ATI 2014 Motor Implications in ASD & AAC, Meier

Motor Implications in ASD & AAC

Gwendolyn Meier, SLP, MTVilla Esperanza Services

[email protected]

Monday, February 3, 14

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Motor Skills Play a Role

• AAC Assessment

• Teaching

• Prompting

• Communication displays - high & low tech

• Core vocabulary learning & use


Moving to Budapest!


Moving to Budapest!


AAC Assessment

• The snapshot

• Icon recognition (e.g., TASP)

• Present a few systems

• The full assessment

• Trial/teaching period

• Final recommendation


Teaching AAC• HOW are we teaching this new language?

Hungarian:

• More likely to learn in meaningful chunks at first

• Before segmentation occurs

Is there someone here who speaks English?Beszél itt valaki angolul? (BE-seyl it VÅ-lå-ki ÅN-go-loul)

Where is the toilet? Hol van a mosdó? (hol vån å MOSH-doa?)



In AAC:

• More likely to learn sequences made meaningful by the reaction they elicit



Hungarian:

• Flashcards?

• Scripted interaction?

• Conversation?



In AAC:

• Icon recognition?

• Verbal cues?

• Motor patterns?

• Gesture cues?

• Visual cues?

• Labeling?

• Requesting?

• Answering questions?


• Conversation?


Teaching Language• Use strengths to shore up weaknesses

In autism:

(-) Auditory weakness

(-) Symbolic weakness

(+) Visual strength

(?) Motor skills


Teaching Language

• Modeling and Augmented input highlight the auditory boundaries between words

• Human speech alone does not


Teaching Language• Neurons that fire together, wire together

(Hebb’s rule)

• Seeing and hearing language

• Add motor pattern

• With the motor pattern for producing words comes increased ability to perceive that word in spoken language*


In infancy...

• With the motor pattern for producing words comes increased ability to perceive that word in spoken language*

*Halloran & Halloran, 2006. Language Acquisition Through Motor Planning. Center for AAC and Autism.


AAC is a Multi-Sensory Language

Modeling & Augmented Input

• See the visual, See the movement, Hear the auditory feedback, Experience the natural consequence


Language Acquisition......requires organization and interpretation of the world through a system of symbols and referents.

catball

bed


Language Acquisition......requires organization and interpretation of the world through a system of symbols and referents.

• AAC visuals (objects, photos, icon, text) add an element of “referent” to spoken words that have no physical referent

outsidegowant


The key to making the iconic or arbitrary symbol-to-referent connection may be in the

comprehension skill that the learner brings to the task.

Namy, L., Campbell, A. & Tomasello, M. (2004). The changing role of iconicity in non-verbal symbol learning. Journal of Cognition & Development, 5, 37-57.

Symbol Comprehension


Symbol Comprehension• Without understanding of the

referent, the iconicity of the visual symbol may not affect his learning of its meaning

✴ The iconic symbol may appear just as meaningless as the arbitrary symbol until it is given meaning through its use

Barton, A., Sevik, R. & Romski, M.. (2006). Exploring Visual-Graphic Symbol Acquisition by Preschool Age Children with Developmental and Language Delays. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, Vol 22(1), 10-20.


PECS & Symbol Comprehension

• PECS Phase 3: Discrimination Training

- Aims to teach icon discrimination skills given a limited field of choices

TM

TM


Picture Communication BooksRely on icon association/

understanding


A Dual Role for Symbols

• Visual-graphic AAC icons themselves play a role in their acquisition

• The message to represent an idea

AND

• The medium to achieve communication

Sevcik, R. A., Romski, M. A., & Wilkinson, K. (1991). Roles of graphic symbols in the language acquisition process for persons with severe cognitive disabilities. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 7, 161–170.


VIDEO

• Core vocab teaching in ASD w/AAC


• How is her icon recognition?

• How is she going to learn to use “Put” + “on” to request?



In AAC:

• Icon recognition?

• Verbal cues?

• Motor patterns?

• Gesture cues?

• Visual cues?

• Labeling?

• Requesting?

• Answering questions?


• Conversation?


So, how do we teach new movement patterns?


Model + Consequence

$$$ What’s the pay off $$$$


Visual Cues?


