ABSTRACT
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) is an area of assistive technology that seeks to facilitate the participation of people in different communicative contexts. There are various AAC strategies, and one of them is the Picture Exchange Communication (PECS), which proposes to develop communication skills in people with complex communication needs. Associated with the implementation of PECS, some research has shown the benefits of using Video Modeling (VM), which consists a teaching technique aimed at the development of academic, social, communication and daily life skills for individuals of various disabilities. This study investigated the effects of PECS associated with VM on the communication skills development of a child with Down syndrome and complex communication needs. In order to verify the effects of PECS associated with VM, and AB design was used, in which PECS associated with VM was the independent variable, while the communication skills consisted in the dependent variable. Data were analyzed considering some aspects such as participant's performance, monitoring of vocabulary, level of independence in baseline, intervention and maintenance steps. The results showed that the participant increased her communicative initiations, and vocabulary; in addition to demonstrate independence in using PECS to communicate with different people. Thus, the present study showed a possibility of intervention that favored the development of communication skills of the participant with Down syndrome.
KEYWORD:
Special Education; Down Syndrome; Alternative and Augmentativa Communication
