Chapter 1 - Augmentative and Alternative Communication Processes

Question 1

Effective communication (Advancing Effective Communication, Cultural Competence, and Patient- and Family-Centred Care: A Roadmap for Hospital)

Answer 1

Successful joint establishment of meaning, wherein patients and health care providers exchange information, enabling patients to participate actively in their care from admission through discharge, and ensuring that the responsibilities of both patients and providers are understood.

Question 2

Proportion of Americans who cannot rely on their natural speech to meet daily communication needs

Answer 2

1.3% (~4 million)

Question 3

Augmentative and Alternative Communication (ASHA)

Answer 3

.. an area of research, clinical, and educational practice involving attempts to study and when necessary compensate for temporary or permanent impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions of individuals with severe disorders of speech-language production and/or comprehension, including spoken and written modes of communication.

Question 4

Rehabilitation

Answer 4

Intervention strategies and technologies that help someone who has an acquired disability regain capability

Question 5

Habilitation

Answer 5

Intervention strategies and technologies that assist a person, such as someone with a developmental disability, to develop a capability for the first time.

Question 6

Most common congenital causes of the inability to speak or write without adaptive asisstance

Answer 6

severe intellectual disability, cerebral palsy, autism, developmental apraxia of speech

Question 7

Most common acquired medical conditions that most often result in the need for AAC assistance include

Answer 7

amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain injury, stroke

Question 8

Number of Canadians who have difficulty speaking and being understood (above age 4)

Answer 8

318,000 (1.5% of population)

Question 9

Number of people in UK who have severe communication disorder making it difficult for them to be understood by anyone outside their immediate family

Answer 9

800,00 (1.4% of population)

Question 10

Number of people in Victoria, Australia identified as unable to speak adequately for communication

Answer 10

5,000 (1.2%)

Question 11

The prevalence of severe communication disorders appears to vary considerably with…

Answer 11

age.
0. 2-0.6% of total school-age population as severe speceh impairment
0. 8% of individuals from age 45-54
4. 2% for people aged 85+

Question 12

The ultimate goal of AAC is …

Answer 12

to enable individuals to efficiently and effectively engage in a variety of interactions and participate in activities of their choice.

Question 13

Five purposes that communicative interactions fulfill

Answer 13

• expression of needs/wants
• information transfer
• social closeness
• social etiquette
• to communicate with oneself or conduct an internal dialogue

Question 14

Expression of needs/wants

Answer 14

Goal: regulate behaviour of another as a means to fulfil needs/wants
Focus: desired object or action
Duration: Limited, emphasis on initiating interaction
Content: Important
Predictability: Highly predictable
Scope: Limited scope
Rate: Important
Tolerance for breakdown: Little tolerance
Number of participants: Usually dyadic
Independence: important
Partner: familiar or unfamiliar

Question 15

Information transfer

Answer 15

Goal: share information
Focus: Information
Duration: May be lengthy, emphasis on developing interaction
Content: Important
Predictability: Not predictable
Scope: Wide scope
Rate: Important
Tolerance: Little tolerance
Number of participants: Dyadic, small or large group
Independence: important
Partner: familiar or unfamiliar

Question 16

Information transfer

Answer 16

Goal: share information
Focus: Information
Duration: May be lengthy, emphasis on developing interaction
Content: Important
Predictability: Not predictable (novel words/sentences)
Scope: Wide scope
Rate: Important
Tolerance: Little tolerance
Number of participants: Dyadic, small or large group
Independence: important
Partner: familiar or unfamiliar

Question 17

Social closeness

Answer 17

Goal: establish, maintain, and/or develop personal relationships
Focus: Interpersonal relationship
Duration: May be lengthy. Emphasis on maintaining interaction
Content: Not important
Predictability: May be somewhat predictable
Scope: Wide scope
Rate: May not be important
Tolerance: Some tolerance
Number of participants: Usually dyadic or small group
Independence: Not important
Partner: Usually familiar

Question 18

Social etiquette

Answer 18

Goal: Conform to social conventions of politeness
Focus: Social convention
Duration: Limited. Emphasis on fulfilling designated turns.
Content: Not important
Predictability: Highly predictable
Scope: Very limited scope
Rate: Important
Tolerance: Little tolerance
Number of participants: Dyadic, small or large group
Independence: important
Partner: familiar or unfamiliar

Question 19

Communicating with oneself

Answer 19

• Remain organized, e.g. calendars, daily activity schedules, diaries, journals, lists of future plans, records of personal reflections

Question 20

Competent communicators are able to do the following (Light and Binger, 1998): (5)

Answer 20

• Portray positive self-image to their communication partners
• Show interest in others and draw others into interactions
  Actively participate and take turns in symmetrical fashion
• Be responsive to their communication partners by making relevant comments, asking partner-focused questions, negotiating shared topics
• Put their partners at ease with AAC system through the use of an introductory strategy, humour and predictable, readable nonverbal signals

Question 21

Part of every AAC intervention sohuld involve (2)

Answer 21

1) Identification of critical skills for communicative competence from the perspective of relevant listeners
2) strategic instruction to support the highest level of communicative competence possible

Question 22

Assistive technology is only…

Answer 22

part of the answer.

AAC alone doesn’t make one a competent, proficient communicator. People start as novices and evolve competence to become AAC experts with appropriate support, instruction, practice, and encouragement.

Question 23

Linguistic Competence

Answer 23

The receptive and expressive language skills of one’s native language(s)

• knowledge of the linguistic code unique to one’s AAC system, such as line drawings, words, signs, etc.
• equally important to learn language(s) spoken by communication partners in order to receive messages.

Question 24

Examples of receptive language input strategies

Answer 24

Language stimulation vest
Language stimulation boards (Goossens, 1989(
Symbol song strips used with music
Joint use of the AAC display by facilitator
Keyword input provided through manual signing

Question 25

Operational Competence

Answer 25

The technical skills needed to operate the AAC System accurately and efficiently

• Requires instruction in operation and maintenance of AAC system
• Often facilitators take on much of the responsibility for operational competence
• keep vocabulary up to date
• keep technology up to date
• construct overlays or other displays as needed
• protect the technology against breakage, damage, or other problems
• secure necessary repairs
• modify system for future needs
• generally ensure day-to-day availability and operation of the technology

Question 26

Unaided or low-technology systems require _______ operational competence, which is one reason why they may be _______ when capable facilitators are not available.

Answer 26

LESS

PREFERABLE

Question 27

Social Competence

Answer 27

Skills of social interaction such as initiating, maintaining, developing, and terminating communication interactions.
- Requires knowledge, judgement, and skills in both sociolinguistic and sociorelational aspects of communication

• when to speak, when not to, what to talk about, with whom, when, where, in what manner

1/ initiate maintain, terminate conversations
2/ give and take turns
3/ communicate a variety of functions (requesting, rejecting)
4/ engage in a variety of coherent and cohesive interactions

Light (1998)
1/ a positive self-image
2/ an interest in others and a desire to communicate
3/ the ability to participate actively in conversation
4/ responsiveness to partners
5/ ability to put partners at ease

Question 28

Strategic Competence

Answer 28

The compensatory strategies used by people who rely on AAC to deal with functional limitations associated with AAC

Interacting with people unfamiliar with AAC, resolving communication breakdowns, compensating for slow speaking rate.

Skills that allow one to “communicate effectively within restrictions”

Teaching adaptive or coping strategies to use when communication breakdowns occur

Question 29

In addition to the efforts of people who rely on AAC themselves, the future success of the AAC effort depends on ….

Answer 29

the preparation and development of competent AAC stakeholders.