Perceived communication experiences of children and young people with Down syndrome: The impact of people, places, and AAC methods

Elaine Scougal; Annalu Waller; Alissa Melinger; Michael Crabb

doi:10.1145/3544549.3585660

Perceived communication experiences of children and young people with Down syndrome: The impact of people, places, and AAC methods

Elaine Scougal, Annalu Waller, Alissa Melinger, Michael Crabb

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution

442 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

People with Down syndrome can experience communication challenges, impacting daily interactions. Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) can be beneficial, including signing and electronic communication aids. Research mostly focuses on intervention studies, limiting insight into real-world AAC experiences. An online survey was developed to investigate perceived challenges and opportunities related to AAC experienced by children and young people with Down syndrome and their families, completed by 264 caregivers. We report on AAC currently used, support received, and contextual influences. The results highlight that despite signing being the most used form of AAC for the group, its use presents barriers in wider social contexts due to required communication partner skill. Electronic AAC, however, appears under-used, and challenges related to support and the physical properties of communication aids are reported. Further research should extend understanding related to AAC use across social contexts and device onboarding to enhance societal participation and independence.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	CHI EA '23
Subtitle of host publication	Extended Abstracts of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Editors	Albrecht Schmidt, Kaisa Väänänen
Place of Publication	New York
Publisher	Association for Computing Machinery
Pages	1-7
Number of pages	7
ISBN (Electronic)	9781450394222
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1145/3544549.3585660
Publication status	Published - 19 Apr 2023
Event	2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - Hamburg, Germany Duration: 23 Apr 2023 → 28 Apr 2023 https://chi2023.acm.org/

Conference

Conference	2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
Abbreviated title	CHI EA ’23
Country/Territory	Germany
City	Hamburg
Period	23/04/23 → 28/04/23
Internet address	https://chi2023.acm.org/

Keywords

Augmentative and Alternative Communication
AAC
Down syndrome
Communication

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Software
Human-Computer Interaction
Computer Graphics and Computer-Aided Design

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1145/3544549.3585660

Author Accepted Manuscript
© 2023 Copyright held by the owner/author(s). This is the author’s version of the work. It is posted here for your personal use. Not for redistribution. The definitive Version of Record was published in Extended Abstracts of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA ’23), April 23–28, 2023, Hamburg, Germany, https://doi.org/10.1145/3544549.3585660
Accepted author manuscript, 1.01 MB

Cite this

Scougal, E., Waller, A., Melinger, A., & Crabb, M. (2023). Perceived communication experiences of children and young people with Down syndrome: The impact of people, places, and AAC methods. In A. Schmidt, & K. Väänänen (Eds.), CHI EA '23: Extended Abstracts of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (pp. 1-7). Article 226 Association for Computing Machinery. https://doi.org/10.1145/3544549.3585660

Scougal, Elaine ; Waller, Annalu ; Melinger, Alissa et al. / Perceived communication experiences of children and young people with Down syndrome : The impact of people, places, and AAC methods. CHI EA '23: Extended Abstracts of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. editor / Albrecht Schmidt ; Kaisa Väänänen. New York : Association for Computing Machinery, 2023. pp. 1-7

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abstract = "People with Down syndrome can experience communication challenges, impacting daily interactions. Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) can be beneficial, including signing and electronic communication aids. Research mostly focuses on intervention studies, limiting insight into real-world AAC experiences. An online survey was developed to investigate perceived challenges and opportunities related to AAC experienced by children and young people with Down syndrome and their families, completed by 264 caregivers. We report on AAC currently used, support received, and contextual influences. The results highlight that despite signing being the most used form of AAC for the group, its use presents barriers in wider social contexts due to required communication partner skill. Electronic AAC, however, appears under-used, and challenges related to support and the physical properties of communication aids are reported. Further research should extend understanding related to AAC use across social contexts and device onboarding to enhance societal participation and independence.",

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Scougal, E , Waller, A , Melinger, A & Crabb, M 2023, Perceived communication experiences of children and young people with Down syndrome: The impact of people, places, and AAC methods. in A Schmidt & K Väänänen (eds), CHI EA '23: Extended Abstracts of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems., 226, Association for Computing Machinery, New York, pp. 1-7, 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany, 23/04/23. https://doi.org/10.1145/3544549.3585660

Perceived communication experiences of children and young people with Down syndrome: The impact of people, places, and AAC methods. / Scougal, Elaine ; Waller, Annalu ; Melinger, Alissa et al.
CHI EA '23: Extended Abstracts of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. ed. / Albrecht Schmidt; Kaisa Väänänen. New York: Association for Computing Machinery, 2023. p. 1-7 226.

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution

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AU - Crabb, Michael

PY - 2023/4/19

Y1 - 2023/4/19

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Scougal E , Waller A , Melinger A , Crabb M. Perceived communication experiences of children and young people with Down syndrome: The impact of people, places, and AAC methods. In Schmidt A, Väänänen K, editors, CHI EA '23: Extended Abstracts of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. New York: Association for Computing Machinery. 2023. p. 1-7. 226 doi: 10.1145/3544549.3585660

Perceived communication experiences of children and young people with Down syndrome: The impact of people, places, and AAC methods

Abstract

Conference

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

Access to Document

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