Integrating Augmentative and Alternative Communication and Peer Support for Students with Disabilities: A Social-Ecological Perspective

The purpose of this review was to examine the degree to which augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) intervention research included students with disabilities and their peers as part of the intervention. Given the shift in the field toward a social-ecological framework of disability, incorporating natural communication partners into interventions and systems of supports for communication and social relationships is increasingly important to promote valued outcomes, including meaningful friendships and social networks between students with disabilities and their peers. Thirteen empirical studies were identified that included students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) who used AAC and their peers. These studies were grouped according to their focus on the target student with a disability, the peer, or the dyad. Directions for future research and practice from a social-ecological framework are discussed.