Transcript ECT 040412

Facilitating Communication
Building the communication skills of our students
Communication: Food for Thought
• Why do we communicate?
• How do we communicate?
• How old is a typical child before they
speak their first words?
• How long do we model the language we
expect from our typically developing
children?
Communication Timelines
Developmental
By 18 months a child
is exposed to 4380 Norms
hours of spoken language
(8 hours per day X 1.5 years)
18 months
5-20 words
When using a different symbol
and practicing
in speech
room 2x/wk for 30 minutes, it
24set
months
150
– 300
would take 84 years to have the same amount of exposure as an 18 month old child
36 months
900 – 1000
48 months
1500-2500
For full language competency (9-12 years old) that exposure is 26280 hours
(8
hoursyears
per day Xold
9 years)
9-12
= full
language competency
For equivalent practice at 2x/wk for 30 minutes, it would take 701 years.
Developmental Norms from ASHA; Comparison Figures from Jane Korsten
Today’s Goals
• Think about encouraging communication all the
time!
• Learn/review strategies to facilitate
communication.
• Practice strategies to facilitate communication.
• Develop an Action Plan to:
– Setup environment
– Implement prompt hierarchy
The Basics of Encouraging
Communication
Increasing Communication through:
– Arranging the environment/activities
– Responding to the child’s initiations
– Reinforcing the child’s communicative
attempts
Our goal is communication
Communication
Independence
Environmental Arrangement Strategies
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•
•
high interest materials/activities
materials in view, but out of reach
materials used with which the child will need
assistance
small or inadequate amounts/portions
provided
sabotage
something the child doesn’t like is provided
Environmental Arrangement Strategies:
AAC Considerations
Position of Device/Display
–
–
Relationship to task
Positioning equipment temporarily
•
•
•
–
Fold out leg on device
Dycem or Shelf Liner
Stands
Mounting equipment for tables/wheelchairs
The Prompt Hierarchy
1. Environmental Cue or Transition
*** Pause at least 7 seconds***
2. Open Question
*** Pause at least 7 seconds***
3. Partial Prompt
*** Pause at least 7 seconds***
4. Full Model
Descriptive Feedback after last step needed
Environmental Cue or Transition with Pause
• An environmental cue or a transitional cue
has just occurred
• Focus your attention on the student
• PAUSE
Environmental Cue or Transition with Pause
Just sat down at the usual snack table with
an empty plate in front of the student.
Communication partner is focused on the
student visually and just waits!
Open Question or Statement with Pause
• Ask a who, what, when, where, why, or how
question and then PAUSE
OR
• Make a vague, general statement that cues
into the previous environmental cue, related to
the new activity that is about to begin, and then
PAUSE
Open Question or Statement with Pause
• “Why are we sitting here?”
• Pointing to the plate, “I wonder what is that
for?”
• “I sure am getting hungry!”
• “When are we going to get something to go
with these plates?”
• “Where is the food?”
PAUSE
Partial Prompt with Pause
If the student’s response to the previous prompt
was:
– Nothing, Inappropriate, or less than expected for that
student
Provide part of the response by
– asking a question that contains a choice,
– giving a hint or a clue modeling the first few words (or
sounds) of the answer, and then PAUSE
Partial Prompt with Pause
• “For snack, I want…”
• “I wish we had crackers or cookies or chips for
snack.”
• “Do you think we are having popcorn or cookies
for snack?”
PAUSE
Full Model with Pause
• If the student:
– never produced the response you are seeking...
– does not respond to previous prompts
• Provide a full model using the expected
communication method
• PAUSE
• Repeat message using student’s communication
device via hand over hand technique
Full Model with Pause
• “I want cookies please.”
**Model the student’s expected communication
method (voice, gesture, sign, picture exchange,
voice output system for him to imitate).
Descriptive Feedback
• Used after a communicative response
• Used after the last step of the prompt hierarchy that you
needed to use
• Descriptive Feedback is specific to the
communication behavior:
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–
–
–
–
“Great, you asked for more juice and here it is.”
“Wow, you asked for the tape player, so here it is.”
“You asked for some scissors, what do you need them for?”
“I didn’t understand what you said, can you tell me again?”
“Good talking”
Descriptive Feedback - Purpose
Serves three functions:
– Immediately acknowledges that the
listener was heard.
– Confirms understanding by the listener
– Reinforces and elaborates meaning of
communication, further building language
Practice Time
• Groups by classroom
• Work through each scenario, filling in
Prompt Hierarchy Content
• Role Play through each scenario
– “Student”, Communication Partner, Observers
Scenario # 1
It’s time for a classroom art/coloring activity
Environmental Cue or
Transition
Open question or
Statement
Partial Prompt
Scenario # 2
It’s independent time and the student usually picks
the computer as his task
Environmental Cue or
Transition
Open question or
Statement
Partial Prompt
Scenario # 3
It’s time for a writing worksheet that the student
needs help to complete
Environmental Cue or
Transition
Open question or
Statement
Partial Prompt
Our Action Plan
– Changes to our classrooms
– Changes to our actions during communication
– Develop student communication plans
Planning your Attack Strategy
• Consider your Environment Arrangement
– What are you doing well?
– Where can you improve?
– How are you gonna do it (Make the plan)
• Consider your Prompt Hierarchy
– What are you doing well?
– Where can you improve?
– How are you gonna do it (Make the plan)
Planning Change
Environmental Changes
Prompting Changes