Strategies for Emerging Communicators

1. Strategies for Emerging Communicators May 19th and May 27th 7-8:30 Barb Lark, SLP and ATP

2. Tips when taking an Online Class • If you use a microphone, be sure it is turned off when you are not speaking. • Use the chat pod to add information or ask questions. • Signal a question or your opinion using these.

3. Please… • Let me know if: • You are having trouble hearing me; • I am going over information too slowly or too quickly; • You are having any technical difficulties; • Anything interferes with your ability to gain information from the class; • (My cat may be howling in the background. Sorry…)

4. Agenda tonight • Who are Emergent Communicators? • Continuum of Communication Independence • Why might a student be an emergent communicator? • Examples and case studies • Our primary goal • Vocabulary selection • Likes and Dislikes Checklist

5. Next week’s agenda • Review Characteristics of Emergent Communicators • Symbol assessment • Strategies – no tech to low tech

6. Who are Emergent Communicators? • Term used by Dr. Patricia Dowden – University of Washington: • “An "Emerging" communicator does not have a RELIABLE method of EXPRESSIVE communication through SYMBOLIC language.” • http://depts.washington.edu/augcomm/03_cimodel/commind2a_emerging.htm

7. Important to know the continuum of communication independence… • Emergent Communication • We will talk about more • Context Dependent Communication • Uses symbols to communicate, but only with certain partners in certain contexts. • Relies on others to supply with symbols to use • Independent Communication • Can communicate on any topic with anyone

8. Back to Emerging Communication • “An "Emerging" communicator does not have a RELIABLE method of EXPRESSIVE communication through SYMBOLIC language.”

9. RELIABLE communication • The child can communicate a message he/she intends to communicate; • He/she doesn’t accidentally touch or activate a message symbol, resulting in an unintended message. • Reliability is critical for independence. http://depts.washington.edu/augcomm/03_cimodel/commind2a_emerging.htm

10. Expressive Communication = Observable Communication • It isn’t based on what the student understands, • Or what we think the student means to communicate. • It is only based on what we can objectively see the student do. http://depts.washington.edu/augcomm/03_cimodel/commind2a_emerging.htm

11. What does SYMBOLIC language mean? • Symbols REPRESENT a concept, idea or thought. • With symbolic language we can talk beyond the here and now. • If a student only points or gestures related to things in the immediate environment, they are not “symbolizing” beyond the here and now. • Symbols don’t always need to be visual. http://depts.washington.edu/augcomm/03_cimodel/commind2a_emerging.htm

12. What would emergent communication look like? • Students engage in basic communication behaviors like gestures, facial expressions, body language; • The adults in the classroom try to figure out the meaning of these behaviors. • The student may have a consistent way to indicate acceptance, rejection and/or continuation of something. http://depts.washington.edu/augcomm/03_cimodel/commind2a_emerging.htm

13. Why might a student be at the Emerging Communication level? • Motor capabilities & communication device might not be a match. • There might be a hidden hearing impairment or vision impairment. • Adults in the student’s environment might have low expectations and might not try AAC. • There might be few opportunities to communicate. • AAC services might have been abandoned prematurely. • Some might maintain a belief in unreliable methods of communication and not program for reliability. This information can be found at: http://depts.washington.edu/augcomm/03_cimodel/commind2a_emerging.htm

14. Example #1 – Emergent Communicator or not? • 3 year old girl with cerebral palsy. • Non-ambulatory, difficulty with fine motor skills. • At snack time, gestures toward juice pitcher. Pats a flattened box of raisins and a pretzel that is under plastic, then looks expectantly at teacher.

15. Example #2 • 5 year old boy with diagnosis of autism. • Pats a picture of a graham cracker. • Plays with cracker when it is given to him. • Pats a picture of a cup, then pushes away cup when it is given to him. • Pats a picture of a gummy bear, then eats it when it is provided.

16. 14 year old girl with developmental disability • Walks over to sink in classroom. Takes glass of water her teacher gives her. • Walks over to adult in class, looks at adult, and touches adult’s arm. Smiles. • Reaches up for favorite toy when placed out of reach in classroom. • When given a 4 cell communication device with 3 object symbols, the 4th cell blank, she randomly touches all but the 4th cell.

17. 7 year old boy with developmental delay • Cries and fusses. Pushes away toys offered. • Takes adults hand and moves back and forth in a rowing motion. • When provided with a Big Mack at literacy time, will repeatedly or randomly hit switch.

18. 11 year old girl with developmental delay • Will seek out her object schedule and take a transitional object with her to next activity (e.g. take a cassette and sit in music area, take a cup to the lunch table, take a bead to the math work area.) • Will occasionally take an object out of sequence to a teacher and look expectantly in the associated area.

19. 16 year old boy with cerebral palsy • Has a 9 cell voice output communication aid with programmed with 5 requests and 4 comments. • Appears to hit cells randomly. • What questions would you ask yourself about this student?

20. Goal for emerging communicators… • Establishing a reliable method to use symbolic communication

21. Remember, this is a continuum • A student may clearly be an emerging communicator, with no symbolic recognition; • Or a student may show some signs of beginning to recognize some limited symbols. • You can move between using those limited symbols in more varied ways and still work on establishing more symbols.

22. Okay, where do we start? • Vocabulary selection • Likes and Dislikes Checklist • Communication in context • Problem behaviors? • Symbol assessment • Next week

23. Likes and Dislikes Checklist • Motivation to communicate is KEY!!! • Communication must be POWERFUL. • From the standpoint of the communicator. • Requesting a preferred object • Requesting a preferred action • Protest

24. How to use the checklist • Inventory with those who know student well. • Set up activity trials to observe student. • Inventory looks at activities that utilize a variety of sensory systems. • Determine what your student is likely to want to request. • Try over several days & times of day; these students may not demonstrate the same interests each time.

25. Multiple contexts • Study communication behaviors over a variety of settings • Snack/meals • Group times • Music • Note what the behaviors are and what the responses of others are in the context.

26. Problem behaviors • Pay particular attention to inappropriate behaviors. • Can you determine the communication goal of the behavior? • Gain attention • Getting or keeping objects or actions • Getting pleasant sensory input • Escaping a task http://depts.washington.edu/augcomm/01_vocab/vocab2_emerging.htm

27. Vocabulary selection • When choosing vocabulary to work on, don’t always select things/nouns. • Try vocabulary that can be used for a variety of different activities/wants. • Examples: • Go • Done/stop • More • Up • Big http://depts.washington.edu/augcomm/01_vocab/vocab2_emerging.htm

28. Vocabulary selection • If the student has a successful way of communicating something through a gesture, don’t try to replace it right away with another symbol. • You can include a foil, or a neutral or slightly unpleasant activity, to be sure that the student isn’t selecting randomly. http://depts.washington.edu/augcomm/01_vocab/vocab2_emerging.htm

29. Let’s summarize! • Who are Emergent Communicators? • What does Symbolic Communication mean? • Why might a student be an emergent communicator? • POWERFUL communication • Likes and dislikes checklist • Observation of communication in context • Problem behaviors?

30. Next week • Conducting symbol assessments • Introducing symbols • Voice output devices • To participate • For communication intent