Revisiting communicative competence in augmentative and alternative communication

Objective: This tutorial paper is to explore the novel nature of communicative competence in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) practice by comparing it to communicative competence in naturally verbal dyadic communication. Patients and Methods: This paper first reviews the four domains of communicative competence in AAC practice. Second, it examines competence in dyadic communications between naturally verbal people without disabilities, deriving new insights and using these to analyze the evolution of communicative competence in AAC practice. Results: Communicative competence in AAC practice should be reconceptualized from a new perspective as dyadic, learned, co-constructed, and of relative value, ascertained through performance. Conclusion: In the past decades, the study of communicative competence in AAC practice has primarily focused on individual persons who use AAC. However, the conceptualization of communicative competence should shift away from an individualized construct toward a dyadic construct. This leads to a discussion of potential implications and future research directions. This paper might offer AAC researchers and practitioners an opportunity to deepen their understanding of communicative competence and promote more positive outcomes for people who use AAC.