"He cares about me and i care about him." Children's experiences of friendship with peers who use AAC

Abstract

Typically developing children face multiple challenges in developing friendships with peers who have severe physical disabilities and use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), especially when these peers experience restrictions in mobility, educational participation, physical access, and communication. In this small qualitative study, six typically developing children were interviewed about their friendships with classmates who have cerebral palsy and use AAC. Data were analyzed according to Riessman's narrative methodology (2008). Overall, participants viewed these friendships positively. In this article, we discuss the main themes that characterized these friendships: communication, learning, helping, and shared time. This knowledge may help to facilitate friendships between children without disabilities and their peers who use AAC within mainstream educational settings. © 2011 International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication.