MOVING BEYOND REQUESTING:DEVELOPING COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE- DAY 2

Jayna Greenfield, Assistive Technology Consultant

ARIN IU 28

April 24, 2013

Today’s Schedule

Opening activity Briefly review last session’s big ideas Case Studies More on Core Strategies for teaching core and

examples Planning/ Work time

Opening Activity: 4 Corners

Which song best describes your feelings towards AAC/ Core Vocabulary?

About Today: Our Rules

Maintain Confidentiality Respect Others’ Perspectives Keep What’s Most Important (CHILDREN)

our First Priority

Presume Competence

Viewing students through the lens of a disability label may increase the likelihood of misjudging capabilities and barring some students from opportunities to learn what other students their age are learning.(Jorgensen, McSheehan & Sonnenmeier, 2007)

And…Make the Least Dangerous Assumption

“…educational decisions ought to be based on assumptions, which if incorrect will have the least dangerous effect…we should assume that poor performance is due to instructional inadequacy rather than to student deficits…”

(Anne Donnellan Ph.D, University of San Diego)

Since last time… Yay!!!!

What you want to learn about today…survey says:

Apps to help with core vocabulary, AAC apps, more materials and ideas to teach core vocabulary

Core vocabularyPerhaps see more examples of therapy sessions

using core vocab on a static overlay board without voice output

iPad appsI would like to learn about group lessons for Life

skills students.implementing assistive techMore ideas for use in the classroom, use in the

regular education classroom, good apps to useMore about how to teach core vocabulary

Let’s Review!

is the Vision?

The PA Statewide Initiative for Students with Complex Support Needs (SCSN): When students with disabilities are provided with

appropriate instruction and supports, they can learn grade-level academic knowledge & skills and

communicate in ways that are commensurate with their same age peers without disabilities. Comes about from PA’s Partnership in the National Center State

Collaborative Grant (federally funded) which was proposed to develop a comprehensive assessment system.

“Imagine educational practices in which learners with significant disabilities have the same learner outcomes as students without disabilities.”- Kleinert & Kearnes, 2001

WHAT

Communication is:

The exchange of ideas A two-way process, consisting of:

Sender (Expressive Communication) Receiver (Receptive Communication)

Intentional- to convey a message Verbal or nonverbal

What we ALL communicate:

Reject what we don’t want Ask for what we do want Comment on what we see Tell stories Complain Ask questions Answer questions More…

What is “Communicative Competence?”

“Being able to meet the changing demands and to fulfill one’s communication goals across the lifespan.”

Communicative Competence should accomplish four main purposes: Expressing wants and needs Developing social closeness Exchanging information Fulfilling social etiquette routines

(Light, 1997)

Our purposes for communicating change over time:

WANTS

&

NEEDS

Social Interactions

& etiquette

Sharing Information Sharing

InformationSharing Information

Social

Interactions

& etiquette

J. Cumley, 2001

Based on J. Light, 1988, 1997, 2005

Social

Interactions

& etiq

uette

WANTS

&

NEEDS

WANTS & NEEDS

What bridges the gap for our students with Complex Support Needs?

What they

Know/think/feel What they can express

AAC

What is AAC?

Augmentative and Alternative Communication Includes all forms of communication (other than oral speech) that are used to express thoughts, needs, wants, and ideas.

(ASHA, 2011)

Augmentative - to support what is already there.Alternative – replacement for the lack of verbalcommunication.

What are our responsibilities in AAC?

MAKE opportunities for its use. BE a communication partner. TEACH the system. MODEL use of the system. SET high expectations.

A device/tool is only as

good as the people behind it.

Remember…

Also, remember…

A device/ tool is only as good as the language that is in it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOVm8q0mCYA

Vocabulary Selection

Gail VanTatenhove

Something to think about…

You’re not an equalmember of society,

if you don’t have words to communicate

like everyone else!

2 Kinds of Vocabulary: Core Versus Fringe

“Core vocabulary is composed of high frequency words that are very versatile. In contrast, fringe vocabulary is composed of words that occur infrequently and lack versatility.”

Core vocabulary consists primarily of pronouns, verbs, question words, prepositions, articles, etc.

Fringe vocabulary consists primarily of nouns.

-www.aaclanguagelab.com

Kinds of Core Words

Content/ Lexical Core Words “MEATY” Examples: eat, drink, go, more, trouble

Functional/ Grammatical Core Words “THUMBTACK”- holds others together Examples: is, of, to, with, by, for

Did you know……

Most people have 20,000- 25,000 words in their vocabulary

The most frequently occurring words =80% of the actual words spoken

78 – 80% of the words we use dailycome from a set of fewer than 350 -400 words (core words)

These same (core) words are consistent from age 4- through adult!

The 50 most frequently occurring wordsaccount for 40-50 % of total words said,while the 100 most frequently occurring= 60% of what is said

-VanTatenhove, 2004

One implication…

If you give kids 50 good lexical core words, they can say about 50-60%

of what everyoneelse says!

