CLASSROOM COMMUNICATION: HOW WE USE AND LEARN LANGUAGE WITH AAC BEYOND REQUESTING Holly Schneider, MA, CCC SLP Clinical Applications Specialist Vicki Clarke, MS CCC SLP President, My Dynamic Therapy, Inc. Teaching is the missing key. During most training for professionals specializing in Assistive Technology, there is no focus on implementation..extensive, intensive teaching during implementation is the key to success (Meyers & Horton, 2001). Positive Communication Environment PAI Chain of Cues Scripting Sabotage 2 TEACHING SPECIFICFUNCTIONS REMINDER Remember, you will use these strategies throughout any teaching opportunity! Positive CommunicationEnvironment PAI Chain of Cues Scripting Sabotage Create a positive communication environment What communication opportunities are they missing? i Signs time Says what time is it? Gives a high five 3 4 What is a positive communication environment? Classroom example What does a Positive Communication Environment do for the AAC user and the Communication Partner? Create situations where individuals using AAC feel comfortable communicating (requestingor beyond) Create awareness in communication partners of all the different forms of communication that might be used to communicate beyond requesting Create awareness that the individual may ALREADY be communicating beyond requesting Sets the stage for success! 5 6 1
Partner Augmented Input (PAI) Partner Augmented Input (PAI) (con t) Pointing to pictures while you are talking With no expectation for the AAC user to point to pictures The adults who plan and adapt the language environment of children who use alternative means of communication should be providing models of language use in their own form. Moreover, these should be used for genuine communicative purposes, in all types of everyday settings and when the children are very young (Renner, 2003). 7 Benefits of using PAI AAC User Sees someone communicating in the same way they are expected to Sees AAC as an acceptable way to communicate Increases comprehension Language skills improve Use of AAC increases Communication Partner Learns where vocabulary is by using a large portion of what is available (or learns what is missing!) Slows down speech rate & shortens sentence length Emphasizes key words and ideas Interacts more naturally (combination of comments, statements, questions, and directions) Can do this tomorrow with NO additional work!! Challenges of using PAI AAC User Some AAC users don t want others touching their communication device???? 10 Communication Partner Have to know where vocabulary is (to a certain level) Must stay ahead of AAC user May realize that existing vocabulary isn t robust enough Just trying it! Final considerations for PAI Peers can do PAI too (Sonnenmeier, 2005) Evan s peer doing PAI lunch conversation Jay s classroom (Beyond Access Model, Mirenda) Final thought #1: The average 18 month old child has been exposed to 4,380 hours of oral language at a rate of 8 hours/day from birth. A child who has a communication system and receives speech/language therapy two times per week for 20 30 minutes sessions will reach this same amount of language exposure in 84 years. Jane Korsten, recorded at: http://atto.buffalo.edu/registered/atbasics/populations/aac/consider.php) 11 2
Final thought #2: The average 9 10 year old child who develops language competency will have 36, 500 hours of exposure to speech. For an alternatively symbol user, it will take them 751 years to reach that competency through therapy 2 times a week for 30 minute sessions. (Jane Korsten, recorded at: http://atto.buffalo.edu/registered/atbasics/populations/aac/consider.php) How does Partner Augmented Input help the AAC user and the Communication Partner? Use PAI to demonstrate many different communicative functions From the beginning! Even when the AAC user is currently primarily requesting When you are ready to introduce a new function When you are ready to change the way a function is being addressed (e.g., you want to move from commenting using single words to combining several comments) 14 Chain of Cues Planned set of cues Stresses the need for pause/wait time Indirect Cue Direct Pointer/ Light Natural Cue Direct Verbal Cue Physical Assistance Verbal Visual/ Gestural Search Light Provide Partner Augmented Input consistently! 15 16 Situation: Friend walks into the room and says HELLO! Communication Opportunity Targeted: Greeting Natural Cue: Friend walking into room OR friend saying hello Indirect Cue: Search light randomly moving light/pointer over device Verbal Did you hear what she said? or I wonder what you could say. Visual/Gestural shrug of shoulders, I don t know hand gesture Direct Verbal Cue: Say hello Direct Pointer/Light: Showing the location of Hello on the device without activating it (pen light/point) Physical Assistance Benefits of using the Chain of Cues Have a plan for how to provide support and for fading support Reduce the overall amount of cueing (and the chance of overdependence on cues) Document progress (based on a reduction of cueing even if the whole goal is not met) 18 3
How does the Chain of Cues help the AAC user and the Communication Partner? Provides a strategy for eliciting comments, questions, stories, sharing of information, etc. Scripting Scripts are a guide to help communication partners provide opportunities for communication during real life situations They provide either exact words to use/prompts to give or at least suggestions Allows you to provide support at different levels for different communicative functions to ensure success! 19 20 Structured Script Situational Script 21 22 How does Scripting help the AAC user and the Communication Partner? Provides a structured way for communication partners to elicit comments, questions, stories, sharing of information, etc. Sabotage Changing the way an activity typically happens in order to create a need to communicate Done in a way to encourage communication NOT create frustration Great for individuals who aren t familiar or comfortable communicating with individuals using AAC beyond requesting Reminds us of the potential for communicative functions beyond requesting in a particular activity 23 24 4
What does Sabotage have to do with going beyond requesting? Provides opportunities for comments, questions, stories, sharing of information, etc. Expands communication opportunities AFTER a request has been made Opportunities are initiated with natural cues rather than prompts The following study is NOT in your handouts but I am happy to SHARE Holly.schneider@dynavoxtech.com Mention this class and the Communication Partner Training study information from ECHO 25 TRAINING CURRICULA Large group, small group and self study curricula are available for download on DynaVox s QUESTIONS AND DISCUSSION holly.schneider@dynavoxtech.com vicki@mydynamictherapy.com Curricula include: Videos that do the teaching for you Scripted leader s guides to assist moderation of training Participant workbooks 28 5