Video of the Week: Chat with Me in AAC
As we all know, AAC learners need to use their augmentative tools and strategies to do more than ask for the things they want to do or have. But it can be tricky to figure out how to build competency with more social communicative functions. In today’s featured video, Matthew Baud and Dr. Jill Senner, of the Technology and Language Center, discuss some of the issues involved in expanding the pragmatic profiles of our AAC learners. They also demonstrate specialized social pages in some AAC systems. Handouts can be obtained from the TALC website or the link below.
Download the handout here.
You can learn more about pragmatic intervention from Matthew and Jill here.
Direct Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGLiJRXXM88&t=1762s
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: pragmatics
This post was written by Carole Zangari
4 Comments
This post in particular interests me. My daughter (age 20) and son (age 15) communicate using AAC – LAMP on PRC Accents. Their language has grown from simple requests to making comments. Though I must admit – I struggle to fine age appropriate youth to communicate with them. I’ve grown tired of being their main “talk mate” and my topics of conversation are a bit stale.
Thank you Carole, for creating this website. You’ve created for me a daily reminder to consider AAC first.
Thanks for taking the time to comment, Isabel. This is a very real struggle that I know a lot of families deal with as their kids get older. Finding age appropriate partners is a huge part of it, as you’ve mentioned, and can take some real creativity to get that figured out. One thing I will say about that, though, is that a little goes a long way. Even if you found ways to connect with age mates on an infrequent basis, it is still such a powerful thing. In terms of topics, I like to embed routines, like a Question of the Day that we all answer/discuss together at/after dinner or a time where we each ask someone else a question. The routine is tough to start but when we keep at it, things get easier in the long-run. I think in most cases, this is a work in progress until the access issues lessen and AAC competency develops. I have to remind myself how much dang work it is for them to communicate with AAC!
Many thanks for your reply and your ideas. The beauty of talking about everyday activities is that, at least for my kids, they can quickly find those icons so responses aren’t delayed and the conversation is fluid.
Be well. Isabel
That’s such a great point, Isabel! There’s always something we can say to narrate our experience and engage our learners with core words in day-to-day activities. Gaining familiarity with that set of words definitely speeds up communication and makes for a more natural flow of interaction. Thanks for taking the time to comment on that!