July 14, 2003

AAC Institute Update!

*** The AAC Institute is a 501c3 not-for-profit charitable organization dedicated to the most effective communication for people who rely on AAC (augmentative and alternative communication). One service of the AAC Institute is to provide periodic announcements of interest to those involved in the field of AAC. Approximate average frequency of messages is monthly. If you wish to be removed from the AAC Institute announcement list, simply reply with a message to that effect. ***

This update has two (2) items. Please forward to others with an interest in AAC. Others can register for email updates at the AAC Institute web site.

1) Pittsburgh Employment Conference

The Pittsburgh Employment Conference for Augmented Communicators is being held 8 - 10 August, 2003. This conference has been characterized as the single most important event in the field of AAC in the world. It is the largest gathering of people who use AAC assistive technology and they are active participants and presenters on the program. AAC field leaders who have attended the conference have said that PEC raised their perception of the communication effectiveness that can be achieved. PEC can be a valuable learning experience for all AAC stakeholders. For additional information, visit the PEC web site: http://mywebpages.comcast.net/amiprofeta/index7.htm.

AAC Institute is approved by the Continuing Education Board of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) to provide continuing education activities in speech-language pathology and audiology. This program is offered for 1.4 CEUs (Intermediate level; Professional area). ASHA CE Provider approval does not imply endorsement of course content, specific products, or clinical procedures.

PEC is immediately preceded by the AAC Institute Symposium on AAC Evidence-Based Practice and Performance Measurement. For additional information, visit the AAC Institute web site: http://www.aacinstitute.org. Click on Symposium.

Please forward this message to others who may have an interest in attending either PEC or the Symposium.

Katya Hill, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Executive Director
AAC Institute
khill@aacinstitute.org
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2) Request for Research Participants

Effect of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Recommendations and Devices on Family Life
Recruiting parents of young AAC users to participate in dissertation research

I am advertising for U.S. parents of young augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) users to participate in a research study on family factors that may affect successful AAC use. To participate, the child with the severe communication disorder
* Will be between 1 to 6 years old.
* Has NOT started kindergarten.
* Has used their current or latest AAC system for 6 -12 months.
* May have a variety of diagnoses.

AAC is defined broadly and may include the use of
* sign language,
* communication pictures,
* communication boards,
* communication books, and
* voice output devices.

Parents will be asked to complete
1) a case history form which describes the AAC system and demographic information such as age, occupation, AAC user's diagnosis,
2) a rating scale on how AAC has affected your family's life, and
3) the AAC Family-Paradigm Assessment Scale on how your family accomplishes daily activities.

These can be either completed in your home through a secure Website or by paper and pencil and mailed back to the researchers. Identifying information will be kept confidential. Participants will be paid $15 for approximately 60-90 minutes of their time.

The oversight body for this study is the MSU Institutional Review Board, IRB # 01-212. This research is partially funded by a National Research Service Award (1 F31 DC05443-01A1) from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD).

There is no direct benefit to participants. However, the results may assist AAC professionals in better understanding the effect of different AAC recommendations and devices on family life. Data collected through this research project will be used for dissertation research, research conference presentations, and potential research journal articles.

For more information, please contact

Mary Jo Cooley Hidecker, M.A., CCC-A/SLP
Department of Audiology & Speech Sciences
Michigan State University
378 Communication Arts & Sciences
East Lansing, MI 48824-1212
Phone: (517) 355-9721
E-mail: hidecke1@msu.edu
Project Web Page : http://aacfamily.msu.edu