AAC

MUVIS is a series of CBIR systems. The first one has been developed in late 90s to support indexing and retrieval in large image databases using visual and semantic features such as color, texture and shape. During recent years, MUVIS has been reformed to become a PC-based framework, which supports indexing, browsing and querying of various multimedia types such as audio, video, audio/video interlaced and several image formats. MUVIS system allows real-time audio and video capturing, encoding by last generation ...

A presentation by Stacey Forbes, M.S., SLP-CCC Visual learning is a teaching and learning style in which ideas, concepts, data, and other information are associated with images and techniques. Various areas of the brain work together in a multitude of ways in order to produce the images that we see with our eyes and that are encoded by our brains. The basis of this work takes place in the visual cortex of the brain The visual cortex is located in the occipital lobe of the brain and harbors many other structures that aid in visual recognition, categorization, and learning. One of the first things the brain must do when acquiring new visual information is recognize the incoming material. Brain areas involved in recognition are the inferior temporal cortex, the superior parietal cortex, and the cerebellum. Recognition is aided by neural plasticity, or the brain's ability to reshape itself based on new information. Next the brain must categorize the material. The three main areas that are used when categorizing new visual information are the orbitofrontal cortex and two dorsolateral prefrontal regions which begin the process of sorting new information into groups and further assimilating that information into things that you might already know. After recognizing and categorizing new material entered into the visual field, the brain is ready to begin the encoding process – the process which leads to learning. With the coming together of tasks of recognition, categorization and learning; schemas help make the process of encoding new information and relating it to things you already know much easier. One can remember visual images much better when they can apply it to an already known schema. Schemas actually provide enhancement of visual memory and learning. Visual Learning in Infants: Where does it start? Babies can see better up close, so the child can best see Mom when nursing, that is the optimal distance for infant vision. Between the fetal stage and 18 months, a baby experiences rapid growth of a substance called gray matter. Gray matter is the darker tissue of the brain and spinal cord, consisting mainly of nerve cell bodies and branching dendrites. It is responsible for processing sensory information in the brain such as areas like the primary visual cortex.

This article outlines practical techniques for developing literacy skills in users of high-tech speech-generating augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices. The recommended strategies are intended for general classroom teachers who teach literacy skills to students with typical speech. Many students who use high-tech AAC devices participate in grade-level instruction. Strategies based on the National Reading Panel’s research-based findings for effective reading instruction are used as guidelines for adapting instruction to incorporate users of AAC. Techniques for teaching phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, and text comprehension are provided. Because of the emphasis placed on oral reading in developing fluency, this skill area is not directly addressed. Rather, this article provides strategies for developing a skill more directly relevant to AAC users—multimodal meaning making. In using the strategies outlined in this article, classroom teachers will be able to increase the literacy skills of all students with very little adaptation to instruction.

Polymer hydrogels have been widely explored as therapeutic delivery matrices because of their ability to present sustained, localized and controlled release of bioactive factors. Bioactive factor delivery from injectable biopolymer hydrogels provides a versatile approach to treat a wide variety of diseases, to direct cell function and to enhance tissue regeneration. The innovative development and modification of both natural-(e.g., alginate (ALG), chitosan, hyaluronic acid (HA), gelatin, heparin (HEP), etc.) and synthetic-(e.g., polyesters, polyethyleneimine (PEI), etc.) based polymers has resulted in a variety of approaches to design drug delivery hydrogel systems from which loaded therapeutics are released. This review presents the state-of-the-art in a wide range of hydrogels that are formed though self-assembly of polymers and peptides, chemical crosslinking, ionic crosslinking and biomolecule recognition. Hydrogel design for bioactive factor delivery is the focus of the first s...

Burnt clay brick is a predominant construction material used in construction. The CO2 emissions in
the brick manufacturing process had been acknowledged as a significant factor to global warming. Therefore, nowa-
days we should focus more on seeking environmental solutions for greener environment. To fulfill this objective,
new construction materials can be used for construction. One such material i.e., AAC blocks can be used as an
alternative material for construction. This paper highlights the comparative statistical analysis of cost effectiveness
of using AAC blocks instead of traditional red bricks. The usage of AAC blocks gives a prospective solution to
construction industry along with environmental preservation. In this paper, an attempt has been made to compare
AAC blocks as a replacement material to red bricks. The different types of tests were performed to determine
various properties of AAC blocks as compared to others. The 6” and 9” thick wall building were designed using
Staad pro software and the cost calculation for different component parts of the building were carried out. From the
experimental results, it is observed that the compressive strength of AAC block is comparatively more than
traditional bricks and the density of AAC block is comparatively les which helps in reducing the dead load of
structure. It is found that upto 15 to 20% , the cost of construction can be reduced by using AAC blocks.

