Sigurd Pilesjö, M., & Norén, N. (2021). Facilitators’ use of a communication device following children’s aided turns in everyday interaction. Journal of Interactional Research in Communication Disorders, 10(1), 67–98. https://doi.org/10.1558/JIRCD.19318
This study examined four children ages 8 to 12 years with cerebral palsy who are emerging communicators or situation-dependent communicators during interactions with a variety of adult communication partners (mother, grandmother, caretakers, teachers, speech therapist). The study focused on instances when communication partners used the communication device in a “speaking and pointing” (SAP) turn following the aided turns of children. During communication partner SAP practice, single graphic symbols were selected within multi-word spoken turns. The graphic symbols were further highlighted with repetitive pointing, elongated pointing, pre-pointing pauses, high pitch or decreased volume. When the communication partner highlighted a graphic symbol that repeated a child’s previous aided turn, the child treated it as a request for confirmation of candidate understanding and responded with vocalizations or embodied resources. When the communication partner highlighted a graphic symbol that was a replacement of a child’s aided word in the prior turn, the child treated it as an other-repair candidate understanding and responded by using graphic symbols to confirm or reject the proffered replacements or reformulations.