Integrating Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) in Participatory Research Practice with Young Children with Disabilities. A Scoping Review.

<p>Objective: Young children with disabilities often face barriers to participation in research, as many of them do not use verbal speech. This limits the representation of their views concerning designing research processes, policies, support systems or education. Assuming that the integration of Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) into research methods could be a suitable approach to deconstruct these barriers, this review explores the implementation of AAC into participatory research with this group.Method: A scoping review was conducted (Tricco et al., 2018). Following a systematic search in scientific databases and two screening rounds, 8 studies were included. Full texts were analysed concerning the use of AAC and the modalities of children’s communication by means of Qualitative Content Analysis (Kuckartz &amp;amp; Rädiker, 2024). Results: Only three studies reported unaided or low-tech AAC-use for data collection. Additionally, a wide range of other child-friendly modalities for children to express themselves were identified which facilitated communication, but did not classify as AAC. These strategies were mostly applied during data collection (e.g. within interviews), while decision-making concerning the research process (e.g. choosing a research question of methods) relied on verbal communication.Conclusion: The potential of AAC for participatory research has not yet been realized to its maximum. Nevertheless, other multimodal and child-friendly forms of facilitating children’s communication also are very valuable. Both forms should be extended to support children’s decision-making concerning the research process. Future research should focus on using this potential to involve all children – including those with disabilities - into participatory research.</p>