ACQUISITION AND FUNCTIONAL USE OF VOICE OUTPUT COMMUNICATION BY PERSONS WITH PROFOUND MULTIPLE DISABILITIES

The acquisition and subsequent functional use of communication skills by persons with profound mental and physical impairment using a voice output communication aid (VOCA) was evaluated. Initially, a graduated guidance and time delay procedure was used to teach three individuals to use a VOCA in response to a trainer's specific request. Results ind icated that all participants increased their correct VOCA activations in response to specific requests following training. Probes also indic ated that participants effectively used the VOCA after training to req uest preferred items in a variety of settings. The functional utility of VOCA skills was supported by a survey of individuals unfamiliar wit h the participants. This survey indicated that those surveyed could be tter understand the participants when they used a VOCA. Results are di scussed as to potential advantages of VOCAs relative to other augmenta tive communication options for persons with multiple disabilities. Fut ure research directions are discussed, focusing on strategies for prom oting a broader set of communicative interactions using VOCAs.