The Effects of the Structural Characteristics of Augmentative and Alternative Communication Display Design on Accuracy and Reaction Time
Open Access
Author:
Carelli, Renee Luciana
Area of Honors:
Communication Sciences and Disorders
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Krista M Wilkinson, Thesis Supervisor Dr. Krista M Wilkinson, Thesis Supervisor Dr. Carol Anne Miller, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
AAC reaction time accuracy
Abstract:
This research examined how the structural characteristics of AAC display design affect accuracy and reaction time of selecting a target line drawing among participants with and without intellectual disabilities.
Five typically developing participants and seventeen individuals with intellectual disabilities participated. The clinical group included individuals with Down syndrome, autism spectrum disorder, and intellectual disabilities of unknown origin. The participants ranged in age from 6;1 to 18;9. Participants were asked to locate a target from an array of sixteen line-drawings depicting animals. The reaction time and accuracy were recorded across four structural display design conditions. The four conditions included randomly distributed, clustered by quadrant, clustered by column, and clock.
For all participants, the clock condition provided advantages in the speed of locating the desired target when compared to the other conditions. For the individuals with intellectual disabilities, the clock condition also provided increased accuracy when compared to the other conditions. The typically developing individuals showed little variation in accuracy among the conditions.
Clinicians should consider use of the clock condition when considering the structural characteristics of AAC design display. The clock condition positively influences reaction time in typically developing AAC users, and both reaction time and accuracy in AAC users with intellectual disabilities. Additional research would provide a more detailed development of the clinical guidelines for AAC display design.
