Communication patterns of youth with mental retardation with and without their speech-output communication devices.

The communication skills of 13 youth with moderate or severe mental retardation were compared while they communicated with a "standard partner" with and without access to their communication devices. When participants employed the communication device, they were able to convey more appropriate information as well as clearer and more specific information to an unfamiliar adult partner than they were able to convey without the device. These findings highlight the distinct contributions the participants' use of an augmented communication device make to the overall communicative interaction.