The Center on Technology and Disability is pleased

The Center on Technology and Disability is pleased to welcome Patricia Ourand, MS, CCC-SLP

Adolescence through Adulthood while Communicating (AAC) Patricia Ourand, MS, CCC-SLP Associated Speech & Language Services, Inc. 410 -336 -7991 Pourand@aslsinc. com

• This discussion is about how people communicate. • Communication is central to human life. • Everyone communicates. . .

Poll Question Is communicating medical needs the primary goal of AAC?

Goals of AAC • Temporary means of communicatio n Temporary Long. Term • Long-term means of communicatio n • Facilitate development of natural, spoken communicatio n Therapeuti c

Goals of AAC • Communicate self care needs • Communicate emotional status • Engage in social communicative interaction with familiar communication partners (friends and family) • Carry out communicative interactions in the community

Systematic Selection Process • Initial interview • Needs assessment • Individual strengths and limitations • Access methods • • • Feature match Trial mock-up Final system analysis Purchase Follow-up

Initial Interview Demographic info Background info Caregiver interview Client observation

Needs Assessment Environment Partners Messages Modes (Adapted from Dowden et al. , 1986)

Assessment Data Cognition Language Motor Sensory

So, where do we go… • Pictures • Text

The Big Picture The Power of Communication "If all my possessions were taken from me with one exception, I would choose to keep the power of communication, for by it I would soon regain all the rest“ — Daniel Webster

Keyboard Layouts Statistically Arranged T 9 Layout

John Dewey Democracy and Education ‘A society which is mobile, which is full of channels for the distribution of a change occurring anywhere, must see to it that its members are educated to personal initiative and adaptability. Otherwise, they will be overwhelmed by the changes in which they are caught and whose significance or connections they do not perceive. ’ (1916, p. 88)

Sources

Communication Partners

Meet India Ochs

Meet India Ochs … • Part of it really is who the person is, either you have the self-confidence I had or you don't. If you don't you can learn to have success but I don't think it's the same. • It was also understanding people, which goes back to self-confidence. I knew early on that people only teased because they lacked self-confidence. But that doesn't mean I wasn't vulnerable to fights at times.

… and her son Jack ! • Also, I always had older friends including adults, and having adults respect you at any age makes a huge difference. • I also asked questions, and most people respected me enough to answer. From the beginning I knew to play to my audience and I think that helped get me things I wanted. (not only what you say to them, but how you communicate, so whatever was easiest for the other person, was how I talked to people).

Higginbotham, Shane, Russell & Caves (2007) • Partners benefit from communication output that fit within their: • attention • memory • social interaction abilities • Research should further explore communication partners’ abilities and needs and support their access to devicemediated communication

Communication Partners • The variety of communication partners for individuals who use AAC techniques and strategies include the various stakeholders, those partners interested directly or tangentially in the field of and people who use AAC. • This group has grown consistently over the recent two decades. • For most, but not all individuals, these parties include families and caregivers.

The Literature • Angelo (2000, 1997), Parrette & Angelo (1998, 1996) have all written to discuss the role of family members and caregivers with regard to the initial and ongoing successful integration of AAC devices and services. Margalit (1990) and Silverman (1995) remind us that every member of the family is influenced and/or affected by the introduction or updating of an AAC device into the life of a family member.

Circles of Communication Partners 1 Life Partners SGD User 1 2 2 3 Close friends/ relatives 4 5 3 Acquaintances 4 Paid Workers 5 Unfamiliar Partners CSHA Conference April 16, 2005 27

Communicative Competence • Light (1989) originally defined communicative competence as an individual’s ability to communication functionally with communication partners across the day and across all of their natural environments. • This concept must be viewed from an individual’s orientation in time and space and to people.

Communicative Competence • Linguistic Skills/Competence • Operational Skills/Competence • Social Skills/Competence • Strategic Skills/Competence

Linguistic Skills/Competence • the receptive and expressive language skills of an individual in the native language of that individual and communication partners. • this skill set also includes the competence to learn and use symbols (e. g. , letters, words, symbols, drawings) to communicate meaning.

Operational Skills/Competence • refers to the individual’s ability to learn and become proficient in the operation of the AAC system. • is critical in electronic and non-electronic, as well as simple and complex systems, and everything in between.

Social Skills/Competence • refers to the pragmatic aspects of communication, which are critical in all forms of communication including natural speech, as well as electronic and non-electronic forms of AAC. • these practical skills include the ability to initiate and maintain topics, engage in turn-taking, demonstrate humor, among many other communicative function.

Strategic Skills/Competence • include those compensatory techniques or strategies employed by an individual to guarantee effective communication interactions. • such strategies may include mechanisms to introduce a communication partner to an AAC system, or to avoid or repair communication breakdowns.

Poll Question • Which is the most important environment to practice and use skills of Communicative Competence: • Therapy setting • Home • Community

Social Validation Therapy Home Community

More recently … • February 2010 • Fading linguistic and phonemic prompts • Spontaneously producing 1 -4 word questions and comments • • dinner? What now? Me, Karli and Steve Yes, he wears it.

April 2010 • Steve Reports … • Jean uses and 60 +/- words for items around the house. • Friends take her grocery shopping and expect her to order items (i. e. , lunch meats) • While driving, Jean says “stop”; “left” and “right”.

May – June 2010 • Sentence completion task in therapy 05/11/2009 04/14/2010 Independently 20% 67% Say-it-Sam 40% 23% Phonemic Cues 40% 0% • Using picture cards with open ended questions at home with only minimal prompting

Patricia Ourand, MS, CCC-SLP Associated Speech & Language Services, Inc. 1 East Chase Street, Unit 1138 Baltimore, MD 21202 410 -336 -7991 Pourand@aslsinc. com