Module 2: Implementing Strategies to Support Communication

In Module 1, the differences between communication and language were described. Communication implies a broad set of expressed behaviors and combinations of expressed behaviors, which may or may not be of a standardized form, but which convey intent and are understood or “read” by the listener. This module addresses important issues related to expressive communication.

Communication may involve a broad range of non-symbolic communicative forms including body language and gestures, facial expressions, eye-gaze, pointing, and vocalizations that express a variety of intended messages and may be unique to an individual communicator.

Communication may also include conventional symbolic forms such as words, signs, and graphic or tactile symbolsTactile SymbolsTactile symbols are representations, often parts of objects, attached to backgrounds, which are used by people who are blind and do not read braille. For some, they are stepping tones to braille, for others the symbols are alternatives to braille. Representationally, they are similar to pictures for sighted people.. When a learner’s communicative form is understood and responded to by the listener, communication has been successful. It is important to remember that learners typically understand more communication than they may be able to express.

Learners with combined hearing-vision loss may take longer to learn to express themselves because they are slower to receive information as they cannot rely solely on their residual visionResidual VisionVisual impairment, also known as vision impairment or vision loss, is a decreased ability to see ... The definition of visual impairment is reduced vision not corrected by glasses or contact lenses. .... Some people who fall into this category can use their considerable residual vision – their remaining sight – to complete daily ... and/or hearing and may need to receive information via touch (e.g., touch cues). Vision and hearing are distance senses and information obtained through these two senses is swiftly received and swiftly processed by the brain. Touch, on the other hand, is a contact sense and gathering information from touch is a slower process.

Learners with significant communication challenges often have additional challenges related to hearing, vision, and/or motor challenges. These learners may not be able to replicate a standard communicative form and, as a result, their unique communicative forms– often fleeting – may not be recognized, or correctly interpreted. Sometimes, a distracted communication partner may completely miss the learner’s expressive attempt.

Breakdown in the communication equation may cause the learner to either stop trying to communicate or to exhibit challenging behaviors out of frustration or escalating needs. Challenging behaviors often represent communicative attempts that may not be recognized as attempted communication, and are treated instead as behaviors to be eliminated. The first step in eliminating or modifying a behavior should be to consider the possible communicative intent of the behavior.

In Module 2 of this series, the six basic strategies for building and shaping reliable communication paving the way for language development will be addressed.

These strategies include:

1. Pause and expect communication,
2. Manage the environment for communication,
3. Acknowledge and attribute meaning,
4. Model, model, model,
5. Encourage, but do not require, AAC use, and
6. For consistency, teach everyone to use the AAC, whether it is high- or low-tech, or a combination of the two.