The Efficacy of Augmentative and Alternative Communication: Toward Evidence-Based Practice (Augmentative and Alternative Communications Perspectives)

652 Pages·2003·30.7 MB·English

by  Ralf W. Schlosser

THE EFFICACY
of
AUGMENTATIVE
and
ALTERNATIVE
COMMUNICATION
AVOLUME IN THE AUGMENTATIVE AND ALTERNATIVE
COMMUNICATION PERSPECTIVES SERIES
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THE EFFICACY
of
AUGMENTATIVE
and
ALTERNATIVE
COMMUNICATION
AVOLUME IN THE AUGMENTATIVE AND ALTERNATIVE
COMMUNICATION PERSPECTIVES SERIES
Ralf W. Schlosser
Northeastern University
Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology
Boston, Massachusetts
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AUGMENTATIVE AND ALTERNATIVE
COMMUNICATION PERSPECTIVES SERIES
SERIES FOREWORD
It is both a pleasure and an honor to collaborate with Academic Press in
the development of the Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)
Perspectives Series. Academic Press has long been recognized as a major pub-
lisher of scholarly books in many of the basic areas that serve as foundations
for the development of our current transdisciplinary field of AAC including
acoustics, language development, linguistics, psychology, and speech and hearing
sciences. During recent years, Academic Press has further developed this line of
more scholarly books to include volumes appealing to more applied areas of edu-
cation and speech-language pathology. It is rewarding to have such a prestigious
publisher for the AAC Perspectives Series.
Some books in this series will emphasize clinical/educational practice,
while others will emphasize research/basic information. All of the books will be
based on the three cornerstones of evidence-based practice (EBP): research, clin-
ical and/or educational expertise and stakeholder perspectives. They will be
extensively referenced.
Books in the series will share in common the broad communication
model originally proposed by Lloyd, Quist, and Windsor (1990) and subsequently
discussed in other sources (e.g., Fuller & Lloyd, 1997). The series will attempt
to further develop terminologic and taxonomic consistency within the field.
The most commonly accepted terminology in an internally consistent manner.
Terminology will be the topic of a future book (Lloyd, & Arvidson, forthcom-
ing). Some of the books in the series will focus on emerging areas of AAC that
have relevant literature but no significant books. These include topics such as effi-
cacy and EBP (Schlosser, this volume) and literacy (Smith, forthcoming). Other
books in the series will focus on topics that have been discuess in journals and
books but show a need for a different perspective on AAC as, for example, the
topic of assistive technology (Quist & Lloyd, forthcoming).
Although there are many critical areas in AAC, efficacy and EBP were
selected for the inaugural book in the AAC Perspectives Series. During the past
decade, outcomes and efficacy have emerged as critical issues in service delivery,
in general, and in the provision of AAC services to individuals with the most
severe disabilities, in particular. There have been a number of major publications
on efficacy and outcome measures, but there has not been a major archival pub-
lication on the efficacy of AAC and EBP.
We are extremely fortunate to have Ralf Schlosser author this book.
Schlosser has emerged as a leader in AAC with a strong research record on topics
V
vi Foreword
such as effects of specific AAC intervention approaches, symbols, and technolo-
gies. He has been a major AAC research synthesizer at the International Society
for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (ISAAC) and American
Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) conferences and has published a
number of meta-analyses and integrative reviews in recent years. Schlosser has
received several awards for his work including the Augmentative and Alternative
Communication Editor's Award for the article entitled "Promoting Generalization
and Maintenance in Augmentative and Alternative Communication: A Meta-
Analysis of 20 Years of Effectiveness Research" (Schlosser & Lee, 2000) that was
recognized as the most significant research article in 2000. In addition to having
published numerous journal articles and chapters, Schlosser has served as a
reviewer or guest reviewer for several journals, including Augmentative and Alter-
