Reflections on AAC (guest post)

Just between you and me, I was a little nervous when it came time to ask my next guest contributor to write a post for AAC Awareness Month.  I did not want her to feel obligated, either from her friendship with me or her very generous nature, to say "yes".  At the same time, I very much wanted her to say "yes".  I can't tell you how excited I was when she consented!  I feel very blessed to have Kathy as a friend and mentor.  It is a distinct pleasure to bring to you some of the wisdom she so freely shares with me.

Reflections on AAC

I am a retired speech pathologist with more than 40 years’ experience working in the field of AAC.  What have I learned from all the people and families I worked with?  Here are some of my reflections.

Using AAC is hard work!  Actually learning to talk (communicate) is hard work for ALL children.  We may not think so; it looks so easy to an adult.  But I remember our 3 year old granddaughter asking what a new word meant and then immediately repeating it to herself over and over again.  That is work!  Our children using AAC need to work even harder.  That may sound depressing, but I believe it is helpful for parents to understand how hard their child is working.  ‘Small’ changes are really BIG changes in my mind.

AAC needs are usually not the only needs a child has.  I believe families feel a lot of pressure.  They are asked to work on AAC needs as well as other needs, such as physical therapy.  On top of it, families feel the need to give time to siblings, to work, and to have a family life.  How can a family fit it all in?  There is no simple answer applicable to all families.  Each has to find its own path.  However, I believe there are some universal guidelines for families:

• Don’t beat yourself up about not doing enough work on AAC.  As a part of family dynamics, it is important for the family to engage in fun activities together.  I see this as communication time.  Socializing and having fun enhances the motivation to communicate.  Human beings by definition are social beings.  And communication is the essence of social beings.  If the family is going on an outing and the AAC system was forgotten, or Mom and Dad did not have time to make a symbol for the outing, don’t fret just enjoy the event.  There are still many ways to encourage communication during the activity.  And afterwards, parents and child can use the AAC system together to talk about the fun activity.

• I suggest parents think about what they like to do with their kids.  One Mom loved to have reading time almost every day after dinner.  Mom engaged her child (and often other siblings) in a discussion about the book.  That can be an excellent opportunity to focus on a specific vocabulary word, such as the core word ‘open.’  I felt that because Mom really enjoyed the activity (sometimes she got to choose a book!) it was done more often.

• Routine activities can be created that involve opportunities for communication and use of AAC.  These planned routines can occur weekly, such as  ‘Clan’ meetings in which all the members of the family gather to discuss the next week’s schedule, plan dinner menus, volunteer for household tasks, etc.  Other routine activities that involve communication might be a scheduled family game night, family movie night, family music and dance night, family sharing night, etc.

Thus at the end of the day Mom and Dad can say they did work on AAC even though it may not have been the prescribed ‘homework'.  And while having fun, new vocabulary might have been discovered and old vocabulary used in fun and different ways.  Yes, Mom and Dad you DID play an important part in your child’s use of his AAC system this week!

Kathy Smith is a retired Speech-Language Pathologist with over 40 years in the field of Augmentative-Alternative Communication (AAC).  She is also a founding board member of the Northwest Augmentative Communication Society (NWACS).  She remains active in the field through volunteer work, mentoring, and her work on the NWACS board.  Kathy is the proud Grammy of four grandchildren and resides in the Seattle area with her husband.