The development of language in physically handicapped individuals using augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems has not been described. Therefore our understanding of the role of AAC language encoding limitations in the development of syntax is limited. This study examined adult AAC system users' knowledge of an English grammatical process which cannot be encoded in lexically based AAC systems. Because it is not possible to mark past tense with affixation in Blissymbolics, a meaning based graphic communication system, past and future tense are neutralized syntactically. The subjects, two congenitally physically handicapped adults with normal hearing, vision, and intelligence, accessed their Blissymbol displays using four-digit eyegaze number codes. The subjects were shown a novel mechanism to enable use of affixation through manipulation of the four-digit codes. Results indicate that the subjects had developed knowledge of this grammatical rule despite the encoding limitations of their AAC systems. Clinical implications are discussed.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.61207 |
| Date | January 1992 |
| Creators | Sutton, Ann Elizabeth Colquhoun |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Science (School of Human Communication Disorders.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001276974, proquestno: AAIMM74894, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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