An augmentative and alternative communication tool for children and adolescents with cerebral palsy

People with disabilities face many accessibility problems in their daily lives. One such group of disabled people, children who suffer from cerebral palsy, faces specific challenges, which arise due to motor dysfunction and communication disorders. In the effort to help these children, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems emerge as solutions to supplement spoken communication or to replace it completely. But current AAC solutions do not always address specific communication needs. Determining how to collaborate directly with cerebral palsy children as partners in the assistive technology design process is still an open research problem. This work discusses the development of an AAC computer-based solution to act as a complement to therapist's AAC activities in helping make the lives of children with disabilities better. The AAC tool is based on symbols located on a computer screen and uses symbol and phrase suggestion strategies aiming to increase communication efficiency. Two school-age students with cerebral palsy participated in this study. Quantitative reports and qualitative assessments from a speech and an occupational therapist are presented. This research deals with a set of accessibility guidelines that benefit researchers and practitioners, giving more evidence about the design of AAC computer-based solutions for people with limited speech or language skills.