Do’s and Don’ts of implementing REAL communication through AAC

AGOSCI 2015!

David Niemeijer!AssistiveWare!

Jane Farrall!Jane Farrall Consulting!

Overview

•  The challenge!

•  Counterproductive!

•  systems!

•  context!

•  practices!

•  Productive practices!

The Challenge

•  More high-tech AAC users than ever!

•  But, does getting an iPad and an AAC app deliver REAL communication?!

•  How do you achieve communicative competence?!

Communicative Competence

• Linguistic Competence !• Operational Competence !• Social Competence !• Strategic Competence!!(Light, 1989; Light & McNaughton, 2014)

Counterproductive Practices

Counterproductive Systems

•  Provide a system with only a handful of choices!

•  Put mainly nouns in the system!

•  Focus on adding academic vocabulary to the system!

•  Creating custom pages for specific activities!

Too Many Nouns!

Wants page!

Home page!

Counterproductive Context

•  Demand prerequisite skills!

•  Require mastery of every step before moving further!

•  Give someone a system without modeling its use!

•  Provide a vocabulary without a communication context!

•  Limit access to the communication device!

•  Starting with simple “beginning” AAC systems!

No prerequisites !

“My daughter was started with a BIGmack and advanced to a Go Talk 4+, with the idea she might advance further to a Go Talk 20 and maybe

one day, if all the stars aligned and she was a very good girl, a DynaVox. Nothing about this changing technology supported her to build a

foundation of language development.” !

Erin Sheldon, QIAT Listserve, 21/03/2013!!!!!!!!

Rethinking our own practices !!

“WE USED TO THINK: Start with just a few (4-6) picture symbols and add a few more at a time, as the student with ASD shows that he or she can communicate

appropriately with them usually by requesting.”

“NOW WE THINK: Really? Where is the research that defends this practice? This is certainly not how other kids learn new words and acquire language”!

!Pat Mirenda, ISAAC Portugal 2014!

!!!!!!!

Counter-productive practices

•  Use the AAC system to quiz or test!

•  Ask questions the AAC user knows you already know the answer to!

•  Reward communication with food!

•  Require the AAC user to say it ALSO with “their words”!

Productive practices

AAC Success

Factors impacting long-term success!•  Person who uses AAC system experiences success 91.76%!•  Degree to which the system is valued by the user and partners

as a means of communication 90.58%!•  System serves a variety of communicative functions 89.85%!•  System is used for communication, not just as a toy or therapy

tool (Real communication) 87.20%!•  Other areas:!

•  Appropriate device selected !•  Support for system!

!Johnson, et al. (2006)

Productive practices •  Don’t aim too low!

•  Provide access to high & low tech!

•  Use a well-designed research-based vocabulary!

•  Provide appropriate access!

•  Have the device available at all times!

•  Use Aided Language Stimulation!

•  Provide specific vocabulary instruction!

•  Teach how to describe words that are not on the device!

•  Create communication opportunities!

•  Allow exploration!

•  Work towards literacy and language!

•  Respect multi-model communication!

Remember

•  Behavioural issues will decline with REAL communication!

•  Academic goals will follow REAL communication!

•  Communication is essential!!

References

•  Johnson, J.M., Inglebret, E., Jones, C., & Ray, J. (2006). Perspectives of Speech Language Pathologists regarding success versus abandonment of AAC. Augmentative and Alternative Communication 22 (2), 85-99.!

•  Light, J. (1989). Towards a definition of communicative competence for individuals using augmentative and alternative communication systems. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 5, 137– 144.!

•  Light, J. & McNaughton, D. (2014). Communicative Competence for Individuals who require Augmentative and Alternative Communication: A New Definition for a New Era of Communication? Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 30, 1– 18.!

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