Match tier
Confirmed
Presence
Current · Arkansas
Last published
2026
Sources
OpenAlex · ORCID
Refreshed
2026-08-20
C
Christine Holyfield
Affiliation confirmed via AI analysis of OpenAlex, ORCID, and web sources.
Federal Grant PI
Associate Professor
Also affiliated: Google (United States) (2021–2024); Pennsylvania State University (2016–2019); Hybrid Air Vehicles (United Kingdom) (2019); University Orthopedics Center (2019)
Faculty Researcher
16 h-index
54 pubs
752 cited
Research Areas
Biomedical Subjects
Links
Biography and Research Information
OverviewAI-generated summary
Christine Holyfield's research focuses on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) technologies, particularly for individuals with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities. Her work investigates the comparative effectiveness of various AAC modes, including mobile technology-based speech-generating devices, picture symbols, and text-only representations. She also examines the impact of different interaction approaches and the integration of high-tech AAC on communication skills and indices of happiness in school-aged children.
Holyfield has received significant federal funding, including a $749,960 NSF Convergence Accelerator grant for research on next-generation AI-powered AAC technology. Her scholarship also includes systematic reviews of evidence-based practices in AAC for individuals with autism, as well as explorations into integrating familiar listeners and speech recognition technologies into AAC interventions for adults with Down syndrome. Her research network includes numerous collaborators from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, such as Elizabeth R. Lorah and Nicolette Caldwell.
With an h-index of 16 and over 700 citations across more than 50 publications, Holyfield's contributions to the field of communication sciences and disorders are well-established. Her recent work explores the development of prototypes for automated augmented input using communication partner speech for minimally verbal children with autism, and the effects of AAC features on decoding and encoding skills in adults with Down syndrome.
Metrics
- h-index: 16
- Publications: 54
- Citations: 752
Selected Publications
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R2/R1-Integrating an AAC Literacy Feature into Shared Storybook Reading for Autistic Children Who Need or Rely on AAC (2026)
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R2/R1-Integrating an AAC Literacy Feature into Shared Storybook Reading for Autistic Children Who Need or Rely on AAC (2026)
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Evaluating Peer-Mediated Instruction for Children with Extensive Support Needs (2026)
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A Comparison of Visual Scene and Grid Displays during a Naturally Occurring Song Routine (2026)
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An Examination of Context-Aware Augmentative and Alternative Communication with Automated Response Options for Academic Communication From Autistic Children (2026)
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Helping or Homogenizing? GenAI as a Design Partner to Pre-Service SLPs for Just-in-Time Programming of AAC (2025)
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“It's a Lot of Collaboration”: Related Service Providers Supporting Literacy Instruction for Learners Who Use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (2025)
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Effect of AAC intervention on communication within social routines from preschool-age emerging symbolic communicators with developmental disabilities (2025)
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Future of AAC technologies: priorities for inclusive innovation (2025)
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External challenges for individuals who need or use AAC who are learning language: lived experiences, key research findings, and future directions (2025)
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Overcoming barriers to literacy for individuals who need or use AAC: lived experiences, key research findings, and future directions (2025)
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Effect of AAC technology with embedded literacy supports on the participation of children who are emerging symbolic communicators during shared reading (2025)
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Effect of explicit literacy instruction on letter-sound correspondence acquisition for a child with cerebral palsy who uses AAC eye gaze (2025)
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The feasibility of just-in-time programming of visual scene displays on mobile technology in AAC intervention for adult beginning communicators (2025)
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Effects of Augmentative and Alternative Communication Intervention on School Readiness Skills from Young Children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (2025)
Federal Grants 1 $749,960 total
Collaboration Network
Top Collaborators
Elizabeth R. Lorah
University of Arkansas at Fayetteville
15 shared publications
In database
- A Systematic Review of Research Comparing Mobile Technology Speech-Generating Devices to Other AAC Modes with Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder
