Communica)on*Skills*for*Students*with*Disabili)es:*

Introduc)on*to*Communica)on,*Language,*and*AAC*

Communication Skills for

Students with M/I Disabilities
ES SPED 5722

9/8/2014*

Typical Format of Class

!

!
!

!
!

!
!

Your job during lecture is to

!
!

Sometimes some small group activities included

!
!
!

Lecture on strategy
Case examples of strategy
Role play of strategy

!
!

Responding to questions

What is communication?
Impact of challenges for individuals with disabilities
Stages of communication
Typical and atypical trajectories

What is AAC?
!

Performance assessment over last weeks strategy

Introductions
Overview of course
Walk-through syllabus

Communication and Language Development

!

Performance Assessment
!

Orientation to course
!

Break
Finish Lecture on Primary Content
Learning Evidence-Based Strategy
!

Paper-pencil quiz over last weeks lecture and this weeks readings

Review Quiz correct answers

Lecture on Primary Content
!

What I Will Cover Today

Quiz

Defining AAC
Examples of AAC
They myth of AAC vs. speech

Clinical skill: PECS Phase 1

Intermittent Knowledge Checks (ASR)

! Listen

and take notes

questions
! Actively respond

! Purpose

is to identify gaps in understandingonly

cheat if you are not interested in learning
! Your grade is not affected by wrong answers
! If you answer incorrectly, be brave and share with
class what you were thinking

! Ask

Yes

Im not
sure

No

1*

Communica)on*Skills*for*Students*with*Disabili)es:*
Introduc)on*to*Communica)on,*Language,*and*AAC*

9/8/2014*

Check-In

Tell me about you!

! What

On the index card write:

is the topic of class today?

1. Name

Snorkeling

2. Goals? Elementary/Middle/High School?

Calculus

Introductions

Language development and AAC

3. Personal interest/something unique about you

Automotive repair

4. Group A or Group B?

Which of these are examples of

communication?

Communicative function

! Asking, May

! Almost

I have some crackers?

sign language to sign the word crackers
! Handing someone a picture of crackers to request
them
! Pointing to a box of crackers
! Grabbing an adult by the hand, leading the adult to
the kitchen, and then staring at a box of crackers
! Throwing oneself on the floor, screaming, and
pounding fists and feet until one is given crackers
! Grunting repeatedly until one is given crackers
! Using

What is Communication?
Intellectual property of Dr.
Matthew Brock

any behavior could be a form of

communication if it has communicative intent
! The key is the function and not the form of the
behavior
!
!

Is the behavior used in the presence of others?

Is the behavior associated with an antecedent of a
consequence? (so has it been reinforced in the
past?)

2*

Communica)on*Skills*for*Students*with*Disabili)es:*
Introduc)on*to*Communica)on,*Language,*and*AAC*

9/8/2014*

Communication is

Communication affects Quality of Life

Communication is a Human Right!!

the act or process of using words, sounds, signs, or

behaviors to express or exchange information or to
express your ideas, thoughts, feelings, etc., to
someone else
! Any act by which one person gives to or receives
from another person information about that persons
needs, desires, perceptions, knowledge, or affective
states. Communication may be intentional or
unintentional, may involve conventional or
unconventional signals, may take linguistic or
nonlinguistic forms, and may occur through spoken or
other modes

! Communication

! If

Language is

Components of Language

Check-In

! Socially

! Form

(Merriam Webster dictionary)

(National Joint Committee for the Communicative Needs of Persons with Severe Disabilities, 1992)

shared code of arbitrary symbols that

represent meaning
! A system with rules that governs sounds, words,
sentences, and use
! Defined by five components: phonology,
morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics
! Speech is the oral expression of language

!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!

!
!

enables you to:

Phonologysounds
Morphologyinternal organization of words
(free: stand alone; and bound; can only be attached
to other words)
Syntaxstructure of how words are arranged

! Context
!

Semanticsmeaning

! Use
!

you have a student

who does not have a
means to
communicate
effectively, efficiently,
and appropriately,
teaching the student
to communicate
should be your highest
priority.

Get things you want or need

Express what you think and feel
Make friends
Demonstrate what you know
Become a part of your community
Resolve misunderstandings
Advocate for yourself
Complain
Tell someone to stop

Pragmaticsability to appropriately use language in

context

Grunting until one gets access to watching a favorite

movie is an example of which of the following?
Language
Communication
Syntax
None of the Above

3*

Communica)on*Skills*for*Students*with*Disabili)es:*
Introduc)on*to*Communica)on,*Language,*and*AAC*

Check-In
!

Check-In

Grunting regardless of whether anyone is around

without any clear purpose is an example of which of
the following?

refers to

the meaning of words

Communication

ability to use language appropriately in context

Syntax

the internal organization of words

None of the Above

a character from The Matrix

Description
! Neurological disorder
affecting muscle
movement

! Morphology

Language

Cerebral Palsy

9/8/2014*

lack of muscle coordination

when performing voluntary
movements (ataxia)
stiff or tight muscles and
exaggerated reflexes
(spasticity)

1/2 to 2/3 accompanied by

intellectual disability

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Impact on communication
! Speech
!
!

31-88% have dysarthria

(motor-speech disorder)
Degree ranges from no
speech to problems with
articulation

Other
!

