and writing materials and were immersed in varied and regular experiences with print materials. Implications of the findings with respect to the literature on literacy learning of able-bodied individuals are discussed, and directions for future research suggested.

Gaze behavior: A new look at an old problem

This article reviews the research and clinical literature that has investigated the topography and functions of eye-to-face gaze in normal children and adults. These data and data from a recent pilot study are then compared to the criteria typically used in eye-contact training programs with autistic children. This comparison reveals some educationally relevant discrepancies between the normative data and the training criteria. The need to base educational interventions for autistic individuals on normative standards is discussed, and suggestions for future research are provided.

Preparing Professionals to Serve Infants and Toddlers with Handicaps and Their Families: An Integrative Analysis across Eight Disciplines

This article summarizes the status of, and recommendations for, preparation programs for early intervention personnel across eight disciplines. Surveys were conducted to determine the extent to which entry-level students in each discipline receive academic preparation and clinical experiences to provide services to infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families. Although considerable variability was found across disciplines, the average student receives little specialized information—practical knowledge—relative either to the infancy period or to working with families. Alternative strategies for improving infant personnel preparation are discussed and policy implications of each are addressed.

The Implications of Emergent Literacy Research for Children With Developmental Disabilities

Recent research in emergent literacy has led to a conceptualization of literacy learning as a continuous process that begins at birth. Such a view has critical implications for children with develo...

Integrated Communication and Literacy Instruction for a Child with Multiple Disabilities

This longitudinal case study examined the communication and literacy learning progress of an 11-year-old boy with severe speech and physical impairments related to cerebral palsy. Theoretically driven literacy assessments revealed unforeseen literacy capabilities. Integrated use of voice-output augmentative communication technology led to improved communication skills as well as increased demonstrations of literacy capability. Systematic instruction addressing the childs weaknesses and strengths resulted in literacy gains across 2 school years.

AAC use and service provision: A survey of New Zealand speech-language therapists

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) services for people with complex communication needs in New Zealand were investigated by surveying speech-language therapists. Two separate survey forms were developed and mailed to speech-language therapists who worked with either students or adults. In both survey forms, information was requested about (a) the provision of AAC intervention, (b) the professional needs of speech-language therapists providing AAC services, and (c) demographic information about students with complex communication needs. Low-tech communication options and sign language were the most commonly reported AAC strategies used by adults and students with complex communication needs. Students aged 5 – 10 years received the most AAC intervention. Cerebral palsy, intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorders were the most commonly reported etiologies of students who used AAC. A total of 86% of the respondents indicated a desire for further AAC information or training.

Teaching a Child with Multiple Disabilities to Use a Tactile Augmentative Communication Device

A single case ABA design was used to determine the preferences for tactile surfaces of a child with multiple disabilities including deaf-blindness. Within each session the child tended to depress a switch covered with a velveteen surface more frequently than switches covered with other textured surfaces. In a second phase of the study (BC design) the childs preferred surface was paired with a contingent response of social interaction from her caregiver. The child appeared to become more selective in her activation of the switch with her preferred surface, but did not increase her overall level of activation. Finally, it was found that the child switched to a high proportion of usage of a different surface when it, rather than the velveteen, was paired with the contingent social response.

Some perspectives on intervention strategies for persons with developmental disorders

We present a view of language that crosses modal considerations (e.g.,speech vs. augmentative systems) and places language within an interaction framework. We emphasize the need to consider normal social, cognitive, and linguistic development in selecting program guidelines for developmentally delayed persons. We address the childs linguistic code not as a set of phonetic, syntactic, and semantic features that can be trained in isolation, but as a means by which he can exercise the various pragmatic uses of communication. In effect, our interest has thus expanded from the child alone to the child as one member of a communicating dyad. Programming in the areas of mothers verbal input, expanding childrens language skills, training in augmentative systems — all reflect an overriding objective of optimizing the language-users ability to successfully participate in interactions with other persons in his/her environment.

What happens to reading between first and third grade? Implications for students who use AAC

School-age students who use AAC need access to communication, reading, and writing tools that can support them to actively engage in literacy learning. They also require access to core literacy learning opportunities across grade levels that foster development of conventional literacy skills. The importance of the acquisition of conventional literacy skills for students who use AAC cannot be overemphasized. And yet, one of the critical challenges in supporting the literacy learning of students who use AAC has been a lack of knowledge about literacy curricula and supports to literacy learning for these students. Most students who use AAC do not become conventionally literate and few of those who do achieve literacy skills beyond the second grade level. This article will provide an overview of the most frequent reading instructional activities in first and third grade classrooms. To better understand the foundational experiences important to literacy learning, the results of a survey project that examined the reading activities of general education students and teachers during primary grade instruction are presented, and critical shifts in instruction that occurred between first and third grade are highlighted. The primary instructional focus of core reading activities is also examined, along with adaptations for students who use AAC.

Concerns Regarding the Application of Restrictive "Eligibility" Policies to Individuals Who Need Communication Services and Supports: A Response by the National Joint Committee for the Communication Needs of Persons with Severe Disabilities

Sometimes communication supports and services for school-aged children with extensive disabilities are re-duced over time or removed on the basis of inappropri-ate reasons or eligibility criteria that are flawed. Family members may feel unequipped to argue against the de-cisions that schools or agencies make for their child, and professionals may be in a difficult position to disagree with their administrators. The National Joint Committee for the Communication Needs of Persons with Severe Disabilities has written a position statement on these re-strictive eligibility practices. This position statement ad-dresses concerns about inappropriate eligibility criteria and may be used to help individuals, family members, and providers gain access to necessary communication supports and services.