- A Systematic Review of Evidence-based Instruction for Individuals with Autism Using Mobile Augmentative and Alternative Communication Technology
- Effects of High-tech Versus Low-tech AAC on Indices of Happiness for School-aged Children with Multiple Disabilities
- Leveraging Communication Partner Speech to Automate Augmented Input for Children on the Autism Spectrum Who Are Minimally Verbal: Prototype Development and Preliminary Efficacy Investigation
- Typical preschoolers’ perceptions of augmentative and alternative communication modes of a preschooler with autism spectrum disorder
Showing 5 of 15 shared publications
Nicolette Caldwell
University of Arkansas at Fayetteville
8 shared publications
In database
- A Systematic Review of Evidence-based Instruction for Individuals with Autism Using Mobile Augmentative and Alternative Communication Technology
- Leveraging Communication Partner Speech to Automate Augmented Input for Children on the Autism Spectrum Who Are Minimally Verbal: Prototype Development and Preliminary Efficacy Investigation
- Effects of Interaction Approaches and Added High-Tech Augmentative and Alternative Communication on Prelinguistic and Linguistic Communication from School-Age Beginning Communicators
- Increasing linguistic and prelinguistic communication for social closeness during naturalistic AAC instruction with young children on the autism spectrum
- Spurring Innovation in AAC Technology through Collaborative Dreaming and Needs Finding with Individuals with Developmental Disabilities Who Use AAC
Showing 5 of 8 shared publications
Stephen MacNeil
Temple University (US)
8 shared publications
- Leveraging Communication Partner Speech to Automate Augmented Input for Children on the Autism Spectrum Who Are Minimally Verbal: Prototype Development and Preliminary Efficacy Investigation
- Spurring Innovation in AAC Technology through Collaborative Dreaming and Needs Finding with Individuals with Developmental Disabilities Who Use AAC
- Exploring the use of Generative AI to Support Automated Just-in-Time Programming for Visual Scene Displays
- Preliminary Investigation of Context-Aware Augmentative and Alternative Communication with Automated Just-in-Time Cloze Phrase Response Options for Social Participation from Children on the Autism Spectrum
- Exploring Engagement Opportunities for Autistic Children: Using AAC as a Controller in a Wizard-of-Oz Coloring Game
Showing 5 of 8 shared publications
Janice Light
Pennsylvania State University (US)
5 shared publications
- Effects of an AAC feature on decoding and encoding skills of adults with Down syndrome
- Effects of an Augmentative and Alternative Communication Technology Decoding Feature on Single-Word Reading by Individuals With Down Syndrome and Limited Functional Speech
- External challenges for individuals who need or use AAC who are learning language: lived experiences, key research findings, and future directions
- Overcoming barriers to literacy for individuals who need or use AAC: lived experiences, key research findings, and future directions
- Effect of AAC technology with embedded literacy supports on the participation of children who are emerging symbolic communicators during shared reading
Brenna Griffen
Louisiana State University in Shreveport (US)
5 shared publications
- Increasing linguistic and prelinguistic communication for social closeness during naturalistic AAC instruction with young children on the autism spectrum
- Preliminary Investigation of Context-Aware Augmentative and Alternative Communication with Automated Just-in-Time Cloze Phrase Response Options for Social Participation from Children on the Autism Spectrum
- Evaluating Artificial Intelligence on the Efficacy of Preference Assessments for Preservice Speech-Language Pathologists
- Effect of AAC intervention on communication within social routines from preschool-age emerging symbolic communicators with developmental disabilities
- An Examination of Context-Aware Augmentative and Alternative Communication with Automated Response Options for Academic Communication From Autistic Children
Tara O’Neill Zimmerman
University of Arkansas at Fayetteville (US)
4 shared publications
- Leveraging Communication Partner Speech to Automate Augmented Input for Children on the Autism Spectrum Who Are Minimally Verbal: Prototype Development and Preliminary Efficacy Investigation
- Effects of Interaction Approaches and Added High-Tech Augmentative and Alternative Communication on Prelinguistic and Linguistic Communication from School-Age Beginning Communicators
- A Scoping Review of Research Evaluating Physiological Information for Individuals With Developmental Disabilities: Augmentative and Alternative Communication Research Considerations
- Preliminary Investigation of Context-Aware Augmentative and Alternative Communication with Automated Just-in-Time Cloze Phrase Response Options for Social Participation from Children on the Autism Spectrum
Jessica Caron
Pennsylvania State University (US)
4 shared publications
- Effect of Low-Tech Augmentative and Alternative Communication Intervention on Intentional Triadic Gaze as Alternative Access by School-Age Children With Multiple Disabilities
- Effect of explicit literacy instruction on letter-sound correspondence acquisition for a child with cerebral palsy who uses AAC eye gaze
