Chinese-English speaking family perspectives of AAC use with their children who have complex communication needs

• In Event: Poster Session 07
  In Poster Session: PS 07 Topic - Language, Communication

Abstract

Introduction. Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is a method of communication for children with complex communication needs (CCN; Schlosser & Lee, 2000) who cannot rely on speech to communicate. However, children with CCN from culturally and linguistically diverse families often have limited access to AAC materials and interventions due to the lack of family-centered services that acknowledge their families’ cultural beliefs and linguistic needs (Soto, 2012). For instance, Spanish-speaking parents in the U.S. are less likely to participant in parent-training programs given their negative view of the word “training,” which culturally reflects a lack of parenting skills (Kulkarni & Parmar, 2017). Family members as communication partners play important roles in supporting their children's AAC use (Douglas et al., 2020). Having in-depth understanding of family members’ communication experience and needs is essential to prepare them to become better communication supporters. Given the growing population of Chinese-English speaking families worldwide, who have contrasting language structures relative to English (Pasquarella et al., 2015) and unique cultural beliefs, the goal of this study is to understand in depth the perspectives and experiences of Chinese-English speaking family members of children with CCN on AAC use in the home language as well as in English.
Research questions. (1) What are the experiences of AAC use for young children who live in a Chinese-English bilingual environment? (2) What are the communication experiences of Chinese-English bilingual family members interacting with the child with CCN? (3) What advantages and barriers do bilingual families who have a child with CCN face with educational supports?
Methods. Four Chinese-English speaking families (3 first generation and 1 second generation) from the U.S. and Canada were recruited, including 10 family members (parents and grandparents) of children 3 to 8 years old who use AAC. 60-90 minute semi-structured group interviews were conducted with each family including all family members who consented to participate in the study. Inductive qualitative content analysis (Graneheim & Lundman, 2004) was used including multiple cycles of coding, synthesizing, and member checking.
Results and Conclusions: Results show that although parents expressed a need for a Chinese- speaking AAC device, English was the only language used with their children’s AAC. Parents intentionally expose their children to bilingual or multilingual environments with the purposes of helping their children build stronger family connections, experience different thoughts, and gain more involvement in the culture, and the lack of AAC options interferes with these goals. First-generation Chinese-English speaking families feel they can overcome limitations resulting from lower English language proficiency, but still find difficulties in getting resources given Western expectations of self-advocacy. In addition, traditional family roles and the challenge of finding resources add stress to the mother in particular. The findings suggest the need for family-centered services with increased cultural and linguistic awareness when serving Chinese-English speaking families with children who have CCN. Additionally, providing services that involve family members beyond just the mother can improve both family functioning and child communication.

Authors

• Tiantian Sun, Michigan State University
  Presenting Author

• Ryan Bowles, Michigan State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Sarah N. Douglas, Michigan State University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Sarah Goodwin, Michigan State University
  Non-Presenting Author