by Julia Wynne, MA, CCC-SLP (Speech-Language Pathologist); NWACS Board Member

Most students in 2020 use internet-based social media to connect and network with friends. Around the world, a large portion of social communication happens on social media. AAC research in recent years has highlighted that having access to social media for individuals with complex communication needs can positively impact inclusion with peers (Hemsley et al., 2017). Therefore, social media and digital education must be provided to these students in the school setting. Teaching these valuable skills to those with complex communication needs can allow these individuals to participate in this new social world. This article explores the use of social media for a group of adolescents with complex communication needs in Germany, as measured by a survey.

Below you will find definitions of some key terms. Keywords will be bolded throughout the blog. You’ll then find the research questions, the importance of the research and a summary of the findings, followed by the most important takeaways from the research article below. Enjoy!

Social Media and Internet Use Patterns by Adolescents With Complex Communication Needs

Digital Literacy Skills: allow individuals to understand the media, assess the content, and make informed decisions about the information they are seeing

Inclusion: students with special needs are included in the school community and spend most or all of their time in school with non-disabled peers

The researchers were aiming to answer three key questions:

1. How are young people with complex communication needs in Germany using the internet and social media when compared with people that are the same age?

2. What helps these individuals use these technologies and what holds them back?

3. How do these patterns of use compare with other countries?

Learning “digital literacy skills” is especially difficult for individuals with complex communication needs due to challenges with literacy development, as well as motor impairments that would make it hard to use a keyboard or access devices. A previous study by researchers in Australia showed that young people with disabilities were mostly using the internet for passive activities, such as watching videos or playing games alone (Raghavendra et al., 2015).  

Schools are places of learning about how to participate actively in social life and technology is becoming more and more ingrained in the social lives of students. Therefore, it is important that the school system teaches students with complex communication needs to overcome these barriers. Mobile devices are becoming more widely available and many AAC systems allow the individual to access the internet and social media platforms. Interacting with peers on social media may also reduce the pressure of time that is faced when these individuals are interacting face to face. Using social media allows individuals with disabilities to connect with peers and will allow greater participation in school, social life, and at work.

24 participants with complex communication needs that were between the ages of 10 to 25 completed a questionnaire. The questionnaire was split into two parts. The first part asked the participants about demographic information, level of parent education, literacy skills, use of AAC, motor skills, and communication skills. The second part of the questionnaire asked the participants about internet and social media usage.

When asked about what stops them from using the internet, the students reported the following reasons: motor limitations, literacy, lack of support, and worries. According to the study, these individuals reported that they use the internet most often for recreation and engaged in less social communication compared with their non-disabled peers. Those who did use the internet for social interaction mostly used e-mail rather than what is popular with their peers because that is what the people supporting them (e.g., teachers, parents) used. Motor issues were common, but technology was able to help overcome these challenges. Literacy challenges, however, resulted in reduced internet use for most of the participants.

The individuals that participated in the study wanted to use social media to connect with others more often than they do. The most significant barrier to participating in social media platforms was found to be low literacy skills, which was also true in studies from other countries. The results of the study showed that individuals with complex communication needs are disadvantaged by their access to the internet and social media. This lack of access could then negatively affect their ability to participate with their peers.

Making web pages easier to navigate, as well as teaching necessary digital literacy skills to students can help to remove these barriers. Having peers involved in teaching these skills may support students’ use of media by people of the same age, rather than older people (e.g., parents, teachers). Supporting and teaching these vital digital literacy skills in schools can provide more opportunities for students with complex communication needs to experience more opportunities for inclusion with their peers.

The researchers reported some limitations of the study, such as having the participants self-report about their motor, AAC, and literacy skills. Also, the survey questions were too complicated for some of the participants who needed simplified language during face-to-face interviews, meaning that the questionnaire was not standardized for all participants.

Please comment below with any thoughts or questions!  

Full article link:  https://doi.org/10.1044/2020_LSHSS-19-00072

Images include Boardmaker PCS. The Picture Communication Symbols ©1981–2018 by Mayer-Johnson LLC. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Used with permission.

References:

Bosse, I., Renner, G., & Wilkens, L. (2020). Social Media and Internet Use Patterns by Adolescents With Complex Communication Needs. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 1-13. doi:10.1044/2020_lshss-19-00072

Hemsley, B., Balandin, S., Palmer, S., & Dann, S. (2017). A call for innovative social media research in the field of augmentative and alternative communication. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 33(1), 14–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/07434618.2016.1273386

Raghavendra, P., Newman, L., Wood, D., Grace, E., & Hutchinson, C. (2015). “It’s helped me connect with more friends”: Supporting social media use to enhance the social networks of young people with disabilities living in rural South Australia: Research report to the national disability research and development agenda. Adelaide.

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