AAC and AUTISM Flashcards
What is AAC?
What is AAC
•Communication deficit is a key challenge of autism
•AAC includes any type of communication that replace (alternative) or supplement (augmentative) spoken expression.
•Most children with autism are visual learners, so providing visual input improves both comprehension and expression
Main principles
AAC
Main principles
•Make communication enjoyable, powerful, socially acceptable, easier to understand
•Not intuitive – Needs teaching.
•Aided language stimulation: interact with the child using his/her AAC in addition to your own voice (say “give me” while hitting a button with a symbol for “give me”).
•Needs to see many examples to learn.
•Need to change both the child’s and your expectations of communication. (i.e. replace screaming by pointing + eye contact).
•Live and learn at maximum potential
•Team effort around family and child
•No “communication time”, but integration in all activities. Should be accessible as much as speech is accessible to other child
Myth and Reality
Myth:
if you use AAC for communication, then those individuals will not develop or redevelop speech
Reality:
An overwhelming amount of information (anecdotal, formal, peer reviewed and evidenced-based research) consistently contradicts this myth.
Possible uses of AAC:
receptive and expressive
•Wants and needs
•Ask questions
•Help understand what others say
•Behavior regulation, calm down (“I want squeeze ball”, “upset”, “feel better”, “good job”, “finish”)
•Plan day (time, activity), Stay on task (1-2-3- finish )
* Learn new things (songs, colors, friends, story, jobs)
* Participate in school routine and play
* In classroom, can use shared communication device
Different systems of AAC
•Depend on individual’s and family’s needs.
•Different categories:
–No-tech (pointing, signing).
–Low tech (written visual, Picture Exchange Communication System PECS).
–High tech (i-pad, computer,…) with/out voice output, digitized or synthetized.
PECS
•Picture Exchange Communication System
•Lori Frost, MS CCC-SLP and Andrew Bondy, PhD
•A communication system for non-verbal students or students with emerging verbal skills to initiate communication
PECS - Principles
•Communication Partner
•Communication Facilitator
•Pictures to communicate messages
•First 1, then 3-5 high interest items
•80% accuracy
•Reinforcement: small, high interest, variety
•Change activities to maintain interest
PECS – Phase 1
Physical Exchange
•Pick up a picture
•Reach toward trainer
•Release picture into trainer’s hand
•No verbal prompts
•Two trainers: Communicative Partner
Communicative Facilitator
•Single picture
PECS – Phase 2
– Increase spontaneity
•Go to communication book or picture
•Retrieve picture
•Take it to communication partner
•No verbal prompts
•Change trainer/facilitator
•One picture placed in different places
•Increase distance between trainer and student
•Increase distance between student and picture.
PECS – Phase 3
PECS – Phase 3 – Discrimination Training – Selecting
•Go to communication book
•Select the appropriate picture to request
•Give it to the communication partner
•2 Pictures on board
•High interest and low interest picture
•Change picture positions
•Correspondence check (picture chosen corresponds to intention)
Phase 4
Phase 4 - Sentence Structure
•No Verbal Prompts
•Stationary Picture: “I want” on the sentence strip, get desired picture, give to teacher
•Moving Picture: “I want” on book with picture of desired item
•Both placed on sentence strip and given to teacher
Phase 5 and Phase 6
Phase 5: Answering “What do you want?”
•Student will spontaneously request a variety of items and can answer the question, “What do you want?”
•Delayed prompting
•“I want” picture and sentence strip
•Desired item available
Phase 6: Questions
Student appropriately answers:
•“What do you want?”
•“What do you see?”
•“What do you have?”
•Questions are presented in random order
i-Pad and i-Phone
Opportunity for child to have mobile visual schedule
*Opportunity for parent/caregiver to change as needed
*Less sensory overload / very predictable
Things to Consider before purchasing
PROS
Easy to carry
Easy to program for individual needs of child
Less expensive than other AAC devices
Easily generalized into areas beyond classroom
Appropriate for all ages and multiple abilities
Expandable
Useful for instruction and compensation
Things to Consider before purchasing
CONS
Breakable / front glass
iTunes tied to credit card
Overexposure / distraction for child
Very little training/support available for educators/parents
Easily stolen
Monitor internet safety
