first, with their bodies and brains, and they need to literally “see” the use of AT, and AAC around them, by others within the environment. A communication device is not giving a child a “voice.” It is giving them a word processor. Spoken language does not “live” in the same spots of the brain as written language does. But written language and reading do reside next to each other. Neurophysiologists are still studying the mystery of the relationship of spoken language to orthography. It is still unclear as to how they are related and how they interact. Using an AAC device is “writing,” not “speaking.” To use an AAC device, the individual must first have a thought, hold that thought in their mind, then choose arbitrary symbols located in a specific but arbitrary arrangement, then sequence them, and then produce them. This paradigm is how we write, not how we talk. We don’t write before we talk, in fact, children come to school and use their experience with spoken language to function, and then learn to write and read. Using an AAC device, no matter how proficient anyone would be, will never be as automatic, nor as quick, nor as easy as speaking. Try using your phone to text all day long to everyone and every time you need to talk. You can still use both your hands, and you already are mature with language, a reader, and experienced with your technology, and yet, your conversations will not be as expedient, nor as direct. In this article, I’m hoping to bring the environment and the equipment that is not the technology, more into focus on its impact on the use and skill development of technology. With children, a more holistic approach must be implemented, and that means a real knowledge of growth and development, childhood postural mechanisms, language and motor development’s relationships, and environmental barriers and accessibility must be considered. This is a very short space, to share all that my students and their families and my studies have taught me, but I hope that as you read this and think about it, you will go back to your classrooms and students with“new eyes” and an open heart and mind, to join the journey of supporting independent communication and mobility. ACCESS TO AT/AAC AND ACTIVITY The Definition/s of “ACCESS” 1. How an individual is able to manage an activity of interest with intention, independently. 2. How to manage a particular machine at a particular time for a specific activity which will produce an output (vocal or printed) 3. ASHA’s (American Speech and Hearing Association) definition: “the way an individual makes selections on a communication board or speech generating device” 4. Webster’s definition: the act of coming toward or near to; approach; a way of means of approaching, getting, using, etc.
ASHA’s definition of AAC “Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) describes multiple ways to communicate that can supplement or compensate (either temporarily or permanently) for the impairment and disability patterns of individuals with severe communication disorders. AAC can involve unaided communication, such as facial expression, body posture, gesture, or manual signs, and aided modes (e.g. communication books, tablets). The appropriate mode or modes of communication are determined by the needs of an individual with disabilities and their communication partners.” Considering access to AT, or AAC within the classroom with a student with a complex body is expected to be assessed first, and then with a device. But this paradigm of assessment for AAC/AT was developed for adults, not children. Children have not yet developed full receptive vocabularies, they are inexperienced with many activities in daily life, and need to be actively engaged in play and work throughout the day to have ideas they want to share in communication. Access to activity, with children, is not “assessed” first, instead it is experienced, and is not seen as competent or predictable until they’ve been engaged in that activity hundreds of times. Children are curious, and explore, but their motor development is not a ladder, but has ebbs and flows of interest and engagement, as their bodies and brains develop. At different stages of development, interests in activity are quite variable. A 2 year old wants to do exactly what they’ve seen adults doing, use a real knife, manage a real pot, use a real hose. They do not want “pretend” items. They want to work at what they see happening about them, but they want to do all of it in one day, washing dishes, doing laundry, preparing a meal. They don’t want to spend the actual time it takes to complete these activities, but they want to do each one a bit. But a 4 year old really expresses imagination, loves little play or pretend objects, like small cars and trucks, small dishes, and small play houses, small legos to build and they like the things they build to stay in place and they can spend a great deal of time with one of these activities. But one thing all children who are growing and developing (without the interruption caused by a disability) do, is practice real life. They hear language, but they also practice language, not simply speaking, but they practice many non-picture producing words. They put their bodies in, over, under, next to, near, far. They look for this, for that, they reach for those, and choose these. When a child has not had the experience of using their body itself within the environment, how do they know the meaning of words. Especially the multiple meanings of many words like : I am climbing “over” the block on the floor, this meal is “over,” my shoe is “over” there. In short, when considering AAC, with children activity must be rich, full of real language and experience, and then encourage
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