Design and evaluation of validity of an electronic alternative and augmentative communication system for Persian-speaking children

Due to the high prevalence of communication disorders, augmentative and alternative communication methods are one the options ahead to solve the problems of these people. Since there are no complex tools for Persian-speaking children with communication disorders, we decided to design communication assistant software for these children that produces sound output.

In the first step, 337 basic Persian words were selected based on an extensive literature review on basic words of Persian-speaking children and consultation with experts. To evaluate the Content Validity Ratio (CVR) and the Content Validity Index (CVI), nine speech and language pathologists commented about the appropriateness of the words and 247 words remained. Then, the images of the remaining words were designed by a graphic designer, and, their CVI was evaluated by 6 speech and language pathologists. In the next step, words were audio recorded by an experienced speaker in the studio. Then, a programmer designed the AAC software as a cross-platform software based on the words and their images using the C # programming language.

According to Lawshe’s model, for nine experts, the words with a CVR value of >0.78 have remained. In addition, the CVI of the final 247 words was 0.95 and the total CVI for images was estimated as 0.8.

The results revealed that the designed electronic AAC system has a good content validity for Persian-speaking children with communication disorders.