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Aided augmentative and alternative communication intervention for adults with developmental disabilities: a scoping

Jamie B Boster¹, Amy Miller Sonntag², Anna Evans²

¹Department of Speech Pathology, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA.

International Journal of Developmental Disabilities

|May 28, 2026

Abstract

Objectives:

The purpose of the current study was to review the available literature on aided augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) intervention for adults with developmental disabilities (DD) excluding autism. AAC refers to strategies used to compensate for temporary or permanent impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions of individuals with severe disorders of speech and language production.

Methods:

The scoping review searched seven databases and utilized keywords including adults, developmental disabilities, and augmentative and alternative communication. Extracted variables included study design, study intervention domain according to the Communicative Competence framework (linguistic, operational, social, strategic), and study results (positive, negative, mixed).

Results:

Nineteen studies were included in the review with 43 participants in a 30-year period. Most studies were single-subject design studies (n = 12). Interventions varied widely but most focused on social (n = 11) or linguistic (n = 9) skills. Communication partner training was targeted in eight of the 19 studies.

Conclusions:

Relatively limited research has addressed aided AAC interventions for adults with DD. While outcomes of current research studies are largely positive, it is necessary to further investigate AAC intervention techniques for adults with DD.

Keywords:

Adults augmentative and alternative communication developmental disability intellectual disability scoping review

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