John Mccarthy

• PhD
• Professor (Full) at Ohio University

Purpose: In contrast to the traditional grid-based display, visual scene displays (VSDs) offer a new paradigm for aided communication. For individuals who cannot select items from an AAC display by direct selection due to physical impairments, AAC access can be supported via methods such as item scanning. Item scanning sequentially highlights item...

Purpose: Children with complex communication needs who require augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) strategies to communicate have difficulty participating in interactions with their peers. Integrating a collaborative learning framework with art activities may facilitate social interactions between children with complex communication ne...

Purpose Visual scene displays (VSDs) can support augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) success for children and adults with complex communication needs. Static VSDs incorporate contextual photographs that include meaningful events, places, and people. Although the processing of VSDs has been studied, their power as a medium to effectivel...

Purpose There is limited information about how to support children with cortical visual impairment (CVI) who require augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). An initial review designed to explore the available evidence was used to outline critical needs in moving research and intervention forward for children who use AAC and have CVI. Met...

This study was conducted to teach and evaluate the effectiveness of an online training called The CAPTURE & Share program. The program was taught using online instruction in an asynchronous manner with six volunteers who facilitate recreational participation for individuals with complex communication needs. The online training focused on teaching v...

There is increasing interest in exploring the benefits of music in rehabilitation settings. In the field of speech-language pathology, an ultimate goal for individuals with communication disorders is to foster participation across multiple contexts. The goal of this systematic review was to explore social and participation outcomes for individuals...

Visual Scene Displays (VSDs) are a promising interface for AAC systems for children and adults. Although recent research has focused on design principles of traditional grid displays, there is comparatively little information on VSDs. Ten individuals with a background in photography and visual composition were interviewed following a brief overview...

AAC systems may be accessed via techniques such as touch, eye gaze and switch scanning, which are then translated into communication output. Traditionally, aided AAC displays utilize a grid layout, arranging communication items in a decontextualized manner. In contrast, visual scene displays (VSDs) utilize context rich images (e.g., photographs) th...

Training preprofessional students about autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is crucial, particularly since students with ASD are represented on the caseloads of approximately 90% of school-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs). When this training can occur within the context of an outreach program, the results of such programming can be mutually ben...

Purpose The aim of this study was to examine the goals, outcomes, and skills attained by graduate students participating in a clinical experience paired with a course on autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Method Twenty-four graduate student clinicians (23 females, 1 male) participated in the experience. Students provided services within social commun...

The increasing integration of technology into the daily events and social interactions of our society present incredible opportunities for children with complex communication needs (CCN) who rely on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) strategies. Children with CCN who utilize high-tech AAC options at an early age are essentially growin...

Thirty-one children with and without autism spectrum disorder were asked to draw the meaning of 10 basic concepts. Following each drawing, children explained their drawing to the experimenter. Transcripts of the drawing task were coded for children’s use of personal pronouns and internal state terms. Children’s use of on- and off-task comments whil...

Recreational and leisure activities offer many meaningful and motivating opportunities for communication and improving quality-of-life. Volunteers in recreation activities have important roles as participation and communication facilitators, while also creating opportunities for learning and social interaction. The aim of this study was to implemen...

Commentary abstracted from a systematic review exploring the development of programs for direct-care staff who support individuals with intellectual disabilities. Commentary summarizes review results and calls attention to the need for foundational theories to support program development.

Many individuals who require augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) cannot directly select items on computer-based displays. Individuals who also have visual impairments may need to rely on sequential announcement of array choices in auditory scanning. The method is challenging and there is a lack of research to improve this access method...

Discussion of IPE activities and outcome measurement scales.

Results of a single-case AB1AB2 design exploring the impact of collaborative activities on reciprocal social interactions between peers and children with complex communication needs who use augmentative and alternative communication

Results of a systematic review exploring the use of arts-based activities with individuals with communication disorders and their impact on social and participation outcomes. Pediatric and adult results included.

Young children who cannot use their natural speech to communicate their daily wants, needs, thoughts, and opinions often rely on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) strategies that frequently use graphic symbols to assemble messages. Early intervention strategies typically focus on visual scene displays (VSDs) to place target messages...

This comparative study is a replication and extension of previous work related to children’s drawings of early concepts. In all, 15 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and 19 children without disability took part in the study, and were video recorded as they drew 10 early emerging concepts such as “eat” and “more.” In a second task, the pa...

The Internet is a source of many resources for graduate speech-language pathology (SLP) students. It is important to understand the resources students are aware of, which they use, and why they are being chosen as sources of information for therapy activities. A national online survey of graduate SLP students was conducted to assess their awareness...

In this article, we consider how musical and adapted sport experiences not only create multiple opportunities for communication, but also encapsulate different demands, purposes, and contexts for communication leading to a wide range of modalities possible to express messages and support social exchange.

Innovations in technology have resulted in increased use of tablets, mobile devices, and applications as augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems for children with complex communication needs (CCN). Although research has been conducted on the specific characteristics of AAC technologies, many interfaces remain replications of prior...

