Table 1.
Description of youth participants who use AAC
| Youth | Age | Gender | Regular AAC system | Mechanisms of communication used for participation in the study |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Youth 1 | 34 | Female | A laptop computer running the Grid 3, accessed using switches. | 1. Completion of an online questionnaire on her laptop. |
| 2. Provision of questions for the interview in advance so that answers could be preprepared. | ||||
| 3. Use of verbal yes, no answers. | ||||
| 4. Assistance from caregiver to confirm answers. | ||||
| 5. Typing of responses during the online interview using switches for access. | ||||
| 6. WhatsApp group chat accessed through the computer. | ||||
| Youth 2 | 25 | Female | A tablet running the Grid 3, accessed through eyegaze. | 1. Completion of an online questionnaire on a phone. |
| 2. Use of verbal yes, no answers during a WhatsApp video call. | ||||
| 3. Speech‐to‐speech transmission of verbal answers to questions by a frequent communication partner. | ||||
| 4. WhatsApp group chat accessed through the tablet. | ||||
| Youth 3 | 24 | Male | Speech assistant on an android phone, direct access | 1. Completion of an online questionnaire on a phone. |
| 2. Use of speech in response to questions with confirmation of understanding obtained by the researcher through the use of yes/no questions. | ||||
| 3. WhatsApp group chat using direct access. | ||||
| Youth 4 | 26 | Male | A laptop computer running the Grid 2, direct access. | 1. Completion of an online questionnaire on a phone. |
| 2. Speech‐to‐speech transmission of verbal answers to questions by a frequent communication partner. | ||||
| 3. Confirmation of understanding from the researcher was obtained using yes/no questions. | ||||
| 4. WhatsApp group chat using direct access. | ||||
| Youth 5 | 25 | Male | A tablet running verbally, direct access. Use of writing using pen and paper. | 1. Completion of an online questionnaire on a phone. |
| 2. Use of speech in response to questions with confirmation of understanding obtained by the researcher through the use of yes/no questions. | ||||
| 3. Use of pen and paper to write longer answers down or draw images for clarification. | ||||
| 4. WhatsApp group chat using direct access. | ||||
| Youth 6 | 33 | Female | A tablet running verbally, direct access. Gestures | Questionnaire and interview: |
| 1. Completion of an online questionnaire on a phone. | ||||
| 2. Use of speech in response to questions with confirmation of understanding obtained by the researcher through the use of yes/no questions. | ||||
| 3. WhatsApp group chat using direct access. |