WOW!!!

Everyday conversation example….

Hi. How are you today?

I’m good. How are you?

Not good. I feel like I am getting sick.

Second Implication:What does this mean for AAC?

Our priority for vocabulary selection should focus on the small set of high frequency words, not on the large set of infrequently used words.

GIVES US MORE BANG FOR OUR BUCK!

Aha!

Other implications…Without Core Words:

A person is at risk: Linguistically

Can’t develop language like speaking peers Limited reasons to communicate Perpetually a responder, not an initiator May maintain context-dependent communication instead of

developing into an independent/ generative communicator Academically

Real participation requires language Need “meaty” and “thumbtack” words for learning literacy

(The top words needed for reading are CORE words!!!!) Personally/ Socially

Need good communication skills for a healthy, safe, and happy life

VanTatenhove, 2013

Typical Childhood Development The first 20 words a child says are primarily

nouns From 12-18 months, nouns are mostly being

used, but it doesn’t last long! By 24 months, children use 150-300 core words. By 26 months, 80% of what children say is core.

Gail says that it is “okay to start AAC intervention with a child under 18 months with a small set of nouns. But, don’t do nouns exclusively, and don’t stay there indefinitely.” -VanTatenhove, 2013

Core Vocabulary is Life Saving!

To lighten the mood…

What do you call adinosaur with an extensive core

vocabulary?

VanTatenhove, 2013

A Thesaurus

!

Case Studies

OFFERING FEEDBACK

1. START WITH POSITIVE

2. ADD ANY SUGGESTIONS OR NEW IDEAS

3. END WITH A POSITIVE

Be thinking of strategies and tools that are working well for this teacher/therapist!!

Any ideas you can offer to add to the existing activity to increase language input or output? Things you have tried that have worked?

To offer suggestions, use this language: “I wonder if…” “Have you ever tried…” “I wonder what would happen if you….”

Moving on….

Where do we go from here?

General Rules of Thumb

Nouns are still important, but often over emphasized. (Emphasis should be on core words.)

Use 4 core words to 1 noun. For student with a moderate to severe learning

impairment, may need more nouns. (Ex. 1 core word to 4 nouns.) But, DON’T eliminate core!

Core will help you meet state standards that ask you to DEFINE, DESCRIBE, DISCUSS, EXPLAIN, etc.

Can easily be integrated into activity-based instruction, and included in student IEPs.

Choosing Symbols

Challenge: Core words are not easy to represent (or teach) because they are not “picture producers”!

Your teaching of the symbol will be crucial! Minspeak- system that uses icons, with each icon

meaning more than one thing. (It’s called semantic impaction.) On PRC devices.

Other types of symbols: Mayer-Johnson (Boardmaker software) SymbolStix (Crick software) Pixons

Comparing Symbols

Rules of Thumb…for designing manual boards/books:

Choose the symbol set that makes the most sense. (Ex. readily available, is on device of other students in your class, etc.)

Be consistent with your symbols. Give core vocabulary words from ALL

word groups. Use the core words across ALL activities! Organize core words for easy access.

Types of AAC Tools & Displays High Tech- Dynamic Display AAC

iPads with robust AAC apps (Proloquo2Go, TouchChat HD, LAMP Words for Life)

Dedicated communication devices (PRC Accent, NovaChat) Low Tech- Speech Generating Devices

GoTalk 20+ or 32+, TechSpeak 32 No Tech- Manual Boards or Books

Single Sheet Design- get core words on 1 display/page (Should have 50 words) (Evidence says this is the easiest to use!)

Multiple Simultaneous Design- turn a section of the board to get some new core words

Multiple Sequential Designs- turn pages to get more core words

Examples- High Tech

Examples- Low & No Tech

Your Approach can be Multi-Modal! Voice, gesture, board, device, app:

Acknowledge all attempts to communicate!

Design a stable, single sheet design AAC system for Core Vocabulary, as a strategy of “first choice.”

Move towards the use of whatever design promotes independent communication in more settings and with more trained partners.

The Baker Formula

MotivationPhysical Effort + Cognitive Effort + Time

“If the motivation to communicate a message is greater than the physical effort, cognitive effort, and time required to produce it, then communication will

occur. If not, no message will be generated.”-Bruce Baker

To have a good system… you need a supportive classroom!

Make sure your other students know the rules: This student is not the class “pet” or “baby” How/When to touch device and student How much to help to give this student…make sure

they know to give him a chance to answer! (Teach them “wait time” too!)

Make sure your assistants know this too!

Note: When your student with AAC “speaks” inappropriately…do not take the device away. Use another punishment, just like you would for your

speaking students.

Also, do AAC Awareness Activities Have your other students try using a

manual communication board to communicate.

Celebrate October as AAC Awareness month.

Read/Show the book: “How Katie Got a Voice (and a cool new nickname),” by Pat Mervine of SpeakingofSpeech.com.

