Dr. Kevin Pitt, associate professor in the University of Nebraska–Lincoln's Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders, recently traveled to Zagreb, Croatia, to present his research on emerging technologies designed to improve communication access for individuals with complex communication needs.
Pitt was invited to speak at two international conferences, the International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (ISAAC) Forum, held Oct. 19-20, and the Assistive Technology and Augmentative and Alternative Communication (ATAAC) Conference, held Oct. 21-22.
Both events brought together researchers, clinicians, educators, and technology professionals from around the world to explore advances in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), a field focused on supporting individuals who experience difficulties communicating through speech.
Pitt, who directs Nebraska's Augmentative and Alternative Communication Translation (AACT) Lab, shared research exploring how artificial intelligence (AI) and brain-computer interface (BCI) technology could make AAC systems more accessible, personalized and responsive to the needs of their users.
At the inaugural ISAAC International Forum, Pitt participated in a panel discussion titled AI within AAC: A panel discussion exploring key pillars of AI in Augmentative and Alternative Communication.
His contribution focused on research investigating how AI can recognize emotional expressions and incorporate that information into AAC devices. The goal is to help individuals who rely on AAC communicate not only words and messages, but also the emotions that accompany them.
Traditional AAC systems can help users express their thoughts through symbols, text, or synthesized speech. However, conveying emotional meaning can present additional challenges. Pitt's research explores how AI-powered emotion recognition could help address those challenges by making communication systems more responsive to users' expressions.
In a 2026 preliminary study involving children with and without autism, Pitt and his collaborators examined the potential for AI to recognize facial expressions associated with different emotions. The findings demonstrated promising initial results, particularly in recognizing happiness, sadness and neutral expressions, while also identifying areas where further development is needed.
Following the ISAAC Forum, Pitt presented at the ATAAC Conference, one of Europe's largest professional gatherings focused on assistive technology and AAC.
His presentation, Beyond the BCI Speller: Rethinking Pediatric BCI-AAC with Symbol Grids and Visual Scene Displays, highlighted research exploring how brain-computer interfaces could provide additional communication access for children who use AAC.
BCI technology uses signals generated by the brain to interact with computers and other devices, potentially offering new communication opportunities for individuals with significant physical disabilities. While many existing BCI-based communication systems focus on selecting letters to spell words, Pitt's research investigates how the technology could be adapted to support picture-based communication systems commonly used by children.
His presentation explored the use of symbol grids and visual scene displays, which allow users to communicate through pictures and meaningful visual representations. The research also considers how children's perspectives and engaging interface features, including animation, could inform the development of more accessible systems.
Together, the two presentations reflected the broader mission of Pitt's AACT Lab, which combines emerging technology, clinical research and user-centered design to improve communication opportunities for people who rely on AAC. Through interdisciplinary collaborations, the lab investigates how advances in AI, BCI technology and AAC display design can be translated into practical communication tools.
Pitt's participation in the international conferences provided an opportunity to share Nebraska's research with a global audience while contributing to ongoing conversations about the future of accessible communication technology.
As these technologies continue to develop, Pitt's work emphasizes the importance of designing communication systems around the individuals who use them, helping create new possibilities for communication, self-expression, and independence.
