Developing AAC Competencies

• Developing AAC Competencies

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    In this topic we will look at activities which are used in classrooms to support children who are developing their language skills using a communication aid. You will find that:
    

    • Children need to be exposed to language to learn language and this applies to AAC users as well as speakers
    • Janice Light provides four things to think about when developing AAC competencies
    • Modelling is the most important way for AAC users to become competent communicators

    
    

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    Building AAC Competencies

    How often is the child learning language with their AAC device?

    If a child learns to use their communication aid for 30 minutes twice a week with their speech and language therapist, then it would take 84 years for them to be exposed to as much language as a typical 18-month old. This statistic is intended to make the point that it is everyone’s responsibility to become good communication partners and to ensure that the communication aid is available in as many situations as possible for the child. 

    The Four Competencies

    Janice Light has written about the four areas that a child needs to develop in order to become a competent AAC communicator. This is very useful when working with a child because you can consider how they might be learning in all these areas.    Janice Light and David McNaughton revisited the ideas in 2014 (downlod PDF slides).  You will recognise each competency as they have been mentioned and linked to the Tobii dynavox Pathways for Core First.

    Each tab represents one of the four original competencies. 

    • Linguistic
    • Operational
    • Strategic
    • Social

    Linguistic competencies involve the following:

    • The meanings of symbols  – The obvious one, such what does a symbol showing a stickman holding his hands in the air mean? 
    • Syntactic skills – How to combine symbols to create meaningful sentences

    Operational competencies involve the following:

    • The access method - Children with physical disabilities may have to learn to use switches or other methods to make selections on the device  including paper-based resources
    • Navigation between pages - Learning how all the language is laid out and categorised and how to turn the pages (for both electronic and paper-based communication aids)
    • Volume  - How to turn the volume up and down is an important skill that children who speak are taught! 
    • Clearing the message bar  - This ensures that multiple messages don’t run together – making for long utterances that are difficult to understand 

    Strategic competencies relate, largely, to how to deal with the limitations of the communication aid, e.g.

    • Volume - How to get your message across in a noisy classroom? 
    • Vocabulary - Symbols users will always have a limited vocabulary on their communication aids. An example heard recently is there is no word for ‘cruise’ on a communication aid so the child combined two words ‘hotel’ and ‘boats’ 
    • Environmental - What should the child do when they go outside when and their eyegaze does not work? 

    Social competencies include a list of how the child uses the device in practical terms to:

    • Take conversational turns
    • Start conversations 
    • Maintain topics of interest
    • Ask for information,
    • Tell people things    
    • Agree and confirm

    Additional Information as a result of the updates to the four competencies include Changes to AAC Systems and Expectations for Participation, Demographics and the Scope of Communication Need

    
    

    Whenever any classroom activity is being considered for an AAC user then an awareness of these four essential areas of AAC skill development is necessary. Such activities may fit to existing AAC teaching styles such as explicit instruction, incidental teaching, mand-model or conversational coaching. 
    

    However, most linguistic, operational, strategic and social skills are developed through modelling, whereby the communication partner uses the AAC user’s device to talk to them. This is known to have a profound effect on the development of children who use AAC. 
    

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    Activity - Modelling

    The importance of modelling has been mentioned at every level during this course.  Point-Talking is a descriptive alternative term that you might also see being used for this AAC communication strategy. It simply involves the more competent communication partner pointing at symbols on the  AAC user’s communication aid while they are talking with them.  

    Modelling is a way to expand the individual’s vocabulary while demonstrating how the device can be used in natural settings. It can be used to work on all four of Janice Light’s competencies because you can model turning the device on and off, using it in social situations, combining existing symbols to overcome missing vocabulary and to teach new symbols. Modeling also slows your speech down which makes it easier for the  AAC user to learn.
    

    Check the following statements as being true or false?

    
    

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    Types of Language

    Directive Language

    When people first start modelling they tend to use directive language. Although this comes from a good place it does not help the AAC user to become a good communicator as it tends to be "one sided"

    Directive language involves commands, closed questions and questions that the communication partner already knows the answer. Examples include: 

    • “Point to ‘happy’” 
    • “Is your name Stefan?” 
    • “Where are we going this afternoon” (when both know they are going to the park) 

    Broadly this strategy involves testing and not teaching. Using this technique results in children not gaining that sense of agency discussed in Unit 1 and it stops them from developing the ability to initiate conversations and coming up with novel utterances. Parents, always with the best intentions, often use directive language and so when planning out implementation it is important to work with them on their ‘communication partner’ skills. 
    

    Video - It is sometimes hard to find ways to encourage children to initiate conversations...
    

    Non-directive language

    Non-directive language is more similar to the natural communication you would expect peers and adults to have with children who use their speech to communicate.

    Examples include: 
    

    • “I think …” 
    • “I see you are …” 
    • “I am going to …” 

    
    

    Try this as a communication partner with a young child and see how much more language is generated by them, rather than yourself in the conversation!  You may want to make a note in your reflective journal.

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    Summary 

    • Consider all the ways in the classroom that can be used to help children become good communicators
    • Use Janice Light’s list of four areas of skill development to help you
    • When modelling, use non-directive language to elicit the best development of language skills

    
    

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    Further Reading 

    • Light, J. and McNaughton, D., 2012. The changing face of augmentative and alternative communication: Past, present, and future challenges.
    • Download Janice Light’s original paper on competencies (1989)
    • Tabi Jones-Woleber has provided free resources to help you ‘Model as a MASTER PAL’ !
    • Ace Centre have  free online books that contain information about modelling and becoming a communication partner.
    • Liberator provide example of core words/phrases and activities for a classroom setting

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    Reflective Journal 

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    Χρονικό

    Reflective Journal Χρονικό

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    Presentation slides

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    Developing AAC Competencies Διεύθυνση URL

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