Background Although research on friendship among children without any reported disability is extensive, the investigation of the characteristics of friendship among children who are using augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) has received little attention. In this systematic literature review we investigated the current research on friendship between children who use AAC under 13 years of age. Method Database searches were undertaken with English search terms. The review included 8 articles. Results The results revealed that current research lacks systematic development of knowledge. Children using AAC have a different basis for establishing and developing friendship, due to restrictions in presence, participation, interaction, and communication with peers. Conclusions Future research could pay closer attention to how children using AAC develop friendship, and how such relationships can be supported. This research could usefully incorporate the body of research on friendship among children without disability.

Purpose: This paper investigates the perceptions among parents and staff of how relational aspects among students who use AAC, fellow students, and staff may affect the students’ social relationships. Methods: The study included semi-structured interviews of 6 parents and 18 staff to 7 students using AAC. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed by using a constructivist grounded theory approach. Results: The analysis identified several interactional facilitators and barriers to social relationships between students using AAC and fellow students. Conclusions: The results demonstrated the importance of considering personal as well as environmental facilitators and barriers to the student using AAC’s social relationships. The complexities in how these interactional facilitators and barriers interact with each other are discussed in relation to previous research. Of special importance for the development of the students’ social relationships was shared experiences between students using AAC and fellow students, environmental adaption and support provided by staff and fellow students, staff’s efforts in building goodwill for students using AAC, and fellow students’ confidence in using AAC. As confidence in communicating was associated with reduction of the consequences of challenging communication with students using AAC, the results indicated the importance of providing communication training to fellow students.

The characteristics of friendships among children who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) are not well understood. Research on friendships among children without disabilities has identified similarity to each other as a key characteristic among friends. The aim of this study was to identify and describe the friendships between students using AAC and fellow students in Norwegian mainstream public schools. Participants were students using AAC in first to fourth class, fellow students, parents, and staff. Data were analysed using a constructive grounded theory approach. The participants provided diverse reports about the friendships, although all students using AAC reported having friendships at school. The friendships were described by parents and staff as superficial and students using AAC were seldom perceived as playmates by fellow students. The results indicated that friendships between students using AAC and fellow students were often unilateral. The results are discussed along with the implications for future research.

Purpose: Friendships are enjoyable and desirable relationships with personal and developmental benefits for all people. However, individuals who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) experience barriers to developing and maintaining friendships. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs), with expertise in communication, social pragmatics, and AAC, are uniquely qualified to support friendship for individuals who use AAC. This clinical focus article provides a background on friendship and friendship development generally, then outlines considerations for SLPs to support individuals who use AAC to develop and maintain authentic friendships with peers across the lifespan. Conclusions: Communication with peers is an essential component of friendship development and maintenance. SLPs should recognize that they have clients on their caseloads who desire friendship and who likely experience barriers to developing or maintaining friendships. When SLPs have a friendship mindset, they identify authentic, motivating opportunities for social interaction; provide the needed tools, including AAC, to support communication within those opportunities; and target communicative competence as part of treatment.