Interactional facilitators and barriers to social relationships between students who use AAC and fellow students

Figures & data

Table 1. Participants in the study.

Participants			Students using AAC^a
Parents of students using AAC	Staff at school		Name	Communication modes
Mother	Alice (class teacher) Annie (special teacher) Annabel (assistant)		Anthony	Vocalisations/sounds Facial expression Gestures Other body language Speech Signed Norwegian
^b	Belinda (special teacher) Barbra (activity therapist)		Beatrice	Vocalisations/sounds Facial expression Other body language Speech Signed Norwegian
Mother	Cornelia (class teacher) Chloe (special teacher) Connie (assistant)		Colin	Vocalisations/sounds Facial expression Gestures Speech Graphical symbols ^c
Mother	Doris (activity therapist) Dolores (activity therapist)		Diana	Vocalisations/sounds Facial expression Eye movements Graphical symbols ^c
Father	Elaine (class teacher) Ellen (activity therapist)		Elaine	Vocalisations/sounds Facial expression Gestures Speech
Mother		Gabrielle (class teacher) Greta (special teacher) Gina (assistant) Gwen (assistant)	George	Vocalisations/sounds Facial expression Eye movements Speech Graphical symbols ^c
Mother		Helen (class teacher) Henrietta (assistant)	Harriet	Vocalisations/sounds Facial expression Eye movements Gestures Speech Graphical symbols ^c

^a The participants provided interview data concerning seven students using AAC. Except for one student, the students using AAC were enrolled in the mainstream education class. All students using AAC had an individual education plan. Five of the students used a manual wheelchair. The students using AAC participated with fellow students in educational and social activities in class, recess, or at the schools’ special unit for students with special needs. They were out of class in more than 50%, spending the rest of the time at the school’s special unit or in individual activities (e.g. curricular training, physical training, personal hygiene, resting). Six students used speech with reduced intelligibility, whereas one students had no speech at all. Except for speech, the students using AAC used symbolic communication by means of graphic symbols on paper cards, communication boards (selection by pointing or eye gazing), communication books, speech-generating devices, and/or signed Norwegian. Whereas symbolic communication was the primary mode of communication among three of the students using AAC, four of the students used non-symbolic communication as their primary communication mode.

^b Data was not accessible.

^c Graphical symbols on symbol cards, communication boards, communication books, and/or speech-generating device.

Table

Interview group	Focused codes	Initial codes
Fellow students	Describing reduced functional ability	Describing disease among students
		Telling about problems with the tongue
		Being not infected by the student
Parents	De-emphasizing friendship	Speaking little about friendship with school
		Writing little about social relations in contact book
		Talking little about friends
Staff	Building goodwill for student	Arguing for being liked by peers
		Distinguishing between the role of authority and helper
		Building goodwill for student using AAC