Amber Whiting

Augmentive Communication
609 Standard 2

I have always felt very emotional when students cannot communicate the way they want.
I used to be employed by a childcare center that serviced all students. We provided care for a
child who had Rhetts syndrome. Rhetts is a degenerative disease. This means that for this child
she was typically developing until she was two years old. After she turned two years ole her
development began regressing or going backwards. By the time the child started in her early
childhood program she was in a wheel chair because she could no longer walk. She also can no
longer talk. One of the things that augmentive communication makes me think about is this
child. She was at are Center for lunch and breakfast and the woman who fed this student each
day would blend her food together so all of her portions would get blended into a liquid/paste so
it was smooth enough for her to swallow it. I feel that if that student could tell you what she
thought it would be surprising. The feeling of being alone or locked inside ones own head
must be one of the most difficult things to live with. I cant imagine how difficult it would be to
have thoughts and feelings and not be able to express them. It must be even worse when a person
wants or needs something and cannot convey those. I am very glad that there are new procedures
for helping all people communicate effectively.
Augmentative Communication is used when a student cannot communicate through
natural speech. This can be any method that allows the student to achieve better communication.
In my introduction I discussed the girl that I worked with, I often wonder if she received a form
of augmentive communication when she began school.

There are two main forms of Augmentive communication there is unaided

communication which rely on the users body to convey messages this may include: gestures,
body language, or sign language. The second form of communication is aided communication.
This requires methods ranging from paper and pencil, to communication books or boards, or to
devices that generate speech or written language. Electronic aids very in the amount of output
that is produced as well as the variety of messages. These devices can include a single word
output to thousands of words the device is capable of outputting. They may produce symbols,
pictures, letters, or words and phrases to create spoken messages. Some devices can also be
programmed to use in a variety of languages.
Some forms of low-tech augmentative or alternative communication are picture boards,
letters or symbols, hand symbols, actual objects, or basically anything that provides the
maximum ability. One specific low tech device is call a PEC book communication system. These
books include pictures that have words and phrases that correspond with the picture that allows
children to communicate wants/needs likes and dislikes. When I work at the same Childcare we
had a student with autism who I babysat for. Birth to Three had recommended starting him on a
PEC sytem. This work well for the child but it did have language limitations. Some words he
wanted to communicate were not included. So we always had to add to and adjust it.
Another form of low-tech communication would be some with a speech output. The
most simple speech device is the switch device. A switch is a large button that when pushed
provides a single word or a phrase. You could have two switches one that says yes and one that
says no the child has to then determine how to utilize each. You may have a switch that says hi
my name is With the advance in communication devices I believe the switch system is almost
obsolete. This system runs with a fixed system this means that it is pre-programmed to say the

input that is programmed. Another device that operates on the fixed system is the go talk. The go
talk devices vary in size they can have as small as four squares with four overlays allowing 16
outputs up to 20 squares with five overlays. Each overlay has different preprogrammed words so
as you interchange them the vocabulary is larger.
High tech devices are different forms of computer-like system they are getting smaller
and more efficient to use all the time. A Mini-mo is a computer like system that has general files
of words, for example food as a category within that category there may be sub categories each
leading to a variety of words. Tools like this greatly help to increase communication. Some
computer systems have adaptations like the users head controlling the computer mouse , or a
joystick mouse option. Another tool that is high tech would be the Eyegaze. Eyegaze technology
is available on a tablet or desktop and is fully controlled by the users eyes. There are many
available technologies for augmentive communication.
Once it is determined that augmentative and alternative communication is needed it has
to be decided which method would be most useful for the student. I have done some research and
although I have not personally used this method, the approach for figuring out what sounds and
noises the student can make or understand is best. This approach was called spontaneous novel
utterance generation or SNUG (American Speech-Language-Hearing
Association,www.asha.org). This acronym is the bases for the belief that it is better practice to
help students make sounds or words rather than complete sentences. It makes sense that sounds
are the bases for communications and that it would be hard to have sentences that the student
would need. It would be such a random guess for sentences that the student would not gain
communication skills.

Augmentative and Alternative communication then needs to determine the sounds or

symbols that will be used. The articles that I have read discuss language representation three
forms, single meaning pictures, alphabet based, and semantic compaction. The only form of
representation that needs the student to be able to read is alphabet-based. All of these forms
require the student to go through training so that they can associate the symbol or word with the
meaning. The student would be working intensively with the teacher so that the word or symbol
would be spoken, then a concrete object or action could be shown, and then the symbol or word
would be designated.
I would like to discuss a hypothetical situation. A student with a cognitive disability is
determined to benefit from some sort of augmentative communication. The special education
team decides that he can make some noises on his own and understands about 70% of words that
are spoken to him. He understands mom, dad, dog, food, school, and similar words. It is then
decided to get an application for an I-pad that says the name of an object when he touches that
icon on the I-pad. I would then work with that student on 6 symbols. I would take pictures of his
parents and put them on the I-pad and then over time work up to 10 symbols or work toward the
specified goal. Then Id reevaluate and hopefully add symbols for actions, then add three or four
symbols in groups. So the student could hit a boy walking out of a place to show I want to
leave or similar. This would obviously take years, but the time frame is all based on the
individual.
So I would say that the two biggest challenges in designing a plan for augmentative
communication are determining what parts of language to begin with. What word or symbols
will most benefit the student and what symbols would the student need to use the most. I would
definitely get the parents involved in this decision making process. I would try to concentrate on

things that the student really likes and basic needs to start with. The other extremely difficult
aspect of augmentative communication is figuring out what form of representation to use. This is
the task that I find most daunting. There are so many great advances in technology that I believe
almost any device that I could imagine could be possible. There are also many types of picture
boards that might be even more effective.
I think that I would have to really base the decision on the individual students needs.
There are some students who will respond to something technological such as an I-pad or
speaking device. There are probably just as many students who would respond better to pictures
on board. I think that many times the small things matter the most when it comes to picture
boards or something similar. The student also must be active in his or her own method of
communication. The board could be customized and the first time the student gets to us the
device could make or break the entire augmentative communication process. If they dont
respond to the device I would not hesitate to choose a different method. There are so many
options I would be very willing to research and try whatever works.
I would like to reiterate that the most important part of augmentative and alternative
communication is to increase the students ability to communicate by the maximum amount. I
would really be happy to help students who cannot speak or may have trouble speaking to gain
some ability. It would be a very uplifting feeling for me as teacher. I think that this is also a skill
that would help students to be successful in their future lives.

Works Cited
"American Speech-Language-Hearing Association | ASHA." American Speech-LanguageHearing Association | ASHA. N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Apr. 2014. <http://www.asha.org>.
"Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)." Augmentative and Alternative
Communication (AAC). N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Apr. 2014.
<http://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/AAC/>.
"Augmentative and alternative communication." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 4 May 2014.
Web. 8 Apr. 2014.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augmentative_and_alternative_communication>.

"Communicate with the world using the power of your eyes." Eyegaze. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Apr.
2014. <http://www.eyegaze.com/eye-tracking-assistive-technology-device/>.
Hill, Katya. "Augmentative and Alternative Communication and Language." Topics in Language
Disorders 24.1 (2004): 18-30. ASHA. Web. 9 Apr. 2014.
"Speech generating device." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Dec. 2013. Web. 8 Apr. 2014.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speech_generating_device>.