Augmentative communicators are perceived to have difficulty with reading and writing. This research investigates the effect of increased opportunity to communicate via telecommunications on the reading and writing of adult augmentative communicators who are severely disabled. Two case studies were conducted utilizing a single subject, repeated measure design. The subject of each case study participated in on-line interactive Blissymbol telecommunications sessions with a speaking partner for nine hours per week over ten months. Reading and language tests were administered at two month intervals. Written transcripts of on-line conversations were collected and coded according to macro and micro language functions. Following the increased opportunity to communicate via telecommunications, case study two paralleled the results found in case study one displaying increased reading ability as demonstrated by the upward trends on the multiple reading measures utilized. Case study two also corroborated case study one in the written communication as demonstrated by the increased use of complex language functions, initiations, and response to statements. The findings suggest that providing augmentative communicators with meaningful and functional reading, writing, and 'speaking' opportunities, similar to those provided with the telecommunications opportunity in this research, will have a positive effect on reading and writing.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.70283 |
| Date | January 1992 |
| Creators | Gandell, Terry S. |
| 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 | Doctor of Philosophy (Department of Educational Psychology and Counselling.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001288276, proquestno: AAINN74610, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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