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IntroductionTreloar College is a National Specialist FE College for young people between 16 and 25 with physical disabilities.
30% of our students use AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication).
Outreach Services
Aims of session
• Overview of a young person’s journey from no AAC to acceptance of low and high tech communication methods.
• How consistency and similarity between low and high tech AAC facilitated use of both systems.
• The benefit of the above in facilitating acceptance and increased use of AAC.
Case StudyCeris came to Treloar College in 2009, having been a student at Treloar School previously. She has CP and is non-verbal. Studying at Entry Level 2/3:
• When she arrived, she had no wordbook and had no high tech AAC device.
• Family had reinforced to her that she could be understood non-verbally.
• She came into college with an established group of friends who reinforced that she could communicate her thoughts and wishes non-verbally and they could interpret for her. Friends were all verbal communicators.
• She had used a Pathfinder, learning LLL at school, but was lacking in motivation to continue with this and she was struggling.
• Access to alternative communication methods was complex and de-motivating.
Therapy plan
• To introduce an AAC method
• To review access methods through multidisciplinary working
• To find something that would motivate her to communicate
What is the Treloar Vocabulary?
• Identified a need for an adult vocabulary
• The need for focus on social interaction identified by students
• Created vocabulary that merged student priorities with other good aspects of existing programmes
Therapy process
• Initial sessions – unfamiliar people, talking about things out of context using only non-verbal methods.
• Introduction of Treloar Vocabulary wordbook – with extensive personalisation.
• Encouragement to use!
• Simultaneous review of access methods – to inform overall assessment process for AAC. Ceris also compliant and willing to look at this.
Treloar Vocabulary - purpose
• Symbol based program for students with limited or emerging literacy
• Students with recognised learning difficulties
• Students with recognised language difficulties
• Need for functional communication
• Focus on social interaction
• Vocabulary content beyond school into the adult world
• Corresponding low and high tech formats
• Combination of individual words, sentence starter phrases and pre-stored sentences. PCS symbol based.
• Organised by categories accessed from a contents page.
• Clear layout using simple colour coding.
• Consistent placement of function symbols on each page (ie page links)
• Vocabulary including nouns, verbs, adjectives plus words used to express individual thoughts and opinions. Based around how language is used more than what it contains or how it is constructed.
• Quick links to other relevant pages from each page.
Treloar Vocabulary Wordbook
• Specific chat phrases and questions pages – quick access for fast chat situations.
• Vocabulary to construct individual questions as well.
• Teenage/adult vocab for insults, chat up and compliments.
• Pages for specific situations: Doctors appointments, hairdressers, shopping, café, cinema, booking a taxi and pub.
• Specific pages and vocab for expressing opinions and thoughts.
• Designed to be a starting point and then individualised with vocabulary depending on person’s needs.
Treloar Vocabulary Wordbook
I want to talk!
• Discussing personal topics – growing realisation by Ceris that she wanted to take more control of this.
• Ceris’s established group of friends and boyfriend left college – who could interpret now?
• 1st day back in 3rd Year – “I want a talker!”
High Tech AAC Introduced
• Treloar Vocabulary on assessment Tellus• Switch access• Proposed staged introduction – limited time each day• Reality - Ceris wouldn’t leave SLT without it! “I want
it!”• Supported by AAC technician every afternoon in
class• Time spent personalising the high tech vocabulary to
mirror Ceris’s wordbook – on going simultaneous updates
Progress • Rapid functional use of high tech AAC
• Still used in combination with the wordbook – Ceris decides when and where
• Use of high tech AAC in the community – developing independence
• More independent communication within class and with familiar people
• Increased motivation to communicate in different situations – phone calls.
• Increased involvement in planning, decision making and controlling her environment.
Outcomes
• Ceris leaving college with her own communication system – low and high tech AAC.
• Similar findings with other students
• Growth in ability to communicate independently
• Updating both high tech and low tech vocabularies is key for continuity, full use and continued motivation
• Treloar Vocabulary (low and high tech) continues to evolve from student use
• Implications for funding
Contact Details
Trudy Bore
Speech & Language Therapist
Treloar College
Holybourne
Hampshire GU34 4EN
email: [email protected]
Tel: 01420 547400 Ext: 6452
Treloar Trust, Upper Froyle, Alton, Hampshire GU34 4JXTel 01420 526526 Fax 01420 23957 Email [email protected] www.treloar.org.uk