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Adults with severe intellectual and developmental disabilities who are beginning communicators can benefit from augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) intervention. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the efficacy of just-in-time programming of visual scene displays during ongoing interactions in an AAC intervention with adults who were beginning communicators. A single subject multiple probe design across four adult participants (ages 29-48) was used to evaluate the intervention. The intervention consisted of the creation of visual scene displays on a tablet computer while engaging the participants with songs, books, and games using just-in-time programming during the activities. Participants completed a minimum of five baseline and five intervention sessions. All participants demonstrated an increase in intentional and conventional communication turns during social interaction when the intervention was implemented. None of the participants discontinued using other intentional and conventional communication modes upon introduction to the tablet system. This intervention approach holds promise for adults with severe disabilities who remain at a beginning communicator level in young and middle adulthood. It is never too late for AAC intervention for any individual.

Introduction: Young children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) who have limited speech and language require access to augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) intervention, including technology and instruction. While research shows that AAC intervention can effectively support communication from children with IDD, research on its impact on school readiness skills is limited., Methods: Two preschool aged children with IDD participated in this study. Using a single case, multiple baseline across responses design for each participant, this study evaluated the effectiveness of an AAC intervention, including a high-tech AAC with a personalized color photo visual scene display with modeling, time delay, prompting, and social praise. The targeted responses were three questions from the participants' state kindergarten readiness standards, including: "What is your first name?"; "What is your last name?"; and "How old are you?"., Results: In baseline, both participants demonstrated little success communicating answers to questions. During intervention, both participants mastered the school readiness skill of responding accurately and independently to the targeted questions., Conclusion: The current study shows that with early access to AAC intervention, children with IDD may begin to build communication skills that align with school readiness standards, providing them increased opportunity to participate fully and meaningfully in general education curricula, upon entering kindergarten., (© 2025 S. Karger AG, Basel.)