Multilingualism and Augmentative and Alternative Communication: A Review of the Literature

Abstract

Purpose: Individuals from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) are often offered English-only AAC systems that do not meet their language needs. The aim of this review article was to describe the research published on multilingual AAC, define any emerging best practices, and highlight gaps in the literature that exist to ensure equal language access for all learners. Method: The authors reviewed the literature by searching relevant databases using a variety of search terms. Following our inclusionary and exclusionary criteria, 15 articles were yielded for coding and then patterns were reported. Results: The authors found that more than half of the included articles were expert opinion papers on AAC delivery, barriers to AAC and multilingualism, and code-switching using AAC. The included qualitative studies aimed to summarize the perceptions on AAC services—their impact, facilitating and limiting factors in communication, and the importance or relevance of using an AAC device. Only two quantitative studies were included. Conclusions: Practitioners have an obligation to support multilingual clients who use AAC across all languages they speak at school, at home, and in the community. Much of the literature supports encouraging multiple languages, but limited access to multilingual AAC systems are available. There is also a dire need for empirically based studies and more perspectives by way of interviews or surveys.