Augmentative and Alternative Communication—Class 9

This class, we completed an online activity consisting of a series of questions about augmentative and alternative communication.  The assignment is below:

 

 

This is how Dawn and I answered the questions:

1.      Communication is conveying information about needs, desires, knowledge, perceptions, or affective states.  Communication can be sending any type of message to another person (or your dog, cat, or cattle!), but for it to be effective, it must be understood and interpreted.  A website with a good definition of communication is the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.  http://www.asha.org/

 

2.      Twenty different ways we communicate include:

1) speaking

2) writing

3) typing

4) sign language

5) body language

6) eye contact

7) tone of voice

8) gestures

9) vocal sounds

10) music

11) braille

12) clothing

13) hairstyles

14) symbols

15) multimedia

16) acronyms

17) pictures

18) graphs

19) speech synthesis

20) touch

 

3.      AAC—augmentative and assistive communication—refers to the communication methods used to supplement or replace speech or writing, used when an individual has impairments with these skills.  AAC may be use permanently or temporarily to aid communication.

 

4.      There is no typical user of AAC.  The only certain commonality amongst users is impairments with speech or writing.  AAC is often used for individuals with diseases or disorders such as cerebral palsy, autism, ALS, or Parkinson’s.  It could also be used by accident victims or people born with speech and language impairments.  It might even be used by a student with anxiety issues.

 

5.      Three criteria for effective communication are:

1)      Complete, correct, and clear message (i.e. verbal and nonverbal signals must not conflict)

2)      Interaction between sender and recipient, with recipient able to receive the message (i.e. if someone cannot read, they must receive messages in forms other than text)

3)      Recipient attending in an effort to understand the message from the sender

 

 

In short, a communication partner, a common language, and joint attention are all required for effective communication.

 

6.      Ten different types of AAC available include:

1)      American Sign Language

2)      Vocalizations  and gestures

3)      Communication boards

4)      Boardmaker app

5)      Speech generating devices (use typing, pointers, or head tracking)

6)      iPads

7)      Proloquo2Go

8)      Dragon dictation app

9)      TapSpeak Choice app

10)  Voice cards app

 

7. For each of the ten types of AAC listed above, the primary user is described and a photo is provided:

1) The predominant sign language of deaf communities in the US and English-speaking Canada is ASL.  Both the sender and the recipient must be fluent in ASL for the communication to be effective.

 

 

 

 

 

 

2) Vocalizations and gestures are a low tech AAC that can be used by anyone who can generate sound and has enough motor control for basic movements.

 

 

 

 

3) Communication boards are a low tech AAC used if someone cannot use their voice and needs to share a specific message, often about wants and needs.

 

 

 

4)      The Boardmaker app would be used by anyone who might use a communication board to create a customized communication board in electronic form on their iPad.

 

5) Speech generating devices allow the user to type, point, or use head or eye-tracking features in order to direct a computer to speak for them.  The primary users are non-verbal and might also have motor impairments.  Often these individuals have cerebral palsy, ALS, or Parkinson’s, for example.

 

 
 

 

6) iPads offer AAC via apps, and there is no specific primary user.  Those who cannot speak or write at all might rely on these devices, as might students with mild learning disorders who use the iPads as a compensatory tool on rare occasions.

  

 

 
 

 

7) Proloquo2Go is an app that allows individuals who are unable to speak to tap symbols in order to make sentences that the technology will speak on their behalf.

 

 

8) Dragon dictation is a speech-to-text app.  From an ACC perspective, primary users would be anyone who is verbal but cannot write or type because they are lacking either cognitive or motor skills.

9) With a range of accessibility options, TapSpeak Choice allows either very simple communication boards or complete speech generation page sets to be generated.  Anyone with any type of speaking impairment might use this app.

 

 

 

 

 

 

10) The primary user for Voice Cards would be a student with writing challenges who is studying or keeping notes for classes.  However, any auditory learner might use this app as well.

9. Inspiring video of a user of AAC:

Maya Finds Her Voice