Interprofessional education (IPE) can occur in many places and in many ways. In this article, we focus on the inclusion of standards from the Interprofessional Education Collaborative in several different environments. We consider traditional classrooms and classrooms that integrate clinical placements for varying amounts of instructional time. We...

A touch screen can be an intuitive interface method for many people. Mobile phones, tablets, and tablet computer combinations have made this technology part of daily use. Touchscreen technologies are common and present unique difficulties for individuals who require alternative access methods. Dedicated augmentative and alternative communication sy...

Geretsegger, M., Elefant, C., Mössler, K. A., & Gold, C. (2014). Music therapy for people with autism spectrum disorder. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2014, Issue 6. Art. No.: CD004381. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD004381.pub3. Sources of funding and declaration of interests: The authors of this review are clinically trained music therapists....

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to gain insight from speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) regarding appealing features of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) applications. Method: Two separate 1-hour focus groups were conducted with 8 SLPs and 5 parents of children with...

Although recent evidence suggests learning demands for children can be reduced by organizing augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) displays in contextual scenes, there is little evidence on how such scenes could be made accessible for children who cannot use direct selection. Using a line drawn scene of a living room, a traditional trave...

Seven preschool children ( M age=3;11; range=2;10–5;7) with autism or related pragmatic difficulties participated in two structured interactions with an AAC system. In the aligned interaction, the system was placed at the chest level of the experimenter with the actual book to the side. In the divided interaction, the system was placed to one side...

The aim of this project was to design, implement, and evaluate a photography intervention for children with complex communication needs (CCN). One child with CCN was paired with two same-age peers. The intervention successfully increased the number of utterances of the child with CCN and the number of utterances the peer directed towards the child...

Poster presentation for the American Speech-Language Hearing Association annual convention in Philadelphia, PA on November 17, 2016.

Individuals who use AAC participated in an online focus group to share their perspectives about active recreation. All participants have an acquired condition which significantly impacts their communication skills. Participants shared differences in attitude and approach pre vs. post condition and reported many benefits from active recreation.

This presentation describes a pilot study that was conducted in collaboration with a therapeutic horseback riding program in Athens, Ohio. The volunteers learned to implement the steps of a program to support participants with complex communication needs to capture and share their experiences. This program served as a foundation and led to the firs...

Overview of research in AAC interface design supported by four focus groups with children without disabilities, their parents, speech-language pathologists, and parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Presentation of results of a pilot photography intervention aimed to increase participation for children with complex communication needs.

An oral presentation conducted at the International Society of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (ISAAC) Bi-annual conference in Toronto, Canada. The presentation describes two research studies that gathered the perspectives from volunteers in active recreation. These volunteers support participants who use AAC across the entire recreation...

Recreation is an essential part of life that provides enriching experiences that may define one's life course similar to careers or other interests. An understanding of the role of volunteers in active community-based recreational programs can help to generate ways to enhance participation and contribute to additional communication opportunities wi...

A national survey of first and second year graduate speech-language pathology students was conducted to examine students' awareness and use of social media and online resources for daily therapy activities. Novel interfaces were developed to explore possible integrations between current literature and online sources.

Providing support and training for communication partners who engage with individuals with complex communica6on needs (CCN) has consistently been recognized as a key issue in the area of augmentative and alternative communication(AAC) (Kent-Walsh & McNaughton, 2005). Previous research has shown that explicit communication partner training has been...

Using iPads as augmentative and alternative communication devices has sparked a need for appealing communication apps that meet children's communication needs as well as the goals of SLPS and parents/caregivers. Results of two focus groups reveal design features that are the most desirable in current and future apps.

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In childhood apraxia of speech (CAS), children exhibit varying levels of speech intelligibility depending on the nature of errors in articulation and prosody. Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) strategies are beneficial, and commonly adopted with children with CAS. This study focused on the decision-making process and strategies adopt...

A series of four focus groups were conducted with speech-language pathologists, typically developing children and their parents as well as parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder to aid in the development of a set of design principles for more appealing and desired features in augmentative and alternative communication apps.

The future of natural speech development is uncertain for children with motor speech disorders (MSD). There is a strong desire to put plans in place as early as possible to anticipate long-term needs. Simultaneously, the knowledge that natural speech development may take time and effort and the idea that augmentative and alternative communication (...

Purpose: Children with autism spectrum disorders with little or no functional speech may benefit from visual symbols for communication. Although a variety of teaching paradigms are available for teaching children to associate a single word with a visual symbol (e.g., dog with a drawing of a dog), there are fewer options to teach relationships betwe...

Music is a pervasive presence in life, so much so that conceptualizing ways to integrate music into the lives of individuals who use augmentative and alternative communication or into one's clinical practice can be overwhelming. This paper reviews a framework for conceptualizing musical involvement based on the distinctions of appreciation, recreat...

