TY - JOUR
T1 - Enhancing the appeal of AAC technologies for young children
T2 - Lessons from the toy manufacturers
AU - Light, Janice C.
AU - Drager, K. D R
AU - Nemser, Jessica G.
N1 - Funding Information:
This research project was completed as part of the Communication Enhancement Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (AAC-RERC). The AAC-RERC is a virtual research center that is funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) of the U.S. Department of Education under grant number H133E980026. The opinions contained in this publication are those of the grantees and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Department of Education. For additional information on the AAC-RERC, see http://www.aac-rerc.org/ The authors wish to thank the partners in the AAC-RERC for their assistance in the development of this study: David Beukelman, Sarah Blackstone, Diane Bryen, Kevin Caves, Frank DeRuyter, Jeff Higginbotham, David McNaugh-ton, and Janet Sturm. The authors are also grateful to all of the members of the AAC research community at Penn State, especially Katherine Bercaw, Laura Grodzicki, Rebecca Hartnett, Elizabeth Hayes, Rebecca Page, Elizabeth Panek, and Jaimie Weiner for their assistance with this study. In addition, the authors wish to thank the reviewers for their helpful comments and suggestions. Please address correspondence to Janice Light, Ph.D., Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Penn State University, 110 Moore Building, University Park, PA, USA 16802; [email protected]
PY - 2004/9
Y1 - 2004/9
N2 - If augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems are highly appealing, they may be more likely to be used by children with complex communication needs, may enhance self-esteem, and may facilitate interactions with other children. To date, there has been little attention to design features that might increase the appeal of AAC systems. Reported in this paper is an exploratory study that compared features of AAC technology with those of popular toys for young children, with a view to identifying potential designs that might improve the appeal of the AAC systems. The toys and AAC systems were systematically analyzed with respect to the following features: color, materials, shape, size, weight, movement or action, sound or voices, lights, and themes. Results indicated that there are significant contrasts between the design features of popular toys and those of AAC systems. These differences are discussed with suggestions for potential design modifications for AAC technologies to increase their appeal.
AB - If augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems are highly appealing, they may be more likely to be used by children with complex communication needs, may enhance self-esteem, and may facilitate interactions with other children. To date, there has been little attention to design features that might increase the appeal of AAC systems. Reported in this paper is an exploratory study that compared features of AAC technology with those of popular toys for young children, with a view to identifying potential designs that might improve the appeal of the AAC systems. The toys and AAC systems were systematically analyzed with respect to the following features: color, materials, shape, size, weight, movement or action, sound or voices, lights, and themes. Results indicated that there are significant contrasts between the design features of popular toys and those of AAC systems. These differences are discussed with suggestions for potential design modifications for AAC technologies to increase their appeal.
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U2 - 10.1080/07434610410001699735
DO - 10.1080/07434610410001699735
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:4544244933
SN - 0743-4618
VL - 20
SP - 137
EP - 149
JO - AAC: Augmentative and Alternative Communication
JF - AAC: Augmentative and Alternative Communication
IS - 3
ER -