Teaching Core Vocabulary in an Activity

Get Ready!1. Pick a target classroom board with enough,

but not too much core vocabulary (50 word)2. Customize board if necessary – can use

velcro3. Customize boards for each student, if

needed (May need to expand beyond 50 words)

4. Coordinate use of manual boards with SGDs and Apps- make sure the core words are available to all.

Teaching Core Vocabulary in an Activity

Get Set!1. Choose your target activities- start with 1-2

per day. Repeat 3-4 times/ week.2. Aim for a minimum of 3 target words for

students to say. (You will be modeling more!)3. Allow for more TIME to complete the activity.

Example- craft/art activity will likely take twice as long!

4. Think through the activity. How are you going to organize, and what barriers can you set up? What core words will you be targeting?

Teaching Core Vocabulary in an Activity

Go!1. Introduce new words using AIDED LANGUAGE

STIMULATION (Strategy of modeling language by pointing to key words on the communication aide).

2. Teach the new words with explicit instruction activities.

3. Elaborate on new word meanings with engaging practice activities.

4. Provide repeated exposure to the new words on an ongoing basis.

5. Check for understanding, and reteach as necessary.

Introducing words through:Aided Language Input

Teach New Words with ExplicitInstruction Activities

Gail’s Art Activity: Take Notes

Let’s Practice!

More Resources for Instructional Activities:

Lessons and Power Point Books from aaclanguagelab.com/resources

A Year of Core Words from PraacticalAAC.org Handout: Implementation in the Classroom from

aaclanguagelab.com PRC Language Lab Apps: Core Words, Directing

Activities, Simple Sentences, Plurals TarHeelReader.org books Minspeak.org books Minspeak.org script cards Dolche Words- how do you normally teach those

words?“Teach for a lifetime, not an activity.”-Gail VanTatenhove

Other Instructional Ideas:

Calendar Time: TODAY IS Music: PLAY AGAIN, TURN UP, TURN DOWN Play: YOUR TURN, MY TURN, PUT IN, PUT HERE Reading: BAD, GOOD Selecting Lunch Choices: I WANT THIS/THAT, DIFFERENT Art Activities- Put items in clear boxes, and label with a

describing word (LONG, SHORT, SOFT, ROUND, BIG, LITTLE). If no words describe, use THIS/THAT.

Label the Classroom with Core Words (instead of Nouns) Door- OPEN CLOSE, GO IN, GO OUT, STOP Toy Area- PUT IN, PUT AWAY Fine Motor- MAKE, PUT HERE, BIG, LITTLE

More Ideas…to get you thinking! Request for more than things:

Requests for a person: SIT BESIDE, GO WITH, HELP ME Request an action: I WANT GO/STOP/ ALL DONE, WHAT DO

NEXT Request location: WHERE PUT, PUT HERE

Visual Schedule: GO, DO/ DID When seeking information from student, try to avoid

Wh- questions that will require specific word answers, like, “Where did you go?” Instead ask questions that can be answered with core words, like, “What did you do there? How did you feel?”

Elaborate by modeling good core words, “You ate good food. I bet you had fun there.”

Continued…

As Class Helper: Give Instructions to Others: COME, WAIT, GIVE, GO

QUIET, LOUD Student summarizes a story with Core Words. Student gives repeated line in story with Core Words.

Social: Attention Getters: COME HERE, HEY YOU Starters: I HAVE SOMETHING TO TELL YOU Interjections: GO ON, TELL ME MORE May need a chat board, or use an SGD to help with the

social situations. Include Hello/Goodbye, Please/Thank You, Sorry

Still a Need for “Personal Core”

Personal Core- nouns that are important to the student, and that they would need to use on a consistent basis.

Organization- Could have these words in tabs at the top of the core board. Or could have these in a binder with core board on left side of every page, and nouns on right hand side.

Final Tips!

Try to target 1-3 core words in everything you do with your student.

Try always having a core board with you when interacting with your student.

Nearly ANY activity can be used! Expect that it will take MORE time than

before to do the activity. Start gradually with 1-2 activities per day. Develop a lesson plan (Or use ideas online),

but make sure to have materials ready!

Our Goal…

To foster a student into becoming an….

Independent,Competent

CommunicatorEventually, you student will move past“learning to communicate” and be able

to “communicate to learn!”

Advice to Teachers from AAC Users

Planning & Work Time

Choose what you would like to do.

Stay here, brainstorm, and work on Action Plan or Lesson Plans.

A few groups can go to the Computer Lab upstairs, to develop boards with Boardmaker.

Stay here OR use the computer lab to review the resources I have given you today.

Resources

www.vantatenhove.com www.praacticalaac.org www.pinterest.com/lasen

ders www.minspeak.org www.tarheelreader.org www.youtube.com www.pattan.net www.aiu3.net

Who has the most clothespins?

Contact Information

Jayna Greenfield jgreenfield@iu28.org 724-463-5300, x1107 www.jaynaswiki.wikispaces.com

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Thank You!!!