Dynamic assessment of augmentative and alternative communication application grid formats and communicative targets for children with autism spectrum disorder

Six children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) participated in dynamic assessment to determine whether the complexity of grid-based augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) application displays impacted the level of instructional supports needed for responding across different communicative functions/parts of speech. Dynamic assessment was integrated into a single-case multi-element design. The researchers examined the effects of three different display formats that varied in (a) array size, and (b) the number of steps needed to make a response, on the average levels of support needed to make item requests and action/social word responses. Three participants demonstrated high levels of independence when requesting items with displays that utilized small arrays and did not require navigation. These participants also showed rapid increases in their ability to make item requests with displays that required two-step navigation, and began to use action and social words across displays with decreasing levels of support. In comparison, the three remaining participants did not demonstrate consistent independence with any display or communicative function, but did show differences in levels of supports (e.g., overall less support needed for less complex displays and for item requests in comparison to action and social words). Implications for individualized AAC assessment and display selection for children with ASD are discussed.