Finding Communication… Finding your Voice

There are those who are described as non-verbal, and those who are described as non communicative. As I have mentioned before communication is a two way street. It takes a sender and a receiver. Now for those who are not viewed as “communicative” or who live in or have lived in environments where communication has been less than efficient for them the idea of communicating may be foreign. So where would we start?

One suggestion is to download the “Communication Dictionary” on www.wapadh.org. On this form you can begin to document how the environment or objects serve as vocabulary. For example, the act of bringing you the keys may mean “let’s go for a drive”. If so write that down, and then how you respond. There may be different ways your respond, write each of them down. For some individuals this is their form of communication and should be recognized, acknowledged and responded to. This information is sometimes overlooked as real communication, and at minimum can be shared with everyone on the team. When communication is difficult it is important for each of us to understand the “personal” communicative acts.

Using the environment and objects as vocabulary can be efficient but limits you to the here and now. The next step would be to begin pairing the objects with photos or line drawings, and then move onto to written words. Vocabulary using any of the symbols needs to be for more than making requests.

Identifying vocabulary is just one part of the process. Teaching to make requests with the vocabulary is common and good practice. However, to build communication you will want to move right into answering questions using the vocabulary. For example, when teaching the vocabulary word of “video” you can first teach to request a video but there is a next step “What do you watch on the TV?” This teaches not only the function of the word but it teaches the function of listening to a question and providing an answer. This is communication.

Finally, whichever symbol you are preparing for the person you support you want to model using the symbol as you talk as well. So when talking point to the symbols. Make it natural, and engaging. If you find there is a need to practice, which is likely, then do so, but be sure and let that be known, “Let’s practice talking with your pictures”.

Communication is a basic part of being human, we can foster communication or we can squash communication. Engage and build a communicative environment!!

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

Training new support persons

Sometimes it is best for those of us who speak to explain what we think is happening and then let the communicator do the rest. If you support and watch, much of the time the communicator can do more of the training than you will do. Go ahead and remind the communicators that they are a very active member of the training. They can show the support person where to hold provide the support, how to position their body in relation to their needs, etc.

This doesn't mean you leave the training up to the individual with the communication impairment but don't underestimate the lead they can take in the training.

iPod Apps for speech

Here are some apps for the iPod touch that I have found to be useful in some situations.

• Broccas Voice: You type words out phonetically, hear it and then can practice repeating.
• iConverse: You can upload your own photos and type a text of what you want to say.
• 300 sight words: Practice reading the words, press "say" to hear it and imitate.

We are seeing that for those who have speech but have difficulty using it if you practice typing or pointing to your idea, and saying it at the same time it can help. Your goal is to "think it and say it".

Making you think...

So today I was able to work with a staff who seem to now be inspired to see people who are non verbal, living with autism in a different way. If your motor system doesn't work so that you can initiate, take turns, or act upon your thoughts you just might be able to communicate. For some this is an old thought but for more this is a new thought. I can't wait to help them through the process of discovery.

Just trying this out

So this is a blog... I am not really sure how it works but want to learn more about blogging. So here I go...