This study explored school-based speech-language pathologists’ (SLPs’) use of iPads and apps
for speech and language instruction, specifically for articulation, language, and vocabulary goals.
A mostly quantitative-based survey was administered to approximately 2,800 SLPs in a K–12
setting; the final sample consisted of 189 licensed SLPs. Overall, findings indicated that SLPs
used iPads for an average of 20 minutes to meet a variety of speech and language goals.
Specifically, the results demonstrated that SLPS were less likely to use iPads for articulation
goals than for language and vocabulary goals. The app most commonly used for articulation
goals was Articulation Station, and Super Duper was most commonly used for language and
vocabulary goals. iPad use among the SLPs did not vary based on demographic characteristics,
including gender, education, work setting, and borough location. Furthermore, the following
relationships were noted: (a) a positive relationship between support and vocabulary goals and
behavior rewards, and (b) a positive relationship between behavior rewards and training. SLPs
with higher iPad efficacy were more likely to use the iPad to meet students’ articulation and
language goals. Responses to open-ended items in the survey revealed a number of changes to
SLPs’ practice and service delivery. Reportedly, iPad and educational apps helped to make
instruction more dynamic and interactive.

Augmentative and Alternative Communication AAC) programs were developed  for those with difficulty in communicating through the verbal mode. Much of the impetus  for AAC systems originally stemmed from the communication needs of individuals with cerebral palsy with a mismatch between the innate communication capabilities and actual expression because of the motor difficulties. AAC systems are now used for clinical populations other than CP. While training children with ASD, adequate attention is not paid to the developmental milestones and the communication intent of the growing child. The AAC program described here is based on the communicative needs with reference to communicative intent rather than modality of young children with a diagnosis of ASD enabling the child to express communicative intents that are expressed by his typically growing peers. A range of alternate modalities are tapped in the process, depending on the developmental profile of the child across several domains - motor, verbal, cognitive. This paper presents the same through illustrations of three children, who had a confirmed diagnosis of being within he Autism spectrum, and who began AAC intervention when they were largely non-verbal.

... list. The next phase of this research will involve speakers with decreased intelligibility due to dysarthria in order to test the system with dysarthric speech and to garner stakeholder input on the usefulness of the system. Eventually ...

Collecting data on how an individual uses a speech-generating device (SGD) is a critical part of evaluating the success of intervention (Cross, 2010; Hill, 2009). Some AAC devices and software have the option to collect such data – a process known as automated data logging or ADL (c.f. Hill and Romich, 2001; Lesher, Moulton, Rinkus, and Higginbotham, 2000). This presentation will showcase a new online tool that can take some ADL files and create highly visual, simple-to-understand visual representations using charts, graphs, calendars, and word lists.

A successful transition to adult society requires attention to four major goals: (a) have a safe and supportive place to live; (b) participate in meaningful activities; (c) maintain access to needed services; and (d) develop friendships and intimate relationships. For young adults with complex communication needs (CCN), access to augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) plays a critical role in the achievement of these valued outcomes. This article discusses what is known about the use of AAC to support communication by young adults with CCN, and identifies areas for future research and development in AAC technology.

... the knowledge, skills and empathy of the people in their immediate surrounding, which include parents, sisters and brothers, relatives and professionals, ie the social networks (Klefbeck & Ogden; 1996; Blackstone ... I analysing according to Marta Meo criteria before our meetings. ...

In this paper, we introduce the idea of automatically illustrating complex sentences as multimodal summaries that combine pictures, structure and simplified compressed text. By including text and structure in addition to pictures, multimodal summaries provide additional clues of what happened, who did it, to whom and how, to people who may have difficulty reading or who are looking to skim quickly. We present ROC-MMS, a system for automatically creating multimodal summaries (MMS) of complex sentences by generating ...

