Research
Prof. Dr. Andrea Erdélyi
Meine Forschungsschwerpunkte und -interessen sind:
- Unterstützte Kommunikation
- Barrierefreie Kommunikation im Kontext von Gesundheitsversorgung und Hospiz
- Gebärden
- Montessori-Heilpädagogik
- Inklusion und Sport
- International-vergleichende Sonderpädagogik
Department of Special Needs Education and Rehabilitation (» Postal address)
Research
In our team, we deal with current issues of pedagogy and didactics in the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). In addition to larger research projects, we also present the PhD projects of our team's doctorale candidates on this page.
AAC-Med - Augmentative and Alternative Communication in Healthcare
AAC-Med - Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) in Healthcare
Background and Context
The healthcare sector encompasses all institutions and professionals dedicated to maintaining, promoting, or restoring health. This international research project focuses on the key settings of healthcare delivery - hospitals, medical practices, and hospices - and investigates communication accessibility within these environments. Effective communication is essential for high-quality care, yet it is often compromised for individuals with Complex Communication Needs (CCN). This group includes not only people with congenital disabilities or neurological conditions but increasingly also individuals with dementia and those with limited language proficiency due to demographic and migratory shifts. In Germany, current staffing shortages further exacerbate communication barriers, not only for patients but also among migrant healthcare professionals. For people with degenerative conditions, AAC also plays a vital role in end-of-life care.
To accurately assess the needs of all stakeholders, the project applies a participatory research approach that includes healthcare professionals, individuals with CCN, and parents of children affected. While AAC is recognised as essential outside of healthcare (as per UN CRPD Article 24(3) and ICF d310-369, implemented in Germany through SGB V), it remains largely unfamiliar in medical settings. This gap forms the foundation of the project's research focus.
Project Components
The project began in 2013 with the research-based development of AAC tools using Design Thinking methods. Since then, key research areas have emerged:
1. development of visual AAC tools (communication books and apps) for specific healthcare contexts:
- Pharmacy (UK Apo)
- Nursing care (UK Pflege)
- Emergency care (UK Emergency)
- Oncology (UK Oncology)
- Pediatric pulmonology and allergology (UK Pulmonology)
- Pediatric neurology (UK neurology)
- Neonatology (UK Neonatology)
- Hospice care (UK Hospice)
2. analysis of barriers and facilitators for implementing AAC in healthcare:
- Surveys with hospital staff
- Surveys with individuals with CCN
3. analysis of barriers and facilitators for barrierfree wayfinding and orientation in clinical settings:
- Surveys with hospital staff
- Surveys with parents
Franziska Brucke
Alternative and Augmentative Communication and Generative Artificial Intelligence - The Use of genAI in High-Tech Communication Aids
PhD Project: Alternative and Augmentative Communication and Generative Artificial Intelligence - The Use of genAI in High-Tech Communication Aids
The implementation of high-tech communication aids often fails due to a lack of support from the social environment (Braun, 2020; Garbe & Herrmann, 2020; Erdélyi & Thümmel, 2015). Studies show that negative attitudes and a lack of expertise among caregivers significantly increase the abandonment rate (Baxter et al., 2012; Donato et al., 2018; Johnson et al., 2006; Moorcroft et al., 2019; Soto et al., 2001). In light of the technological advancements in communication over the past five years, the question arises whether and how Generative Artificial Intelligence (genAI) can offer new solutions to this challenge in implementing Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) aids. GenAI, based on machine learning and large language models, generates contextually relevant and coherent content such as text or images using extensive training datasets. In the form of conversational agents (e.g., ChatGPT), genAI is capable of maintaining dialogues on nearly any topic (Gimpel et al., 2023). Despite its broad applications in communication, its potential use in AAC remains largely unexplored (Lang et al., 2023; Li et al., 2022; Neamtu et al., 2019; Sennott et al., 2019). This PhD project aims to explore the potential of genAI for AAC, addressing both opportunities and challenges of genAI-driven assistive technologies.
Bibliography/ List of References
- Baxter, S., Enderby, P., Evans, P. & Judge, S. (2012). Barriers and facilitators to the use of high-technology augmentative and alternative communication devices: a systematic review and qualitative synthesis. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, 47(2), 115-129.
- Braun, U. (2020). Development in AAC in Germany - a systematic introduction. In J. Boenisch & S. Sachse (Eds.), Compendium of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (S. 20-33). Stuttgart: Kohlhammer.
- Donato, C., Spencer, E. & Arthur-Kelly, M. (2018). A critical synthesis of barriers and facilitators to the use of AAC by children with autism spectrum disorder and their communication partners. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 34(3), 242-253.
- Erdélyi, A. & Thümmel, I. (2015). Help me to do it (myself)! New research-based concepts in UK professional development. Research Language. E-journal for speech and language therapy and language support, (1), 52-67.
- Gimpel, H., Hall, K., Decker, S., Eymann, T., Lämmermann, L., Mädche, A. et al. (2023). Unlocking the Power of Generative AI Models and Systems such as GPT-4 and ChatGPT for Higher Education: A Guide for Students and Lecturers. University of Hohenheim.
- Johnson, J. M., Inglebret, E., Jones, C. & Ray, J. (2006). Perspectives of speech language pathologists regarding success versus abandonment of AAC. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 22(2), 85-99.
- Lang, R., McLay, L. & Rispoli, M. (2023). Advanced Language Models: Potential to Improve Augmentative and Alternative Communication for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders, 7(3), 481-484.
- Li, W., Qiu, X., Li, Y., Ji, J., Liu, X. & Li, S. (2022). Towards a novel machine learning approach to support augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). International Journal of Speech Technology, 25(2), 331-341.
- Moorcroft, A., Scarinci, N. & Meyer, C. (2019). Speech pathologist perspectives on the acceptance versus rejection or abandonment of AAC systems for children with complex communication needs. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 35(3), 193-204.
- Neamtu, R., Camara, A., Pereira, C. & Ferreira, R. (2019). Using Artificial Intelligence for Augmentative Alternative Communication for Children with Disabilities (Lecture Notes in Computer Science). In D. Lamas, F. Loizides, L. Nacke, H. Petrie, M. Winckler & P. Zaphiris (Eds.), Human-Computer Interaction - INTERACT 2019 (Vol. 11746, pp. 234-243). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
- Sennott, S. C., Akagi, L., Lee, M. & Rhodes, A. (2019). AAC and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Topics in Language Disorders, 39(4), 389-403.
- Soto, G., Müller, E., Hunt, P. & Goetz, L. (2001). Professional Skills for Serving Students Who Use AAC in General Education Classrooms: A Team Perspective. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 32(1), 51-56.