Children With Cortical/Cerebral Visual Impairment and Speech and Motor Impairments Who Use Augmentative and Alternative Communication: A Retrospective, Longitudinal Examination of School Records.

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Title:	Children With Cortical/Cerebral Visual Impairment and Speech and Motor Impairments Who Use Augmentative and Alternative Communication: A Retrospective, Longitudinal Examination of School Records.
Authors:	Blackstone, Sarah W.¹ sarahblack@aol.com, Luo, Fei¹, Barker, R. Michael², Roman-Lantzy, Christine³, Romski, MaryAnn⁴, Sevcik, Rose A.⁴, Casella, Vicki¹
Source:	American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology. Sep2025, Vol. 34 Issue 5, p2795-2812. 18p.
Subject Terms:	Speech therapy, Interprofessional relations, Schools, Retrospective studies, Speech-language pathology, Longitudinal method, Assistive technology, Communication devices for people with disabilities, Educational attainment, Language acquisition, Treatment of communicative disorders, Vision disorders, Research funding, Mental illness, Treatment effectiveness, Cerebral palsy, Descriptive statistics, Cerebral cortex, Pervasive child development disorders, Medical records, Acquisition of data, Data analysis software, Regression analysis, Psychosocial factors
Abstract:	Purpose: This longitudinal, retrospective study addresses the extent to which changes in functional vision, as measured by the CVI Range, are associated with changes in other developmental areas, specifically communicative competencies and the use of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) modes and access methods. Method: Twelve students with cortical/cerebral visual impairment (CVI) and severe speech and motor impairments who rely on AAC strategies, tools, and technologies to communicate participated in the study. All participants were enrolled at The Bridge School in Hillsborough, CA, between the school years 2012-2013 and 2018-2019. The school's interprofessional collaborative team delivered an integrated, individualized educational program for students that included specific accommodations for CVI and the use of AAC. In this study, archived student records were reviewed using a systematic coding scheme. Results: Results showed that at the end of the study, all children's CVI Range scores improved. In addition, the measured areas related to communicative competence (i.e., social, linguistic, operational, strategic) also improved. The results for AAC modes and access methods varied, reflecting each student's uniqueness. Conclusions: Results support the need for speech-language pathologists, educators, and other service providers to offer these children opportunities to improve their use of vision. The results suggest that improvement in functional vision is strongly correlated with improvement across other areas of development, specifically related to communication competence. Students whose functional vision scores were lowest at baseline showed the greatest improvement, highlighting the importance of early identification and intervention for CVI. Clinical implications were discussed. Supplemental Material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.29716511 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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Database:	Education Research Complete

Description
Abstract:	Purpose: This longitudinal, retrospective study addresses the extent to which changes in functional vision, as measured by the CVI Range, are associated with changes in other developmental areas, specifically communicative competencies and the use of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) modes and access methods. Method: Twelve students with cortical/cerebral visual impairment (CVI) and severe speech and motor impairments who rely on AAC strategies, tools, and technologies to communicate participated in the study. All participants were enrolled at The Bridge School in Hillsborough, CA, between the school years 2012-2013 and 2018-2019. The school's interprofessional collaborative team delivered an integrated, individualized educational program for students that included specific accommodations for CVI and the use of AAC. In this study, archived student records were reviewed using a systematic coding scheme. Results: Results showed that at the end of the study, all children's CVI Range scores improved. In addition, the measured areas related to communicative competence (i.e., social, linguistic, operational, strategic) also improved. The results for AAC modes and access methods varied, reflecting each student's uniqueness. Conclusions: Results support the need for speech-language pathologists, educators, and other service providers to offer these children opportunities to improve their use of vision. The results suggest that improvement in functional vision is strongly correlated with improvement across other areas of development, specifically related to communication competence. Students whose functional vision scores were lowest at baseline showed the greatest improvement, highlighting the importance of early identification and intervention for CVI. Clinical implications were discussed. Supplemental Material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.29716511 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:	10580360
DOI:	10.1044/2025_AJSLP-24-00544