Augmentative Communication - When is it time?

[MrsR]

I am doing some research about augmentative communication, I currently work with a student who has a Dynavox and received it during his Kindergarten year. When is it time to look into augmentative communication for a child? Can anyone help me with any articles or anything there might be out there about this topic? I know the process is a long one, but when do you start it??

[FrazzleDazzle]

I have some high school kids with aug. comm. devices and just had a quick chat with our speech teacher. She pointed out that these are augmentative devices and not alternative devices-- they are meant to supplement speech and not replace it. She said it is time to look into aug. devices when the child can't be easily understood by listeners in order to cut the frustration level. The child should still be encouraged to speak-- their device says, "How are you?" and the child attempts to say, "How are you?" Often, having this cue helps the child speak better, as does the removal of the stress of not being understood.

[MrsR]

Thanks FrazzleDazzle, I know that augmentative communication is not meant to replace speech. I guess I didn't phrase my question correctly. At what age do you look into an augmentative communication device? At what age is it too early? Does anyone know of any articles or books on this topic?

[FrazzleDazzle]

I don't think kindergarten is too early, if the child can't be understood and is frustrated and the frustration is making the child not want to try.

I added the part about augmentive vs. alternative because a lot of people don't want to start aug. early because they think that it will stop the kids from trying to talk.

Try this site:
http://aacintervention.com/

[MrsR]

Thanks so much!

[FrazzleDazzle]

I don't know if this is still relevant to MrsR, but it might be relevant to someone: here is a blog post that talks about how AAC helps to increase verbal language. It has links to research articles.
http://teachinglearnerswithmultipleneeds.blogspot.com/2009/01/aac-increases-verbal-language.html

[Boxcar]

I know a four year old who uses aug. comm.

The rule of thumb is usually - the earlier the intervention the better the results.

I think one of the key ways to when to start the process of implementation is when the student starts to become frustrated by the lack of communication. If the child is not meeting lingual milestones and is unable to interact with his/her enviroment, something should be done. Other therapies can also be used, and support can slowly be withdrawn as the child makes progress.