Reciprocal Innovation to Optimize Low-Tech Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) for Individuals

Overview

Many people with autism and other developmental conditions have difficulty speaking or do not use speech and need other ways to communicate. Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) includes tools such as picture boards, communication books, and gestures that support communication. In low-resource settings and underserved rural areas in the United States, high-tech AAC devices are often too expensive or difficult to access, and trained specialists are limited. Low-tech AAC options are more affordable but are often not used successfully because tools may not match the individual's abilities or daily environment, caregivers and providers may lack training, and stigma or low awareness may discourage use. These challenges can lead to AAC abandonment and social isolation. Rural Virginia and western Kenya face similar barriers, including limited AAC expertise, inconsistent assessment, and insufficient training for families, educators, and community providers. This project uses a shared learning approach that combines western Kenya's experience implementing low-tech AAC in new settings with rural Virginia's expertise in individualized assessment, training, and scalable service delivery. The goal is to better match individuals to appropriate low-tech AAC systems and support communication partners to use them effectively.

Many people with autism and related developmental conditions have difficulty speaking or do not use speech at all. These individuals often benefit from augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), which includes tools such as picture boards, communication books, object symbols, and structured communication routines. AAC helps people express needs, make choices, and engage socially. In low-resource countries and underserved rural areas of the United States, high-tech AAC devices are often not available. These systems can be expensive, require reliable electricity or internet access, and depend on trained specialists who may not be available locally. As a result, families and providers frequently rely on low-tech AAC options, which are more affordable and practical in these settings. However, low-tech AAC is often not used effectively. Common barriers include stigma around disability, limited awareness of AAC, lack of access to appropriate materials, and poor matching between the communication system, the individual's abilities, and their everyday communication environment. Inconsistent assessment practices and limited training for caregivers, teachers, and other communication partners further reduce successful use. These challenges often lead to AAC being abandoned, leaving individuals socially isolated and unable to communicate effectively. Rural Virginia and western Kenya face many of the same challenges. In both locations, access to AAC specialists is limited, individualized assessments are inconsistent, and communication partners often receive little or no formal training. Addressing these gaps requires approaches that are scalable, affordable, and culturally responsive. Effective solutions must systematically assess individual abilities and environments, guide selection of appropriate low-tech AAC systems, and support communication partners in using these systems consistently and correctly. This project uses a reciprocal innovation approach, in which both regions contribute expertise. Western Kenya offers experience in implementing low-tech communication systems in communities that are new to AAC, while rural Virginia contributes experience with individualized assessment, provider training, and scalable technology-based tools. By combining strengths from both settings, the project aims to create solutions that work across diverse contexts. The overall goal of this study is to develop, validate, and test an automated AAC assessment and implementation system for minimally verbal or non-speaking individuals. This system is designed to improve how well AAC tools match users' abilities and environments and to improve everyday communication outcomes. The project is based on the idea that combining an adaptive computer-based assessment with culturally appropriate low-tech AAC materials and automated training for communication partners will lead to better AAC selection, more consistent use, and lasting improvements in functional communication and participation. Aim 1 focuses on developing and validating an open-access, computer-based AAC assessment. This assessment will adapt to the individual being assessed and gather information about motor, sensory, cognitive, language, and environmental factors that affect communication. Based on these responses, the tool will generate personalized recommendations for low-tech AAC systems. The study will examine whether the assessment is reliable, valid, works similarly across cultures, and produces recommendations that align with expert clinician judgments in both western Kenya and rural Virginia. Aim 2 focuses on adapting and standardizing low-tech AAC materials for use across cultures. Using information from the assessment, the research team will develop and adapt AAC tools such as picture boards, object-based symbols, and structured communication routines to ensure they fit local languages, cultures, and daily environments. These materials will be tested and refined with individuals who use AAC and their communication partners to ensure they are easy to use, acceptable, and meaningful in both settings. Aim 3 consists of a multi-site, parallel-group randomized controlled trial conducted in western Kenya and rural Virginia. Communication partners, including caregivers, teachers, community health workers, and aides, will be randomized to receive either an automated AAC training toolkit or standard AAC support available in their community. The primary outcomes assess implementation outcomes, including communication partner competence, compliance, and fidelity in the use of AAC strategies. Secondary outcomes assess child functional communication, caregiver-child interaction quality, and quality of life. Sustainability of AAC implementation and AAC system retention will be assessed at six-month follow-up. Overall, this project will produce a tested, open-access AAC assessment and implementation system that reduces reliance on scarce specialists, improves matching between individuals and communication systems, and strengthens communication outcomes. By combining automated assessment, culturally adapted low-tech AAC materials, and scalable training within a reciprocal innovation framework, this research will support more equitable access to effective AAC in both global low-resource settings and underserved rural communities in the United States.