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Individuals with print disabilities have difficulty processing information through visual means and rely heavily on spoken input. Mathematics and fields that have a heavy emphasis on mathematics are difficult for these individuals because of ambiguity inherent in typical everyday spoken renderings of mathematical expressions. MathSpeak is a set of rules for speaking mathematical expressions in a non-ambiguous manner. The present study tested the efficacy of MathSpeak rules for disambiguation of auditory renderings of spoken mathematics. Findings suggest that MathSpeak is efficacious for disambiguating spoken mathematics.

This study investigated current trends in communication intervention and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) in southern India through a mixed-methods design. Study participants (N = 18) were special educators, speech-language pathologists, and behavior therapists. Responses from the questionnaire were quantitatively analyzed. Open-ended interview questions were recorded and qualitatively analyzed for emergent themes. The results are presented as descriptive statistics and insights. Some prevalent perspectives conveyed by the participants include that (a) communication intervention should be a structured, child-centric process, using a collaborative team model; (b) parents play an integral role in decision making and intervention; (c) because of the diversity that exists in India, cultural and linguistic issues are imperative in decision making and intervention; (d) use of better materials and technology can improve intervention; (e) better training programs are needed; and (f) more conference, workshops, seminars are required as a common platform for professionals to learn and interact. (Contains 4 tables and 1 note.)

Purpose: To report on data from the current survey about academic and clinical education in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), as well as to compare these findings with earlier surveys in an attempt to identify any changes being made as programs in the United States implement the new certification standards of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association in the area of speech-language pathology. Method: A survey was sent to all speech-language pathology training programs in the United States via e-mail directed to program directors or faculty teaching in AAC. Results: A total of 168 surveys were returned, for a return rate of 57.93%. Seventy-three percent of the respondents had a separate course in AAC, and 80% indicated AAC content was infused in other courses. Conclusions: Academic preparation in AAC, while varying across academic programs, has in general increased over the past decade. Data also suggested a continuing critical need for more academic and clinical preparation in this area. (Contains 1 table and 4 figures.)

Primary health care nurses are frequently overlooked when delivering services to children with developmental disabilities, despite the fact that they are often the first contact many primary caregivers have with rehabilitation professionals and usually remain the bridge between caregivers and professionals. A time series one group design with withdrawal was used to evaluate an in-service training programme for primary health care workers aimed at facilitating beginning communication skills between primary caregivers and their children with developmental disabilities. Training employed adult learning principles and was one week long, followed by three follow-ups that were conducted in situ (at two weeks, six weeks and five months post-training). Multiple measurements were used to evaluate the knowledge and skills acquired after training, namely questionnaires, structured interviews, skill demonstrations (which were video recorded and rated by the researcher and an independent rater) and a focus group. Results indicated that the particular in-service training programme was relevant in bringing about a significant change in the targeted domains, namely knowledge and skills. (Contains 5 tables and 2 figures.)

Four adults with moderate to severe mental retardation received reading instruction under two conditions, traditional orthography and modified orthography in which a line drawing is superimposed upon the printed word. Results showed that traditional orthography was a more effective method for word identification. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

This study, involving 40 preschool children with normal cognitive abilities, determined the effects of initial teaching of semantic elements on compound Blissymbol acquisition, retention, and generalization in a story-telling context. Results indicated that the initial teaching of elements did not contribute to compound acquisition and retention but did facilitate generalization to untrained compound Blissymbols. (Author/JDD)

The paper provides basic information about positioning for augmentative and alternative communication, by reviewing some of the communication needs of students severely disabled by cerebral palsy. The wheelchair is proposed as the primary position for use of a communication aid, and guidelines are presented for good wheelchair positioning. (JDD)

Translucency appears to be a potent variable in the learning of Blissymbols by preschool children with normal cognitive abilities. Complexity does not appear to influence learning for these individuals when there is a concurrent condition of high translucency. However, a condition of high complexity seems to enhance the learnability of Blissymbols having low translucency. For the present experiment, an attempt was made to determine if symbol configuration affects the learning of highly complex Blissymbols that bear little relationship to their referents. A paired-associate learning paradigm was used to present 30 Blissymbols to 20 cognitively normal preschool children. These symbols were evenly divided into superimposed and nonsuperimposed groups. Results indicated that the children learned more superimposed symbols than their nonsuperimposed counterparts. The implications of this finding for the teaching of Blissymbols are discussed.

Principles, processes, and information that can be used in selecting an initial lexicon for severely handicapped persons are discussed. Two strategies for lexicon selection, one based upon functional-remedial logic and the other upon developmental considerations, are presented together with guidelines for selecting lexical items derived from each. (Author/CL)

The article reviews augmentative and alternative communication symbol classifications reported in the literature over the past decade. The "aided/unaided" dichotomy (based on user production of the symbol) is proposed as the superordinate level of classification, rather than the "static/dynamic" (based on transmission of characteristics of the symbol's signal). (Author/JW)

Thirty-one cognitively normal college students unfamiliar with Blissymbolics were able to make reliable ratings of the perceived complexity of 91 Blissymbols. Based on these ratings, a correlational analysis indicated that the semantic variable "semantic elements" and the physical variable "number of strokes" were the best predictor of perceived complexity. (Author/JW)

A core reference list presents 199 citations of journal articles, books, papers, and other publications dealing with various aspects of augmentative and alternative communication, covering various disabled and nondisabled populations, child to adult age ranges, and topics such as assessment, longitudinal development/acquisition, intervention/training, symbol sets/systems, programming and administration, and technology. (CB)

The literature regarding cognitive prerequisites to communication development for nondisabled and disabled children is reviewed. Issues related to providing communication teaching programs for severely disabled children are discussed, and specific intervention strategies related to introduction of augmentative and alternative communication systems proposed. (Author/DB)

Investigates sign learning as a function of sign translucency (ease of relating a sign to its referents) and referential concreteness. Naive sign learners attempted to learn a list of sign-referent pairs. Signs high in translucency and referents high in concreteness facilitated learning; low levels of each variable inhibited learning. (Author/PJM)

An approximatey 225-item bibliography listing publications concerned with the use of unaided nonspeech systems for individuals with severe communication impairments is provided. References specifically designed for use with retarded, autistic, aphasic, and/or multiply handicapped people; and references relating to instruction are specified. (PHR)

An examination of 20 manuals designed to teach sign communication to persons with severe communication impairment revealed over 850 words appearing in two or more manuals. These words are listed in alphabetical order with their frequency of occurrence. (Author)

Suggestions of writers such as A. Holland and M. Lahey and L. Bloom are examined regarding their appropriateness for visual-manual communication and are applied to approximately 50 signs most frequently taught to retarded and autistic persons to aid in lexicon planning. Additional signs are proposed for extending this basic list. (Author/DLS)