The role of active participation in interaction for children who use augmentative and alternative communication

The present case-study investigates practices in interaction that manifest themselves as active participation for three Swedish children who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Analyses are based on interaction data from three different settings, involving the children in dialogue with adults as well as peers. In-depth analysis of the data by means of Conversation Analysis revealed three practices conducive for active participation. The first one dealt with experiencing a sense of control, i.e. that the child who uses AAC was treated as a competent communicator, e.g. initiating topics and allocating turns, etc. The second practice revealed the importance of co-construction of communicative projects, and the possible negative effects of instances where adults attempted to impose an agenda on the children. Finally, analyses displayed different means by which participants could be included in the interaction, and the effects of such strategies. The study stresses the importance of communication partners' abilities to balance and counterbalance the necessity to follow, share or sometimes inhibit a need to shape contributions to interaction, in order to enhance active participation for the child who uses AAC.