Motor issues may impact

writing, pointing, grasping,
or manipulating a computer
interface

Description
! Significant social
impairments,
! Communication difficulties
! Repetitive behaviors or
restricted interests
! 25-75% have intellectual
disability
!
!

Often difficult to assess

Severity ranges to mild to
severe

Impact on communication
! Speech
!

Nearly 50% will not develop

speech without intense
intervention
In some cases:
!
!
!

Echolalia
Verbal approximations
Vocal self-stimulation

Impact of challenges for

individuals with disabilities

Intellectual Disability
Description
! Significant limitation in
intellectual functioning and
adaptive behavior
! Wide range of functioning
within this umbrella

Impact on communication
(none of these apply to all individuals with ID)

Speech
!
!
!

Other
!

Pragmatics
!

Difficulty with non-verbal

communication and adapting
to different situations

limited vocabulary
challenges with articulation
issues with syntax and
morphology

limited opportunities for

typical social and language
development
socially inappropriate
behaviors

4*

Communica)on*Skills*for*Students*with*Disabili)es:*
Introduc)on*to*Communica)on,*Language,*and*AAC*

Emotional/Behavior Disorders
Description
! Often have challenging
behaviors and difficulty
building and maintaining
relationships
! High risk for unhappiness
or depression
! This disorder does not
indicate any impairment in
intellect or speech

Impact on communication
! Speech
!

Typical

Challenges
!

Resorting to aggression or
problem behaviors instead
of speech in challenging
situations
Reduced opportunities for
appropriate interaction

Typical Language Development

"

Birth to 1 month
"

crying, sounds usually made when feeding

"

16 months

"

712 months

"

"

"

babbling, more varied vocalizations

Communication Disorder
Description
! Umbrella term that
encompasses range of
problems in
communication and
speech
!

vocabulary growth, which by the end of this period is

between 150 and 300 words

Range from minor

articulation problems to
absence of any speech

Typically used in the

absence of intellectual
disability or autism

Impact on communication
! Speech
!

Wide range from minor

articulation problems to
absence of any speech

"

Often have problem

behaviors as a result of
frustration from lack of
effective communication

3 years
"

"

Typical Language Development

"

creates original stories, produces complex sentences

(45 words), expressive vocabulary between 15001600
words, full of questions (wasat?)

5 years
"

612 years
"

expressive vocabulary of 9001000 words, constructing

simple sentences, imitates adult intonation, learns how
to swear

4 years
"

"

Typical and Atypical

Trajectories

Other

Typical Language Development

reduplicated babbling, ecolalia, gestures, variagated

babbling, jargon, meaningful words

1224 months
"

9/8/2014*

"

expressive vocabulary approximately 2600 words,

creates complex sentences, communicates thought,
receptive vocabulary approximately 50,000 words,
constructs adult like definitions, uses figurative language

Adult
"

pragmatic skills increase throughout life based on

individual life experiences

uses very adult-like language, expressive vocabulary

2200 words, can converse & entertain, still lacking
sophisticated pragmatic & syntactic skills

5*

Communica)on*Skills*for*Students*with*Disabili)es:*
Introduc)on*to*Communica)on,*Language,*and*AAC*

What is AAC?

9/8/2014*

What is AAC?

Two categories of AAC

! Augmentative

! Unaided

and Alternative Communication

! Augment = supplement
! Alternative = supplement
! AAC includes all forms of communication
(other than oral speech) that are used to
express thoughts, needs, wants, and ideas.
! We all use AAC when we make facial expressions
or gestures, use symbols or pictures, or write.

!
!
!

! Aided
!
!
!

communicationno equipment needed

Gestures
Body language
Sign language

communicationequipment needed

Writing
Pictures
Computer or device

! There

are always pros and cons

Individualizing AAC

The AAC Versus Speech Myth

! Choosing

! Research

an AAC system depends on the profile

of the individual with a disability
! The process of assessing an individuals skills and
needs to develop an AAC system is a major
component of this course
!

In addition, we will learn a number of strategies that

could be used to teach AAC and/or speech to meet the
needs of an even wider range of individuals

The AAC Versus Speech Myth

But I dont want him to use pictures. I want him to talk!

shows that some AAC interventions

may speed up acquisition of speech for some
individuals
! There is NO evidence that AAC interventions
slow down the acquisition of speech
! Some individuals, regardless of the quality of the
intervention they receive, do not ever develop
verbal speech

6*

Communica)on*Skills*for*Students*with*Disabili)es:*
Introduc)on*to*Communica)on,*Language,*and*AAC*

High Expectations and Presumption of

Competence
! Just

because someone isnt yet able to

communicate doesnt mean they dont want
people to talk to them and treat them with
respect
! Difficulty with expressive communication does
not necessarily indicate difficulty with receptive
communication
! When in doubt, presume competence

9/8/2014*

Think about how you might be later

portrayed in a book.

After Break
! Implementing
!
!
!

Phase 1 of PECS

What is PECS, who is it a good fit for, and what are the
steps to implement it
Case studies
Role play

For Next Week

! Assessment
!

of Communication

Basis for developing any communication intervention

! Readings:
!
!

Sigafoos (2006) on Carmen

Rynn (2014) on Carmen

! Start
!
!

thinking about:

Groups and topics for group presentations (will select

groups and identify topic next week 9/1)
Topics for research synthesis (graduate students only,
topics due 9/8)

7*