Attitudes of children towards augmentative and alternative communication systems

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of voice output, as a characteristic of a child's AAC system, on the attitude of unfamiliar peers. The need to develop a suitable tool to measure the attitudes of peers led to the development of the Communication Aid/Device Attitudinal Questionnaire (CADAQ). A descriptive survey design was used and the suitability of the CADAQ was tested in a pilot study. One hundred and fifteen participants, aged 11-13 years, viewed a videotape of a 13-year-old boy with cerebral palsy, communicating with the use of an AAC device. Attitudes were measured according to three dimensions: affective/behavioural, cognitive/belief and communication competence. Data were analysed with a 2 (group) x 2 (gender) x 3 (dimension) analysis of variance (ANOVA) with infinity = .05. An item analysis, Cronbach Alpha's and scale intercorrelations between the 3 dimensions of the CADAQ were computed to determine the internal consistency of the CADAQ. Results reflected more favourable attitudes to the presence of voice output in comparison to the no voice option. Girls held more positive attitudes to the peer with disabilities and little or no functional speech (LNFS). Good internal consistency of the CADAQ was demonstrated.