New Research Study Beginning at the University of Kansas Life Span Institute

 

The purpose of this study is to determine predictors of communication success in preschool children who do not speak (or say very few words) and who are learning to communicate with an alternative or augmentative communication (AAC) system. This may include manual signs, exchange of pictures, and voice output communication aids (VOCA). Our goal is to recruit up to 170 children attending preschool programs in the greater Kansas City metropolitan area. We need your help! Briefly, project staff will observe the children interacting in their classrooms and within routine home activities once every six months over a period of two years (five observations total). We will administer a set of standardized developmental assessments at the start and end of the study, at the child’s home. Family and school staff participants will each receive a stipend of $50 per observation (total of $250 for 5 observations), and $5 for completing a bi-weekly or bi-monthly 5-min survey on AAC use in the classroom. If you would like more information on how your child could participate please contact Dr. Kathy Thiemann, Co-Principal Investigator, 913-321-3143 ext 234 or thiemann@ku.edu.

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