Handheld electronic devices in the form of speech generating devices (SGD), have become increasingly prevalent in today’s society for individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (I/DD). These tools have been demonstrated to be effective through various research studies, promoting its development of attaining its status as an evidence based practice. This literature review encompasses ten research studies evaluating the effects of handheld mobile technological devices (e.g., iPad, iPad Mini, iPod), as SGDs by means of fostering functional communication skills such as madding, responding, commenting and discriminating between stimuli in individuals with I/DD. The research question imposed for this literature review involves the effectiveness of technological devices as a form of teaching communication skills to individuals with I/DD who have little to no speech abilities. Through the findings in this review, the results suggest an overall increase in communication through various forms for all participants involved. This suggests continued support for the use of handheld computing devices as SGDs for individuals with I/DD. Future directions in research can include advancements in teaching of more complex forms of communication such as requesting using full sentences, independently asking questions, in addition to inclusion of social factors for communication such as eye contact, smiling, and body posture.
