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Presenter(s)
Carole Isakson
5017 26th Ave. SW
Seattle, WA 98106
Email: cli@u.washington.edu
The combination of literacy and technology can dramatically improve communication, independence, and vocational opportunities for individuals with speech and mobility disabilities who use augmentative communication systems; yet many individuals who use AAC fail to become skilled readers. As David Koppenhaver wrote, "Literacy learning difficulties in persons with severe speech and physical impairments (SSPI) are widespread, varied, profound, and persistent" (Koppenhaver & Yoder, 1992, p.156).
While much is known about the course of reading acquisition in typically developing children, we know little about how children who have speech and motor impairments move through the stages of literacy development or how best to support them when they run into difficulty. Although educators recognize that children who are learning to use AAC systems have great difficulty with reading, we know little about the specific factors that impact literacy development - either positively or negatively - during the early school years.
This poster session will present the findings of a qualitative research project that used case study methods to examine the process and progress of literacy development in three young children with speech and motor disabilities who were learning to use augmentative communication systems. The study followed the children over three academic years, from preschool through second grade, a time period when beginning literacy is typically the primary focus of academic instruction.
Data were collected through classroom observations, examination of school records, a parent questionnaire, and face-to-face interviews with parents, classroom teachers, and other educators. During data collection and analysis, factors that supported or impeded literacy development were grouped into three broad contexts: classroom and instructional factors, home and family influences, and individual differences or factors within the child. This study sought to trace the children's progress through the stages of literacy acquisition and to identify the factors within each of these three contexts that supported or impeded literacy development.
In the school context, I focused on levels of participation and inclusion of the children, type and effectiveness of instruction, whether literacy instruction was research-based, whether classroom practices promoted motivation for literacy, and how AAC and other assistive technology was used to support literacy learning.
Areas of interest in the home context included the quality and quantity of the child's exposure to print, children's literature, and educational technology - as well as the parents' goals, expectations, and priorities with regard to literacy for the child. In the context of factors within the child, my focus included evidence of self-efficacy, motivation, and phonological and orthographic awareness. In all contexts I watched for challenges to reading development, strategies that were employed when challenges arose, and the effectiveness of those strategies.
The goal of this presentation is to share the findings of this research project with parents and educators so that we can learn from one another and push the envelope of literacy outcomes and expectations for children who use AAC.
References
Koppenhaver, D. & Yoder, D. (1992). Literacy issues in persons with severe speech and physical impairments. In R. Gaylord-Ross (Ed.), Issues and research in special education (Vol. 2, pp. 156-201). New York: Teachers College Press.
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