Gadberry, A. L. (2011). A survey of the use of aided augmentative and alternative communication during music therapy sessions with persons with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Music Therapy, 48, 74–89. Source of funding and disclosure of interest: No source of funding reported, and no conflicts of interest reported by the original authors of...

Purpose The current study investigated the ability of typically developing children in Grades 3 and 5 to use morphological analysis to determine the meanings of derived words with and without context clues. Also of interest was the relation between children’s reading practices and their performance in determining the meanings of derived words. Met...

When characterizing the social communication skills of children with developmental and physical disabilities, researchers may need to account for special considerations, particularly if the children have severe communication disabilities. These children may require means other than spoken language to communicate their needs and thoughts to others i...

Purpose: Technological advances in augmenta-tive and alternative communication (AAC) offer the potential to enhance the communication needs of individuals with severe communication disorders. However, using AAC to express concepts that cannot be easily represented in static line drawings is a significant challenge. Animation of line-drawn action ve...

This review provides a summary and appraisal commentary on the treatment review by Simpson, K., & Keen, D. (2010). Teaching young children with autism graphic symbols embedded within an interactive song. Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities, 22, 165–177.

This study examined how infants' age, joint attention (JA) skills, caregiver ratings of language and temperament, and caregiver JA style related to JA in a structured literacy task with an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) system. Sixteen infants (mean = 10.6 months) without disabilities participated in two storybook reading interact...

There is a need for further research to understand the potential uses of asynchronous electronic discussions in higher education courses. Electronic discussion boards were conducted with two different graduate speech-language pathology student cohorts to supplement in-class instruction regarding assistive technology. One year’s discussions were do...

Abstracted from: Carnahan, S., Basham, J., & Musti-Rao, S. (2009). A low technology strategy for increasing engagement of students with autism and significant learning needs. Exceptionality, 17, 76–87.Source of funding: No funding sources were reported by the authors.

A Solomon Four-Group Design was used to study the effects of reading personal narratives written by an individual with complex communication needs on the attitudes, potential future behaviors, and general experiences of 109 undergraduate business majors. The Attitudes Toward Nonspeaking Persons Scale (ATNP) and a scale of behavioral intentions mode...

Although several studies have characterized patterns and predictors of continued risky sexual behavior in HIV-infected rural persons, far less research has evaluated interventions to reduce risky sex in this group. This pilot randomized clinical trial compared 2 brief telephone-administered interventions designed to reduce continued risky sexual be...

There is a paucity of research examining the relative contribution of the different mechanisms of working memory (short-term storage [STM], processing speed) to children’s complex memory span. This study served to replicate and extend the few extant studies that have examined the issue. In this study, the relative contribution of three mechanisms o...

Joint attention is critical for language development in children. Children with complex communication needs have additional challenges in managing their joint attention, and there is minimal information on how to reduce these demands. Sixteen infants without disabilities and their caregivers participated in a within-subjects design with two storybo...

In this paper, the results of two studies designed to investigate the learning demands of four different approaches to the layout and organization of language in electronic augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems are presented: taxonomic grid, schematic grid, schematic scene, and iconic encoding techniques. A total of 80 typically...

The importance of parent–teacher communication has been widely recognized; however, there is only limited research on teaching effective listening skills to education professionals. In this study, a pretest–posttest control group design was used to examine the effect of instruction on the active listening skills of preservice education professional...

Although music therapists may work with a variety of professionals in interdisciplinary teams, there is a lack of information about the specific nature of their work with speech-language pathologists (SLPs). Using an Internet-based tool, Board Certified Music Therapists (n = 1834, 1675 deliverable) were surveyed regarding their work with speech-lan...

Documenting how music therapy can be integrated with speech-language therapy services for children with communication delay is not evident in the literature. In this article, a collaborative model with procedures, experiences, and communication outcomes of integrating music therapy with the existing speech-language services is given. Using establis...

Individuals with disabilities who require augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems typically face considerable challenges in their educational, vocational, and living situations. Developing effective problem solving skills is important to maximizing outcomes. Current problem-solving programs do not address the unique needs of indivi...

Children with severe motor impairments who cannot use direct selection are typically introduced to scanning as a means of accessing assistive technology. Unfortunately, it is difficult for young children to learn to scan because the design of current scanning techniques does not always make explicit the offer of items from the selection array; furt...

This paper presents the findings of a review of 13 studies of attitudes toward individuals who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). The following factors that influenced attitudes were found: characteristics of typically developing individuals, characteristics of the person using AAC, and characteristics of AAC systems' output. Thi...

The use of inclusive theater arts activities offers numerous potential benefits to children using augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). The activities may provide an effective context to promote communication, social interaction, and artistic expression. This article presents a preliminary study that provides a descriptive analysis of t...

Determination of patterns of verbal responses during stuttering therapy could enhance our understanding of the client–clinician interaction and provide insight into the use of basic helping skills with specific clients. The verbal response patterns of Charles Van Riper conducting stuttering modification therapy were analyzed according to the Hill C...