Saturday, November 28, 2015

Augmentative Communication Systems Designed to Meet the Demands of Home and the Community

In my previous blog, I discussed the importance of using augmentative communication systems at home and in the community. But you may be thinking, how can a student's augmentative communication system be designed to meet the communication demands of home and the community? Well, I have the answer for you! Family involvement is the key. The family should identify vocabulary that is relevant in their house and in their community. If their family goes to the park a lot it would be important that the child's augmentative communication system would have words that he/she would want to communicate in that setting. The family can come up with different overlays that would be appropriate for the child to use at home and in the community. Also, having the student using the device at home and in the community helps to practice their communication skills and be more comfortable using it outside of the classroom!

Here is a video of Katie using her AAC device at Walmart to shop and buy a DVD:

Dell, A., Newton, D., & Petroff, J. (2012). Assistive technology in the classroom. (2nd ed., pp. 3-22). Upper Saddle River: Pearson.
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4 comments:

  1. UnknownDecember 9, 2015 at 6:07 PM

    Erin,
    I am so glad you posted the video you did about Katie. It is so great to see videos with individuals actually using the AT devices we have been learning all about. To see the success people have is amazing and makes me so happy there are adaptations and resources available to help them be successful despite their disabilities. Augmentative communication devices are one of my favorite AT resources. I really love that these devices give students and adults a voice to speak their own wants, needs, and thoughts without others doing it for them. Thanks for sharing!
    Christina

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    1. UnknownDecember 10, 2015 at 2:07 PM

      I agree with you that it's so great to actually see videos of students using all these great AT devices! It's amazing what augmentative communication devices are capable of doing. So many individuals used to not have a voice and now with ACC devices they are able to communicate with others! It's remarkable!

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  2. UnknownDecember 10, 2015 at 2:42 PM

    Erin, I really enjoyed that video that you added at the end of the blog. I think it was a great example for using assistive technology in the classroom. It really is incredible what we are capable to do nowadays with the help of technology. I also agree with your point about family involvement. Family is so important in the life of a student, and especially those using assistive technology

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    1. UnknownDecember 10, 2015 at 4:23 PM

      Tom, I agree so much with you that family is so important! Having families involved in the student's life both inside and outside the classroom really shows to improve that child's life for the better. We all know how hard it can be when families don't want to be involved or don't have the time, and we can see the results in our student's negative behaviors and lack of progress. But when families are involved, we can see so much more potential the student has and see how much they can grow and learn! It's amazing to me when families want to be involved and want to learn about strategies or devices that are being used in the classroom, so that they can implement it at home!

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