Utterance-Based Communication: Using the Right Tool for the Right Task

Excerpt from Family Center on Technology and Disability: (click for entire article)

The ability of digital technologies to provide augmentative and alternative means of communication (AAC) to children with limited or no means of physically voicing their needs, wishes and educational progress has been nothing short of spectacular. AAC devices have allowed children with communication disabilities to connect intellectually and emotionally with parents, teachers, friends, and those in their communities. The devices have required compromise, perseverance, and significant investment of time and money. Still, they have changed the voice of disability.

Now, in what we might consider a second era of AAC technology, leading-edge researchers and developers are pushing the envelope, making the devices faster, more flexible, and more responsive to the needs of their users. In this edition of Technology Voices, we are pleased to share with you the work of Dr. Jeff Higginbotham, a professor in the Department of Communicative Disorders and Sciences at the University at Buffalo and AAC-RERC Partner.  Dr. Higginbotham's work (along with that of his colleagues) promises to expand and enhance the ability of children with communication disabilities to interact with others in real time in deeper and more nuanced ways.