The Effectiveness of Aided AAC Modeling for Belizean Children: A Case Study

Abstract

Purpose Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) interventions have been deemed efficacious. However, even with the medium to large effect sizes, there is a paucity of research investigating the effects of aided modeling on expressive outcomes for children from multicultural and multilingual backgrounds. Method This case series study examined the effectiveness of aided AAC modeling on aided and unaided expressive output (i.e., one- and two-symbol messages) in three children from different cultures in Belize (one Creole and two Mestizo) in a preschool-like group setting. Additionally, treatment intensity metrics (i.e., number of sessions, number of minutes, and number of aided/unaided models) were analyzed to determine whether this was an appropriate intensity for children in Belize. Results Results indicated that all children increased their aided and unaided symbol message production within five intervention sessions lasting 180 min per day (15 hr total). Additionally, the average number of aided/unaided models, sampled several times over the course of 5 days, was 43.75 per 15-min period. Conclusions Aided AAC modeling intervention was beneficial for these children. However, the length of each session (3 hr) may have negatively impacted expressive outcomes. The number of models per 15-min period was beneficial and in line with previous research outcomes. The multicultural clinical implications are also discussed.