Aac Device For Autism

Top Three Augmentative Communication Systems For Autism

There are many augmentative communication systems that can be used with individuals who have been diagnosed with autism. These systems can range from high-tech systems such as a speech generating device, a low-tech system such as a communication book or a no-tech system such as using Australian Sign Language. Below are the three augmentative communication systems that Harrison Speech Pathology recommend for supporting the communication of individuals that have been diagnosed with autism.

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With little or no training, you can easily add icons, words, images, scripts, stories, and videos. We make it easier and faster to learn new hobbies, socialize with friends, connect with family, and gain independence.

• Easily add or edit icons, words, or phrases with a few simple clicks.
• Create scripts to practice repeating words or phrases youd use in everyday life.
• Make your own social stories to illustrate how to manage new situations.
• Use video modeling to teach new skills and encourage positive behavior.

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Why Aac Is So Beneficial

These devices are life-changing.

For kids who do not yet use their voices to speak, having visual support to express themselves can be so beneficial. It helps teach consent, as kids can now say when they dont want something, or can tell a teacher or a parent if something happens at school that upsets them.

I saw one child for therapy who struggled with apraxia of speech, which is when an individuals brain knows what it wants to say but their mouth cant say it. I gave this boy a device and his face lit up right away. He was such a bright kid and could already read, so after showing him how to use it one time, he was able to communicate with it immediately.

This boy didnt like circle time at the center. One day, he heard someone ask me over the walkie talkie whether he was coming to circle time. He looked at me and used his device to say, no circle. I was so proud of him for expressing himself that of course I didnt make him go! I told him he never had to go to circle time again.

It was one of those perfect moments when it all clicked. All I had to do was give him a communication system and he flourished. Hes since graduated from Hopebridge and I transferred the device to the school so he can continue to communicate effectively in the classroom.

Free Or Inexpensive Aac For Children With Autism

There are many different types of AAC available for children to use and you dont have to be rich to try. Here are some options if money is tight or if youre not sure you want to invest a whole lot of money before you know if it will work:

• Sign Language: Use signs from the American Sign Language along with spoken speech. This adds a visual component to language and since children with autism are often visual learners, this makes language easier to comprehend.
• Pictures: Print off pictures of common objects and actions in your childs life. I typically make little cards about 2 inches wide and 2 inches tall. These can be used along with spoken speech as well to add a visual component.
• Visual Boards: Make a sturdy board about the size of a lunch tray. You can make this out of construction paper or poster board. Then, glue pictures to it that represent the things the child may want to communicate. The child can then point to the picture of what he wants.

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Aac Devices And Autism

Augmentative and alternative communication is a specific type of assistive technology that can benefit people with autism of all ages by promoting independence, expanding communication, and increasing social interactions. for people with speech disabilities tends to be forgotten and overlooked. Many people are just hearing about AAC, or gaining access to it for the first time. I recently watched a documentary, Wretches and Jabberers, that made me think about how important it is to spread the word about AAC devices and how they have changed the lives of people who use them.

Enabling Devices Tactile Symbol Communicator

Price: About $500

Why We Love It: The tactile buttons accommodate visually impaired users.

This portable symbol communicator, which can store up to 36 messages, has a total of six removable tactile symbols that allow the user to push a button to relay a message. As a tactile symbol communicator, it is perfect for users who are blind or visually impaired. We like this device because it offers six levels of communication, with six messages per level. When setting up this device, it provides up to six seconds of record time per message.

Price: About $175

Why We Love It: Its affordable and practical.

This device wins for its affordability. At under $200, the GOTALK 9+ is lightweight and durable and has a 45-message capacity, five recording levels, and a nine-minute recording time. The user simply presses the appropriate message key that corresponds with a picture.

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How To Know If A Child Is Ready For Aac

Many people believe that a child needs to have a certain level of skills already in place before they should be allowed to try AAC. This is simply not true. Children can learn the needed skills for AAC while they are already using it to communicate. If the child is able to see the benefits of learning these skills , they are going to be more motivated to work hard to master them. For more information on the myth of pre-requisites for AAC, check out this article:

How To Use An Aac App

It is important to remember when thinking of using an AAC app, that the use of the app alone is not sufficient enough to lead to improved communication outcomes. A supportive environment that compliments the app is vital the symbol system that a particular app uses should be incorporated into the wider environment that the child will come into contact with. This enables AAC users to generalise symbol/word recognition outside of device use, a common difficulty for children with communication. Collaboration with parents is also important ensuring a consistent approach to core word modeling outside of school. Many parents are reluctant to use devices as potential communication aids for their children in the hope that language may naturally develop down the line. A common concern is that the child may become over-reliant on the device to communicate, yet studies show that the use of AAC, both hi-tech and lo-tech can kick start speech. For those who may never speak due to language production difficulties, the AAC device can become their voice. The use of synthesised rather than digitised speech has come a long way over the last few years allowing AAC apps to be more natural sounding and personal to the particular child.

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Does Choosing To Use An Aac Device Mean Were Giving Up On My Child Ever Talking

While it is true that introducing a communication device is sometimes only done if attempts at teaching vocal speech have not worked for a child, it doesnt mean anyone is giving up on your child using natural speech. Oftentimes, it will be recommended that your child continues receiving speech therapy while also learning how to operate a communication device. The main goal when using an AAC device is to give a child an effective way to communicate his or her wants and needs this might be easier and faster for him or her to learn. Sometimes this is taught along with vocal communication when a child starts receiving services because using the device is easier than producing speech vocally. The goal is still always to get a child to communicate using his or her voice as much as possible. However, occasionally, children have difficulty controlling muscles involved in the speech/respiratory process or have other neurological or cognitive limitations that affect speech production. Make sure to have a doctor evaluate your child for any physical limitations that could affect speech production.

