Let's Talk

Communication is the exchange of information. Today I want to remind us all to be partners in communication. As a partner the exchanges are shared. Often when speaking with individuals with limited speech and language skills we fall into the trap of conducting an interview. There is a qualitative difference between an interview and a conversation.

An interview starts off and continues with a series of questions. For example, “What did you do last night?”. Followed by “What did you watch on tv?”. Followed by “What else did you do?”, etc. Exchanges like these teach and promote the idea that the speaking person asks a question and the AAC user provides an answer. Really conversations include stories, details, comments, and questions. So how can we support and promote real conversational skills?

First of all decrease the number of questions you ask. A nice prompt for yourself is to remember to start the interaction with “Tell me about…” instead of asking a question. Reflect on what the AAC user says and then pause. Don’t be afraid of the silence. (As a prompt you might remind the AAC user that he can take a turn now.) Stay away from “yes/no questions”. These are a dead end for conversation. Share stories about yourself. Of course do this as appropriate to the context and the relationship you have with the AAC user. And finally, talk about something that is interesting. Sometimes last night wasn’t so interesting. Current events, shared experiences, and humor can make the conversation a little more interesting.

When the AAC user is using a preprogrammed or designed communication board or display this means that those of us who do the programming will need to provide different opportunities. The vocabulary made available will need to go beyond basic wants and needs, and feelings. As the designer of the vocabulary you can be sure to include the opportunity for the AAC user to ask questions, make comments, negate, and use social jargon. By being a more proactive communication partner we can support richer conversations with the AAC users we support.

Introductions

WAPADH has now launched its new website, www.wapadh.org. We are excited about the opportunities to share and disseminate information. On the new website each of us will post resources we create and would like to share. For me, in the area of communication I keep the following PDFs:

• Communication Dictionary
• Language Ladder (adapted from Dr. Rosemary Crossley)
• Communication Support Chart

Finally, we will keep a Calendar of Events. It is here that you can stay up to date on events at WAPADH such as the Community Communication Workshop offered once a month, and upcoming related Conferences.

Communication is important to each of us and internet communication is allowing us to network, learn, and access a common ground for communication. At www.wapadh.org we will post podcasts and interviews with uploaded videos. Through Facebook and Twitter we can offer small "sound bites" of ideas and connect with larger groups of people.

Please let your friends know about the website and the different ways we can all connect. ... And join in with your ideas and experiences.

This is going to be great....

Darlene