- “It's a Lot of Collaboration”: Related Service Providers Supporting Literacy Instruction for Learners Who Use Augmentative and Alternative Communication
- Effect of AAC intervention on communication within social routines from preschool-age emerging symbolic communicators with developmental disabilities
Slobodan Vučetić
Temple University (US)
4 shared publications
- Leveraging Communication Partner Speech to Automate Augmented Input for Children on the Autism Spectrum Who Are Minimally Verbal: Prototype Development and Preliminary Efficacy Investigation
- Spurring Innovation in AAC Technology through Collaborative Dreaming and Needs Finding with Individuals with Developmental Disabilities Who Use AAC
- Preliminary Investigation of Context-Aware Augmentative and Alternative Communication with Automated Just-in-Time Cloze Phrase Response Options for Social Participation from Children on the Autism Spectrum
- Exploring Engagement Opportunities for Autistic Children: Using AAC as a Controller in a Wizard-of-Oz Coloring Game
Lauramarie Pope
Auburn University (US)
3 shared publications
- Effects of an AAC feature on decoding and encoding skills of adults with Down syndrome
- Effects of an Augmentative and Alternative Communication Technology Decoding Feature on Single-Word Reading by Individuals With Down Syndrome and Limited Functional Speech
- Effect of AAC technology with embedded literacy supports on the participation of children who are emerging symbolic communicators during shared reading
Erik Jakobs
Pennsylvania State University (US)
3 shared publications
- Effects of an AAC feature on decoding and encoding skills of adults with Down syndrome
- Effects of an Augmentative and Alternative Communication Technology Decoding Feature on Single-Word Reading by Individuals With Down Syndrome and Limited Functional Speech
- Effect of AAC technology with embedded literacy supports on the participation of children who are emerging symbolic communicators during shared reading
David McNaughton
Pennsylvania State University (US)
3 shared publications
- Effects of an AAC feature on decoding and encoding skills of adults with Down syndrome
- Effects of an Augmentative and Alternative Communication Technology Decoding Feature on Single-Word Reading by Individuals With Down Syndrome and Limited Functional Speech
- Overcoming barriers to literacy for individuals who need or use AAC: lived experiences, key research findings, and future directions
Eduard Dragut
Temple University (US)
3 shared publications
- Leveraging Communication Partner Speech to Automate Augmented Input for Children on the Autism Spectrum Who Are Minimally Verbal: Prototype Development and Preliminary Efficacy Investigation
- Spurring Innovation in AAC Technology through Collaborative Dreaming and Needs Finding with Individuals with Developmental Disabilities Who Use AAC
- Preliminary Investigation of Context-Aware Augmentative and Alternative Communication with Automated Just-in-Time Cloze Phrase Response Options for Social Participation from Children on the Autism Spectrum
Cynthia Zastudil
Temple University (US)
3 shared publications
- Exploring the use of Generative AI to Support Automated Just-in-Time Programming for Visual Scene Displays
- Predictive Anchoring: A Novel Interaction to Support Contextualized Suggestions for Grid Displays
- Helping or Homogenizing? GenAI as a Design Partner to Pre-Service SLPs for Just-in-Time Programming of AAC
Kathryn D. R. Drager
Pennsylvania State University (US)
2 shared publications
- Integrating familiar listeners and speech recognition technologies into augmentative and alternative communication intervention for adults with down syndrome: Descriptive exploration
- The feasibility of just-in-time programming of visual scene displays on mobile technology in AAC intervention for adult beginning communicators
Brenna Griffen
University of Arkansas at Fayetteville (US)
2 shared publications
- A Systematic Review of Research Comparing Mobile Technology Speech-Generating Devices to Other AAC Modes with Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder
- A Systematic Review of Evidence-based Instruction for Individuals with Autism Using Mobile Augmentative and Alternative Communication Technology
Similar Researchers
Based on overlapping research topics
Elizabeth R. Lorah
University of Arkansas at Fayetteville
Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
Mobile Health and mHealth Applications
Augmentative and Alternative Communication
Cody Lindbloom
University of Arkansas at Fayetteville
Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
Mobile Health and mHealth Applications
Meta-analysis and systematic reviews
Ahmed Abu Halimeh
University of Arkansas at Little Rock
Mobile Health and mHealth Applications
Machine Learning Applications
Health and Medical Research Impacts
Madison Morris
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
Meta-analysis and systematic reviews
Health and Medical Research Impacts
Sayon Karmakar
University of Arkansas at Little Rock
Mobile Health and mHealth Applications
Machine Learning Applications
Health and Medical Research Impacts
Nicolette Caldwell
University of Arkansas at Fayetteville
Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
Meta-analysis and systematic reviews
Machine Learning Applications