Physical Support for the Correct Movement Pattern

PROMPT TM


Practice! Practice! Practice!

DailyOver time

With supportWith meaningful consequences


Motor Skills in ASD

• Various altered motor behaviors in autism:

• Slower repetitive hand movements

• Slower and less accurate manual dexterity

• Reduced ability for rapidly alternating movements (diadochokinesis)

Staples & Reid. (2010). Fundamental movement skills and autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, Vol 40(2), pp. 209-217.


Motor Skills in ASD1. Implicit motor learning processes are

relatively intact in autism

* Gowen, E. & Hamilton, A. (2013). Motor Abilities in Autism: A Review Using a Computational Context. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, Vol 43(2), pp 323-344.




2. Reaction times improve to the level of NT subjects given repetition

• Serial reaction time task (SRT)

* Gowen, E. & Hamilton, A. (2013). Motor Abilities in Autism: A Review Using a Computational Context. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, Vol 43(2), pp 323-344.


Serial Reaction Time Task





2. Reaction times improve to the level of NT subjects given repetition

• Serial reaction time task (SRT)

3. Proprioceptive input may be more reliable than visual input when learning new motor patterns

Gowen, E. & Hamilton, A. (2013). Motor Abilities in Autism: A Review Using a Computational Context. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, Vol 43(2), pp 323-344.


Imagine...PECS Phase 1• Learning the “give” efficiency with practice


Pick from the Right


• Use motor learning strength to teach the motor pattern

• Paired with a motivating consequence


• Then reduce the amount of visual cue


Motor Plan VS. Icon Comprehension• Consistent placement of icons and

meaningful use of them in communication may be more important than iconicity of the picture

• Learners don't need to be able to recognize/"point to"/"give" an icon that is named before they can use that icon to get something done in the world


Motor Plan VS. Icon Recognition• Consistent placement of icons and

meaningful use of them in communication may be more important than symbol iconicity

• Learners don't need to be able to recognize/"point to"/"give" a icon that is named before they can use that icon to get something done in the world


Why Teach Core Vocab?

YouTubeMonday, February 3, 14

Why the fuss about Motor Learning?

EVERY learned physical activity depends on motor learning

• Walking, driving, climbing/descending stairs, eating, dressing, typing, reading, Smartphone or computer access


Automatic Motor Patterns


When motor patterns change...

Automatic

Volitional


Imagine...




When Motor Patterns Change

• It brings our awareness to our movements

• Requires re-learning

• Ideation - Plan - Execution - Feedback

✴ Not conducive to communicating!


Speaking

• Automatic motor patterns for words and phrases are established as meaning is attached (in infancy)

• We don’t think about how to physically speak

• Focus on: the words to use, how it will be interpreted, our listener’s background...etc.


AAC Automaticity is aided when:

1. Consistent motor patterns to access vocabulary we need

2. There is a unique pattern to reach your word, regardless of the activity

3. Reliable, motivating consequences for use of symbols

Halloran & Halloran, 2006. Language Acquisition Through Motor Planning. Center for AAC and Autism.


Consistent motor patterns are extremely important when...

• When using multiple pages of vocabulary

• Visual tracking and scanning are not efficient

• When icon recognition is weak

• Teaching the use of core vocabulary and use of more abstract vocab/symbols

• A visual search is meaningless


When Motor Patterns Change• By shifting locations of pictures:

• Awareness moves from the message to the execution

• We are actually testing

• Visual scanning skills

• Icon association/understanding

• Adding cognitive load✴ Not conducive to communicating!


We can take advantage of motor learning when:

• Patterns build upon themselves as language grow

• Plan the end at the beginning

• Preserve relative location


Between activity-based pages...preserve location

Classroom Snack


Consistent Placement


Another benefit...


Today Tomorrow

“Here is your schedule”Monday, February 3, 14

As language system grows...preserve location


Motor patterns don’t change


NEW! in 2013




When we use motor learning to our advantage...

• Our lower-functioning students can generate multi-word phrases...

...across multiple pages

...using core vocabulary

...for greater communicative competence!


AAC News & Info


Date post:	14-Jan-2015
Category:	Education
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ATI 2014 Motor Implications in ASD & AAC, Meier

Education