Communication Beyond Words:
Using Low-Tech Tools for Inclusive Education"
Check her credentials….
Important before we get to how I got here, we first recognize where we have been.
You don’t know what you don’t know, but once you do it’s on you to do better.
This won’t be your normal power point presentation.
Allyson Schwab (Jen and Len’s Mom)
The Family
Doug
Allyson
Hayden
Hendrix
Jenna
Lennon
Lennon Jenna
OUR JOURNEY BEGAN IN NOVEMBER 2018
- 18 month check up-REFERRED TO IOWA CITY
- BEGAN SPEECH AT EDI EARLY JANUARY, UNI LATE JANUARY
Iowa City - MArch 27, 2019
AUTISM
WHAT IS AUTISM?
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges.
1 OUT OF EVERY 36 KIDS are on the autism spectrum( cdc)
Boys are 4x more likely to be diagnosed with asd.(cdc)
Autism
Possible Signs:
AUTISM
IF YOU HAVE MET ONE AUTISTIC CHILD,
YOU HAVE MET ONE AUTISTIC CHILD.
Communication challenges an autistic individual could struggle with:
Communication challenges an autistic individual May experience:
Scripted Communication:
Communication challenges an autistic individual may experience:
TO SUM IT UP…
Communication challenges can have a significant impact on students' learning, social interactions, and overall well-being.
If we do not provide support for the student in the environment,
then the environment could be traumatic for the student.
How can Communication challenges impact…
Social Interactions: Peer Relationships, conflict resolution
Overall Well-being: Self Esteem and confidence, mental health, behavioral issues.
Communication challenges for our girls
Our girls began as nonverbal.
Communication challenges for our girls
Communication challenges for our girls
Let’s talk aac
AAC stands for Augmentative and Alternative Communication.
It refers to a set of tools, strategies, and methods used to support or replace spoken communication in individuals with communication disorders or difficulties.
Low Tech AAC Examples:
Communication Boards : These are simple boards with pictures, symbols, or letters that individuals can point to in order to communicate. A basic communication board might have images of common needs like food, drink, and restroom.
Picture Exchange Systems (PECS): PECS involves using a set of pictures or symbols, often stored on a Velcro board, that individuals can select and exchange to communicate their needs or desires.
Communication Books: These are similar to communication boards but more extensive, containing a wider range of symbols or pictures for various situations.
Visual Schedules/Routines: Visual Schedule of what the day looks like or tasks at certain stations.
Low Tech AAC at school:
Communication Boards : These are perfect for big Spaces and little spaces. Playground, Pe, Classroom
Mini Communication BOards ( offered by epm as well) : Can be carried to and from specials, classrooms, school and home, promoting generalization across environments.
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Low Tech AAC at school:
Communication Books/ Communication wallets: These are similar to communication boards but more extensive, containing a wider range of symbols or pictures for various situations.
Visual Schedules/Routines: Used around the classroom or ask the desk to help eliminate the question or anxiety of what’s next.
Benefits to adding low tech aac to your classroom
1- Participation by those who otherwise do not have a form to communicate.
2- Less disruptive behaviors and frustration- the child can advocate for themselves as well know they have a way to share their needs. They feel “heard”. By behaviors I am not referring to stemming, I am referring to dysregulation that could be triggered by needs to being met due to lack of communication systems offered
3- Confidence in the classroom
4- Ability to connect with classmates, be included, participate , and in turn educating others about communication differences.
Implementing aac within the classroom
1- Get to know your students. Don’t wait until they get into the classroom. We met with teachers before school started, met with paras before back to school night to walk around the classroom and make sure we had the accommodations that our girls needed.
2-learn the communication system your student uses. ( in an ideal world paraeducators would have training prior to the school year on communication systems and there would be pd on this throughout the year).
3-Model, model, model, get the children involved. Teach a lesson using visuals, the communication board, visual schedule ect. The more you normalize it’s use the more it becomes normalized to everyone.
4- Have the school SLP or Guidance counselor come in and talk about differences and celebrating differences including different forms of communication!
Implementing aac within the classroom
5-open communication and coordination with home- creating generalization across environments
6- total communication approach- honor everything and always assume competence.
7-Foster an inclusive environment
8- Not getting the results you hoped for? - what need of the child is not being met?
Fostering an inclusive environment
(in classroom)
- Empathy and Understanding
= Different perspective
- Flexibility and adaptability and problem solving skills
-Social skills
-Reduced stigma and stereotyping
-Advocacy and allyship- instead of just focusing on preventing bullying- lets work to create allyship
Inclusion begins with communication…
“Inclusion works best when:�1. administrators are supportive�2. good communication and collaboration exists between home and school,�3. teachers have received specialized training ( including the paras who work side by side) and if it is not offered, they work to learn the communication of their students.�4. Scan the environment. What could be a distraction or cause dysregulation for a child in turn making communication more challenging.
5. peers are educated
Some things of importance…..
-Find Autistic people to learn from
-An autistic individual’s brain is feeling/thinking/all the things
-Autistic is an adjective
-Label didn’t change my child, it changed the help i received
-Always Assume Competence
-just like you wouldn’t talk about a neurotypical peer in front of them as if they aren’t there or don’t understand, the same goes for an autistic individual.
Every Piece Matters- www.jenandlenblue.com
Our mission is to provide communication tools for the community to create an environment that is inclusive to those with diverse communication needs.
-We have donated over 300 communication boards to classrooms, gyms,
and playgrounds to provide an opportunity for all to communicate.
-” If they don’t learn the way we teach, we teach the way they learn”. - I. Estrada
- we offer new mini communication boards, laminated and easily carried
By the para or child around the classroom or specials.
Every Piece Matters- www.jenandlenblue.com
Reasons why we felt communication boards would be helpful:
1- bridge gap between those who verbally communicate and those who can’t yet. Also a benefit to the child with a para or teacher who hasn’t had training in aac. Everyone first learns with pictures.
2- creates conversation! bring awareness to the different forms of communication. The younger we introduce the more of the “ norm” it is for people to communicate differently.
3-what better place for kids to learn different forms of communication? The same place they learn social interaction. - playground and school
Every Piece Matters- www.jenandlenblue.com
Some other things to think about:
1- some kids have been denied aac devices ( we were 2x before approved). Trial devices are usually due back before their personal device is received.
2-Some kids haven’t had early intervention by the time they reach school and need a way to communicate.
3-autistic kids are not the only kids who can benefit from communication boards. Anyone with communication challenges including esl kids can benefit from communication boards.
Every Piece Matters- www.jenandlenblue.com
You may go on our website and contact us to request a communication board for your school.
These Boards are FREE we have no expectation of you other than to hang it, explain it, and implement the use of it!
How to implement: lesson on communication difference by guidance, bringing in slp to show devices, visual aides ect, take time to let the children interact with their peers using the board, and the mindset of “ how cool is it that we are able to communicate in different ways”. Kids will follow your lead.