Many people with Down syndrome—one of the most common genetically-linked developmental disabilities—experience difficulty developing spoken and written communication skills. In this groundbreaking book, discover how augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) can enhance communicative competence and improve outcomes for people with Down syndrome across the lifespan. The newest volume in Beukelman and Light’s respected Augmentative and Alternative Communication Series, this book fully explores how interdisciplinary, multimodal AAC strategies can promote speech, language, and literacy success across many contexts, including homes, schools, communities, health care settings, and the workplace.

Bringing together an interdisciplinary group of more than 25 experts on AAC and Down syndrome, this is a must-have resource for speech-language pathologists, special educators, and AAC specialists—and a key supplementary text for courses on AAC and developmental disabilities. Use the research-based guidance in this book to help people with Down syndrome develop stronger communication skills and participate meaningfully in their schools and communities, from early childhood through adulthood.

READERS WILL LEARN HOW TO:

• Skillfully pair unaided AAC supports (gestures and manual signs) with aided AAC (technology and other supports external to the body)
• Enrich young children’s communication and language development with AAC
• Use AAC to boost older children’s vocabulary, grammatical language, and narrative language skills
• Enhance reading instruction using AAC technology
• Supplement speech and improve speech intelligibility with carefully chosen interventions and visual communication aids
• Engage whole families as collaborative partners to integrate AAC supports into everyday life
• Address young adults’ communication needs, as they evolve to include more varied communication partners, more complex topics, and new contexts
• Assess cognitive and social functioning in adolescents and adults who use AAC
• Support communication and self-advocacy across health care settings with AAC strategies