Working memory and aided AAC display design options for students with intellectual disabilities

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Assistive Technology
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Working memory (WM) is crucial for using external communication aids.
• Stimuli in grid displays can reduce cognitive load during symbol selection.
• Existing research on these aids for children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities is inconclusive.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate the relationship between WM and different stimuli.
• Identify effective grid designs for symbol selection.
• Address the gap in scholarly research regarding WM and assistive technology.

Main Methods:

• 80 students with intellectual disabilities completed WM tasks.
• Participants used a 4x6 grid display with varying designs (color, frames, space).
• Response times for auditory symbol selection were measured and analyzed using linear mixed models.

Main Results:

• Enhanced WM performance did not always improve symbol selection speed.
• Stronger WM performers benefited more from background color designs.
• Weaker performers showed advantages with frame cues; wide space designs slowed response times.

Conclusions:

• Grid design effectiveness is contingent on individual WM performance and its components.
• Further research is needed on multi-symbol messages and grid cue interactions.
• Optimizing assistive communication requires tailored grid designs based on user WM profiles.