Language Sample Collection and Analysis in People Who Use Augmentative and Alternative Communication: Overcoming Obstacles

Purpose: Language sample collection and analysis provides important information regarding the language abilities of individuals for whom standardized testing may not be appropriate, such as persons who use augmentative and alternative communication (PWUAACs). Despite its clinical utility, language sample collection and analysis has not been fully incorporated into the assessment of PWUAACs due to a variety of challenges. This study seeks to investigate the ability of language sample collection and analysis to provide clinically relevant information and explore ways to circumvent language sample collection and analysis challenges for PWUAACs. Method: This is a case study of the narratives of two PWUAACs, one child and one adult. Analyses were conducted using manual calculations and computerized language sample analysis software (i.e., Systematic Analysis of Language Transcripts and Child Language Exchange System) and Realize Language. Conclusions: Although the language samples took longer to complete relative to verbal controls, the information obtained from language sample collection and analysis provided valuable insight into the language system of the two participants that would not be revealed through standardized language assessment, including the distribution of their parts of speech and syntactic complexity. Given the important clinical data that may be obtained through language sample collection and analysis, we propose strategies to enable clinicians to overcome previously identified challenges.