native Communication, The Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, The Journal of Speech,
Language and Hearing Research and The Journal of Special Education Technology. More
recently, Schlosser has served as an associate editor for Augmentative and Alterna-
tive Communication and The Journal of Behavioral Education.
Schlosser has invited authors to contribute chapters in their respective
areas of expertise to supplement his writing, including Jan Bedrosian, Doreen
Blischak, Melinda Corwin, Erik Drasgow, Aimee Gorman, Mats Granlund, Jeff
Higginbotham, David Lee, Linda Lombardino, Cecilia Olson, Rajinder Koul,
Pammi Raghavendra, Mary Ann Romski, Rose Sevcik, and Jeff Sigafoos.
This inaugural book addressing the critical aspects of efficacy and EBP is
intended to stimulate both researchers and practitioners and to facilitate improved
AAC services for individuals with little or no functional speech. This book is
designed to (1) increase the understanding and use of EBP, (2) provide efficacy
information based on research that can help clinicians/educators make more
informed decisions in practice, (3) serve as an extensive resource of efficacy data
that can help researchers and practitioners guide stakeholders (including AAC
users, family members, policy makers, administrators, and various other profes-
sionals) to make the best possible decisions that can help individuals with little
or no functional speech realize optimal participation, and (4) help clinicians/
educators become better consumers of research and take more active roles in the
research process. We hope this book will, also, serve to improve the quality of
special education and speech-language pathology personnel preparation and
research programs in severe disabilities, in general, and in AAC, in particular. We
anticipate that the discussion of the EBP cornerstones research, clinical/educa-
tional expertise and stakeholder perspectives in this book will serve as a valuable
resource for researchers, practitioners, and stakeholders.
Lyle L. Lloyd, Ph.D., FAAMR, FASHA, CCC-A&SLP
Professor of Special Education, and
Professor of Audiology & Speech Sciences
Purdue University
Foreword vii
REFERENCES
Fuller, D. R., & Lloyd, L. L. (1997). AAC model and taxonomy. In L. L Lloyd, D. R. Fuller and
H. H. Arvidson (Eds.). Augmentative and alternative communication: A handbook of principles and prac-
tices (pp.25-37). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Lloyd, L. L., & Arvidson, H. H. (forthcoming). AAC from A toZ. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
Lloyd, L. L., Quist, R. W., & Windsor, J. (1990). A proposed augmentative and alternative communi-
cation model. Augmentative and alternative communication, 6, 172-183.
Quist, R. W., & Lloyd, L. L. (forthcoming). Assistive technology: Principles and applications for communi-
cation disorders and special education. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
Schlosser, R. W., & Lee, D. (2000). Promoting generalization and maintenance in augmentative and
alternative communiction: A meta-analysis of 20 years of effectiveness research. Augmentative and
alternative communication, 16, 208-227.
Smith, M. M., (forthcoming). Literacy, augmentative and alternative communication. San Diego, CA:
Academic Press.
To William Asher, who early on instilled in me
that a sustained critical evaluation of the literature in
a field can itself become an intervention in that field.
In memory of my beloved mother, Ruth Ingrid Schlosser (b. Kern),
1937-2000.
CONTENTS
Contributors xxiii
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
Ralf W. Schlosser
I. Why Was This Book Written? 1
II. Why Should We Care about Efficacy and EBP? 2
III. Organization of This Book 4
CHAPTER 2
Efficacy and Outcomes Measurement in
Augmentative and Alternative
Communication
Ralf W. Schlosser
I. Introduction 13
II. Outcomes Defined 14
III. A Discussion of Various Conceptualizations of Efficacy
Research 14
A. Efficacy Research versus Outcomes Research 14
B. Efficacy Research versus Effectiveness Research Under
the Umbrella of Outcomes Research 16
C. Efficacy as an Umbrella Term 18
D. Outcomes Measurement as an Umbrella Term 20
IV. A Proposed Conceptualization of Efficacy Research in AAC 21
A. The Proposed Conceptualization 21
B. From Efficacy Research to Outcomes Research 23
V. Summary 24
ix