Abstract

Objective: To determine the effects of augmentative and alternative communication in children with cerebral palsy.
Methodology: This Randomized Control Trial was conducted at Riphah International University, from February 1st to July 31st, 2023. A total of 32 Cerebral Palsy children, aged 3 to 15 years of both genders were recruited randomly and assigned into two equal groups, (16 in control and treatment group). Low-tech Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) was used as an intervention and Robertson Dysarthria profile for pre- and post-Intervention Assessment. The intervention was carried out for 6 weeks (3 sessions/week for 40 minutes). SPSS 23 was used for data analysis.
Results: There was no significant (p>0.05) difference between control and treatment group pre-treatment. Post-treatment results revealed significant difference between control and treatment groups with higher scores for treatment group for respiration (p=0.000) and phonation (p=0.000).
Conclusion: Intervention with low-tech PECS showed significantly better results compared to conventional speech and language therapy for communication in children with Cerebral Palsy.

Key words: Communication, cerebral palsy, language therapy, speech therapy.