[Note: Le symposium de recherche se tiendra exclusivement en anglais.]

11th ISAAC Research Symposium

August 8-9, 2008
Université de Montréal, Pavillon Claire-McNicoll, 2900 Chemin de la Tour, on the Université de Montréal - Easily accessible by metro (Metro Station: Université de Montréal),
http://www.stm.info/

The aim of the Research Symposium is to create opportunities for in-depth discussions, which often might be difficult during the tight schedule of the Main Conference. The focus is on theoretical, methodological and empirical issues for research and practice in augmentative and alternative communication, seeking to expand the knowledge base of the field.

 
Keynote Speaker: Yves Joanette, Ph.D., Professor, École d’orthophonie et d’audiologie, Faculté de médecine, Université de Montréal; Director, Centre de recherche, Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal
The neural bases of communication: the challenge of successful aging

Concurrent Thematic Seminars
Moving Forward with Participation—Implications of Communicative Participation for Children, Adolescents and Adults with Complex Communication Needs
Shelly Lund (USA), Parimala Raghavendra Australia, Cathy Olsson, Australia

The impact of complex communication need is far reaching – communication affects all aspects of life.  As a result, individuals with complex communication needs (CCN) face challenges far beyond their specific communication limitations.  Participation, involvement in life situations, is a familiar concept and one with important implications for individuals with CCN. This strand proposes to continue the discussion of participation initiated at the 2006 research symposium.  It will focus on: 1) theoretical overview of participation with specific focus on the role of communication in the definition of participation, 2) the concept of participation and communicative participation for children, adolescents and adults with CCN-how do we define and measure it? Are they the same or are there differences? 3) current research on participation patterns in children and  adolescents with CCN with special attention to tools utilized to measure participation, 4)  development of a new tool to measure communicative participation and 5) interventions to facilitate participation in  individuals with CCN.

Across the Lifespan: Parents and Families of People who use AAC: A New Research
Agenda
Bronwyn Hemsley, Australia, Juliet Goldbart, Great Britain, Annalu Waller, Great Britain, and Kaisa Launonen, Suomi

In this symposium participants will:

1. Hear about the ‘state of the art’ in current research on parents and family members in relation to their child or adult sons and daughters or siblings. 
2. Consider the impact of parent and family relationships and their changes over the lifespan on the design and use of AAC systems 
3. Consider the use of AAC systems, expectations and provisions for change and development to meet the person’s needs, and family member engagement with the use of AAC technology across the lifespan
4. Develop an agenda for directions for future research exploring the transitions in life and changing roles of parents and family members, that support successful communication across the lifespan

Considerations of an Information Processing Perspective in the Design of AAC Communication Displays: New Research Directions
Barry Wagner, USA, Krista Wilkinson, USA, John McCarthy, USA, Vinoth Jagaroo, USA

Over 15 years ago, Light and Lindsay (1991) described the importance of understanding the Human Mind as an Information Processing System. Their manuscript encouraged researchers to incorporate cognitive-theory driven principles to everyday challenges faced by AAC practitioners. Since Light and Lindsay’s (1991) initial plea, the development of knowledge between Information Processing Systems and AAC has been slow. More recently, however, some AAC researchers have focused their attention on designing communication displays to decrease the learning demands placed on children who use AAC systems (Light & Drager, 2002; McCarthy, et al., 2006; Jagaroo & Wilkinson, 2007; Wilkinson, Carlin, & Jagaroo, 2006). This clinical area of study can access rich theoretical underpinnings from Cognitive Neuroscience and Cognitive Science in order to ultimately provide some direction into the development of new AAC technologies. This seminar will present some of the challenges faced by AAC practitioners regarding the design of AAC displays. From these unique challenges, we will use cognitive neuroscience and cognitive science as a theoretical platform to explore future research directions. The intention of this seminar is also to provide a model of collaborative research by proposing new directions in both applied and basic research. 

Systematic Reviews of Research in Augmentative and Alternative Communication
Oliver Wendt, Germany / USA, Ralf W. Schlosser, USA

Systematic reviews of research literature are increasingly recognized as a valuable scientific tool to facilitate decision-making by clinicians and educators. They play a critical role in the implementation of evidence-based practice (EBP), which has become the major paradigm for service delivery in the field of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) (Schlosser, 2003, Schlosser & Raghavendra, 2004). EBP requires the integration of the best and most current research evidence with clinical expertise and relevant stakeholder perspectives to derive the best possible decision for a particular client (Straus et al., 2005; Schlosser, 2003). Within this process systematic reviews can be of immense benefit to the practitioner. They involve the location, quality appraisal, narrative and/or quantitative synthesis of original studies using scientifically rigorous and systematic procedures to minimize bias (Petticrew & Roberts, 2006; Torgerson, 2003). Systematic reviews are fundamental for EBP not only because of their scientific rigor, but because they also offer the practitioner access to “pre-filtered evidence”, which is generated when experts have reviewed and presented the methodologically strongest data in the field (Guyatt & Rennie, 2002). Availability of pre-filtered evidence through a systematic review reduces the time and expertise required for practitioners to locate and appraise studies themselves. Furthermore, systematic reviews are an excellent tool to derive future research directions, as they provide databased documentation of research gaps. This strand will provide an overview on planning and undertaking systematic reviews. Challenges and issues particular to systematic reviews in AAC will be outlined. Participants will discuss considerations for appraising systematic reviews and distinguishing high-quality reviews from those of low quality. The targeted audience comprises practitioners trying to use systematic reviews for clinical practice as well as researchers intending to produce systematic reviews of AAC research.