Attitudes and Perceived Communicative Competence: The Impact of Different AAC Means of Communication among Italian Teenagers

People interact with individuals who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) based on personal attitudes and perceived communicative competence. The purpose of this study is to investigate how different means of communication, such as an iPad-based Speech Generating Device (SGD), a communication board, and natural speech influence the attitudes towards and the perceived communicative competence of a teenager with a disability among Italian teenagers. The inclusion of natural speech as a means of communication aims to further study the nature of the interaction among teenagers and their peers with disabilities in a school setting. We used the CATCH questionnaire to measure attitudes, and the communicative competence questionnaire to assess the perceived communicative competence. The results of this study show that both gender and the type of media used have an impact on the attitudes and on perceived communicative competence.