This paper presents findings from an analysis of conversational interaction between a young person with Cerebral Palsy using a voice output communication aid (VOCA) and her speaking peer. Using the principles and practices of Conversation Analysis (CA), the analysis reveals how the relationship between delays in the production of VOCA mediated turns and the ongoing sequential nature of turns in conversation provide a barrier for understanding VOCA mediated utterances. In particular, it is unilaterally initiated VOCA turns that are vulnerable to problematic understanding. As an apparently recurring feature of conversation involving AAC use, this problem is one against which the usability of AAC technologies can be evaluated.

The purpose of this study was to assess communication abilities among a sample of 10 individuals with Trisomy 18 and Trisomy 13. These 10 individuals were diagnosed with Trisomy 18 (n = 8) or Trisomy 13 (n = 2) and had a mean age of 15.96 years. The sample consisted of one male and nine females. Caregivers completed a case history and reported on words and gestures understood and/or produced. Participants were also videotaped during communication temptation tasks. Auditory comprehension was reported to be higher than expressive language. No participant produced intelligible words or word approximations, yet most produced hand gestures. The process and results of these 10 cases point to a potentially promising approach for assessing communication abilities in individuals with Trisomy 18 and Trisomy 13.

In this work we explore a simple method for reducing the bit rate needed for transmitting and storing Higher Order Ambisonics (HOA). The HOA B-format signals are simply encoded using Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) as if they were individual mono signals. Wave field simulations show that by allocating more bits to the lower order signals than the higher the resulting error is very low in the sweet spot, but increases as function of distance from the center. Encoding the higher order signals with a low bit rate does not lead to a reduced audio quality. The spatial information is improved when higher-order channels are included, even if these are encoded with a low bit rate.

The Life Needs Model (LNM) of service delivery emphasizes the importance of community participation in children's development and quality of life. This article is a case illustration of two community partnership programs based on the LNM. StoryTime and Dress Up and Drama provide participation opportunities in the community for children who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). The authors describe the development and implementation of both programs. Regardless of level of functioning, each child who participated in the programs did so by communicating, interacting socially, and controlling the environment. Multiple benefits for children, parents/caregivers, community partners, and AAC clinicians are highlighted. The authors hope that this article will assist others in developing partnerships and implementing inclusive practices within their communities.

Providing people, who cannot or almost not articulate themselves vocally, with a Voice Output Communication Aid (VOCA) with prosodic features would allow them to express their daily needs and intentions emotionally. We outline first steps towards such a prosodic VOCA, the EmotionTalker.

Narratives are a pervasive form of discourse and a rich source for exploring a range of language and cognitive skills. The limited research base to date suggests that narratives generated using aided communication may be structurally simple, and that features of cohesion and reference may be lacking. This study reports on the analysis of narratives generated in interactions involving aided communication in response to short, silent, video vignettes depicting events with unintended or unexpected consequences. Two measures were applied to the data: the Narrative Scoring Scheme and the Narrative Analysis Profile. A total of 15 participants who used aided communication interacted with three different communication partners (peers, parents, professionals) relaying narratives about three video events. Their narratives were evaluated with reference to narratives of 15 peers with typical development in response to the same short videos and to the narratives that were interpreted by their co...

Six principles of AAC research and practice are offered for consideration and discussion within the AAC community. Principle 1 requires the active participation of individuals with complex communication needs (CCN) in all AAC activities. Principle 2 seeks to ensure that theoretical constructs underlying research and development in AAC are grounded, widely accepted, and clearly defined. Principle 3 underscores the need to use ergonomics in the design and development of AAC technologies and instructional strategies. Principle 4 highlights communication partners and the unique roles they play in AAC. Principle 5 accentuates the need to focus on societal roles, relationships, and opportunities made possible by AAC technologies and services. Finally, principle 6 draws attention to the importance of measuring a broad range of AAC outcomes, especially those most significant to primary AAC stakeholders.

The emerging field of amphiphilic conetworks (APCNs) is critically reviewed. A definition of APCNs is proposed and discussed in depth. The field of APCN science, born in 1988, is delineated and differentiated from similar constructs (e.g. interpenetrating networks, grafted networks). Among the justifications for sustained scientific/technological interest in APCNs are hosts of high-technology applications, some in commercial use and some