Transparency of and preferences for Picture Communication Symbols and VoiceSymbol among young Taiwanese children with typical development

This study examined the transparency and preference for two augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) symbol collections—Picture Communication Symbols (PCS) and VoiceSymbol (VS)—among typically developing, Mandarin-speaking Taiwanese children. Thirty children (15 boys, 15 girls) completed two tasks: a transparency measurement matching spoken Mandarin referents (verbs and adjectives) to symbols in a six-symbol array, and a preference measurement using pairwise selection between VS and PCS. The results indicate no statistically significant difference in transparency between the VS and PCS; however, PCS symbols showed slightly higher transparency scores. Conversely, children demonstrated a statistically significant and strong preference for VS over PCS. These findings suggest that symbol transparency alone may not fully determine symbol preference, as preference may be influenced by other factors. While limited by a modest sample size (N = 30) and specific referents, this study provides insights into symbol perception within Taiwanese communities. Future research should expand the sample size, age groups, and linguistic categories to further explore these trends.