Story Reading Interactions between Preschoolers Who Use AAC and Their Mothers

The study investigated the early literacy experiences of five preschool-aged children with severe physical and speech impairments. The children were videotaped during two 10-minute story reading sessions with their mothers; the interactions were transcribed and coded. Results indicated that the participation patterns were asymmetrical. The mothers dominated the exchanges, and the children forfeited many of their communicative opportunities. The interactions were synchronous; the dyads shared a focus in the interactions. There was some variation across the dyads with respect to the specific communicative interaction patterns observed. The children in Dyads 3 and 4 participated infrequently during the story reading sessions; the children in Dyads 1, 2, and 5 were more active in the story reading interactions and demonstrated a greater range of communicative behaviors. Directions for intervention and for future research are discussed in light of the results.