Systems of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (SAACs) in Spain: A systematic review of the educational practices conducted in the last decade

Abstract

Systems of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (SAACs) encompass a variety of forms of expression used to enhance the communication skills of people with disabilities and/or communication impairments. This paper compiles educational practices carried out in Spain using SAACs in the last decade. A systematic review of scientific research databases enabled a descriptive and qualitative analysis of the 25 case studies out of 88 that met the established inclusion criteria. The aim of this analysis was to obtain a global perspective of the main lines of action, as well as to identify its nature according to the beneficiary, context, aims, and typology of the SAACs implemented through the application of an evaluation grid. This evaluation grid tool arose in a broader European Project entitled AAC@ School for Social Inclusion. The results of this systematic review provide researchers and educators with evidence to apply SAACs with individuals with communication impairments, regardless of their age, gender, or the impairment or functional diversity they suffer from and could be applied in other European contexts.