Gateways to Friendships among Students who use AAC in Mainstream Primary School

Jørn Østvik; Borgunn Ytterhus; Susan Balandin

doi:10.16993/sjdr.51

Gateways to Friendships among Students who use AAC in Mainstream Primary School

Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research

Volume 20 (2018): Issue 1

By: Jørn Østvik, Borgunn Ytterhus and Susan Balandin

Open Access

|Feb 2018

Abstract

This study explores the personal characteristics that influence the establishment of friendships among seven students who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) and fellow students in primary school. Students using AAC, fellow students, parents, and school staff were interviewed about how the students established friendships at school. The results revealed that students using AAC and fellow students exerted agency in friendship establishment by showing clear preferences for people and activities. Fellow students reported a larger number of personal as well as interactional qualifiers for friendship than students who used AAC. Implications of the findings are discussed.

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Articles in this issue

DOI: https://doi.org/10.16993/sjdr.51 | Journal eISSN: 1745-3011

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Language: English

Page range: 92 - 101

Submitted on: Aug 30, 2017

Accepted on: Aug 30, 2017

Published on: Feb 1, 2018

Published by: Stockholm University Press

In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services

Keywords:

friendship establishment,

Children,

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC),

Agency,

School

© 2018 Jørn Østvik, Borgunn Ytterhus, Susan Balandin, published by Stockholm University Press
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Volume 20 (2018): Issue 1