To Sum Up I Encourage You To Remember The Following When Helping Your Child Advance His Skills With His Speech

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Articles Included And Data Extraction

Seventeen systematic reviews were included . The aims, type of systematic review and effect size metric , publication period of included studies, inclusion criteria, quality indicator or appraisal method, and key findings were extracted. This information is presented in Table 1, with studies organized according to key themes relating to review aims. These themes were overall effectiveness of various types of AAC and comparison of effectiveness across variables evaluation of the AAC instructional package, Picture Exchange Communication System effects on speech use of high technology, including SGD and newer mobile technologies of iPods®, iPads® and partner instruction .

How To Implement An Aac

How we implement an AAC device depends on the child and what type of device they are using. Its not complicated, but it helps to have support from an SLP.

There are no pre-requisite skills necessary to use AAC. In terms of cognitive development, even if a child does not yet understand cause and effect, we can use an AAC system to teach it to them: when I use this, I get what I want.

If they are unable to point or have challenges around motor skills, there are other ways to access these devices for communication. For example, there are key guards that can be traced until their finger is in the desired location. If they cannot use their arms, they can hit a switch. There is even eye gaze technology, in which they can use their eyes to track the words, phrases or pictures of choice.

When using high-tech systems, we can choose different levels. We can start with one page of choices, but as the child increases communication skills, the screen opens up to additional pre-made phrases. For instance, if the child chooses I on the first screen, a new page of options will open to suggest phrases such as, I want, I dont want, I like, I dont like, and I feel.

While I introduce a high-tech device, like an iPad with a communication system like LAMP, I first print and laminate the initial screen. I use this as the patients core board while they wait for the device in order to keep it consistent.

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Use Of Aac With The Verbal Child

AAC devices can be used for children with verbal skills as well. One characteristic of autism is echolalia, or the repetition of heard speech. For children who script or repeat in conversation, an AAC device can assist is helping them to formulate novel utterances and to participate in more meaningful conversational turns. More importantly, use of an AAC device will not prevent your child from using and increasing their verbal skills.

Poor Nonverbal Conversation Skills

• Unable to use gesturessuch as pointing to an objectto give meaning to their speech
• Avoid eye contact

Another child may be entirely non-verbal. According to Bev Long of the Diagnostic Center of Central California, As many as 50% of individuals with autism are non-verbal, and up to 80% are intellectually challenged.

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Basic Sign Language For Autism

Some signs that you can start teaching are: more, all done, help, eat, drink. It is important to remember that when teaching and using sign language one can pair it with verbal language. For some children using the visual of the signed word can help them in a transition to verbal speech as the sign acts as a visual aid for spoken words.

Integrating Aac Into Classroom

Familiarity with the device or AAC app can also help the teacher come up with creative ways to use the system. Since each child has his/her unique set of preferences and abilities, the teacher can play around with the features of the AAC system to best suit the needs of the child. We need to widen the scope of where and how we use these devices, not just for use within the classroom and therapeutic domain. The key is practice, practice, practice. In order for young children to be successful in the use of tablets as communication aids, we as Communication partners also need to speak the language of AAC. Similar to learning a new language, we need to model and practice using the device alongside novice learners. Modeling and continual practice need to happen both at home and school in order for successful outcomes.

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The Success Of Assistive Communication Devices And Strategies

A variety of assistive communication devices and strategies have proven successful in assisting many children develop methods of communicating and even speech. These devices are usually prescribed by a speech-language pathologist and are a part of augmentative and alternative communication interventions .

This comprehensive research summary by Débora R. P. Nunes for the International Journal of Special Education discusses 56 studies that took place from 1980-2007. Nunes concludes:

Some of the advantages of using sign language included its portability its characteristic of being a true language system and, the possibility of communication occurring at a faster pace. Among the positive aspects of using a visual-graphic system were: its iconicity its nontransient nature and the limited motor requirements for its use. SGDs were considered advantageous for they allowed communication to occur at larger distances they permitted messages to be easily deciphered, and required limited cognitive and motor demands. .

In an article written by speech-language pathologist Jessica Lenden-Holt and special education teacher Forrest Holt, two case studies of high school aged teenagers with autism are reviewed. These teenagers were given instruction on high-tech communication devices for the first time, three times a week for an hour each session.

A Device That Can Grow Alongside You

From the first day of school, to your favorite young adult novel, to the next exciting stages in your life, Lingraphica AAC devices can grow alongside you.

• Over 4,500 graphic icons and 9,000 words for all ages
• Create new icons from web search or picture gallery
• 19 unique voices of different ages, genders, and ethnicities

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What Does The Research Say About Aac And Autism

On this page from the American Speech-Language Hearing Association, you will find the summaries of numerous studies conducted about Autism and AAC. Many of these are reviews of several different research studies.

Through all of this research, one theme emerges:

The use of AAC for children with autism does not prevent a child from speaking. In fact, these studies reported that AAC may actually increase speech instead.

This is not to say that AAC will definitely help a child learn to speak, but many children in these studies and across the world have found benefits from using AAC and no studies have found any ill effects. With no risks and possible improvements , its definitely worth a try!

On top of that, AAC allows a non-verbal child the ability to communicate a message to the listener even if he is not able to speak it. Imagine if your child with autism was able to push a button to tell you what he needed instead of crying and throwing a fit on the floor. So what if he wasnt able to tell that to you with spoken words. He was able to get a message to you and you were able to help him. That can go such a long way in building trust between a non-verbal child and the adults in his world.