What is the impact of using an AAC device on speech for an Autistic Adult?

What is it about?

What the study looked at: Some parents and caregivers worry that giving an autistic person an AAC device— a tablet or device that "talks" for them — will make them less likely to ever develop spoken words. This study tested that idea with a 21-year-old autistic man who had very limited spoken language and used an AAC device, the Accent 800 with LAMP Words for Life vocabulary. What was done: Over about 12 weeks, researchers taught him three new words — "eat," "drink," and "music" — using his AAC device along with prompting and reinforcers. They tracked whether he could say these words out loud, either independently or with help, and also watched for any new (unplanned) words he started using on his own. What they found: He successfully learned to request all three words, and his spoken attempts became more frequent and accurate over time. Importantly, even after the training ended, he kept using the words — and continued doing so even during a phase when the device was not present. He also started saying extra words that weren't part of the training, like "chicken," "food," and "soda," both in sessions and, according to his family and therapist, at home. A speech assessment, the Early Echoic Skills Assessment (EESA) was given before and after the study to test his ability to imitate sounds and words. His score increased signficantly after the study. What it means: This adds to growing evidence that using an AAC device does not stop someone from developing spoken language — and may actually help it grow. Because this study involved just one person, more research with more autistic adults is needed to see how well these results apply more broadly.

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Photo by Maccy on Unsplash

Photo by Maccy on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Some parents and caregivers worry that giving an autistic person an AAC device — a tablet or device that "talks" for them — will make them less likely to ever develop spoken words. This study tested that idea with a 21-year-old autistic man who had very limited spoken language and used an AAC device called the Accent 800. Over about 12 weeks, researchers taught him three new words — "eat," "drink," and "music" — using his AAC device along with prompting and rewards. They tracked whether he could say these words out loud, either on his own or with help, and also watched for any new (unplanned) words he started using. He successfully learned to request all three words, and his spoken attempts became more frequent and accurate over time. Even after the training ended, he kept using the words — and continued doing so even during a phase when the device was temporarily taken away. He also started saying extra words that weren't part of the training, like "chicken," "food," and "soda," both in sessions and, according to his family and therapist, at home. A separate speech test given before and after the study showed a big jump in his ability to imitate sounds and words. This adds to growing evidence that using an AAC device does not stop someone from developing spoken language — and may actually help it grow. Because this study involved just one person, more research with more autistic adults is needed to see how well these results apply more broadly.

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