My silent afternoon

I'm currently studying for my Masters in Special Education, and this semester I'm taking a class on Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Strategies.  Since Bugsy got an AAC device over the summer, I thought this class would be beneficial not only professionally but also personally as well.

One of our first assignments is a non-speaking experience, where we had to spend the afternoon not talking in an effort to gain a personal understanding of an individual’s inability to communicate orally in the community.  While the use of a communication board, communication book, notepad, or technology tool was permitted, I chose to undertake this experience by simply not speaking to garner a more authentic experience that most nonverbal students have, especially younger children who may not have access to assisted communication yet because they are deemed “too young” or “too impaired” or “developmentally not ready”.

ASHA issued a statement that “no individuals should be denied the right [to augmentative and alternative communication], irrespective of the type and/or severity of disability(ies) they may present”.  Similarly, the National Joint Committee for Communication Needs of Persons with Severe Disabilities stated that “eligibility for communication services and supports should be based on communication needs alone, rather than on criteria…[or] prerequisites”.  However, in reality, many young children are still overlooked for AAC assessments, often leaving them with no outlet for communication. 

I also made the decision to not announce the fact that I was not speaking for the afternoon.  I wanted my experience to be as authentic as possible, and most nonverbal students do not have a method of telling others that they cannot speak. 

During my afternoon as a nonverbal individual, I went to our local grocery store to grab some things we needed.  However, I couldn’t find this particular type of sausages that I wanted, and they were out of the type of rolls that I wanted.  I also realized I would like some meat from the deli for sandwiches the next day.  In a normal situation, I would find the nearest helpful clerk and inquire about the location of the sausages, and also if they had more of the bread.  Then I would trot over to the deli, get my meat, and go on my merry way.

However, since I was not speaking and had no other way of communication, I had to settle without my sausages, bread, or meat.  I thought about going to the deli to try and indicate what I wanted and how much I wanted with pointing, but I had an inkling it was going to be a fruitless exercise in frustration.  With this particular store, I had enough trouble getting my deli order correctly when I was speaking; I basically had no hope when I could only point and gesture.  So I took the easy way out and went to pay for the few things I could find.  Or I thought it was the easy way until I was asked “paper or plastic” and I had to vaguely gesture to the paper bags I wanted – the poor clerk had no idea what I was doing.  I ended up walking over to the bagging area and physically picking up a bag to indicate my preference, then paid for my purchases and went home.

The most memorable aspect of my experience was my personal preference to take the easy way out and just defer any attempts at communication before even an attempt.  I have to wonder how many nonverbal individuals just let things go. 

I was also made aware of how much attention a potential communication partner has to pay to the communicator.  The checkout clerk wasn’t looking at me the first time I pointed, and the second time she misunderstood where I was pointing.  I didn’t even bother trying a third time, and walked over to the bagging area to physically show the checkout clerk what I wanted.  I was fortunate enough to have the physical mobility to physically show what I desired, but this is not an option for some individuals. 

This experience reinforces my belief that every attempt at communication, verbal or otherwise, needs to be immediately recognized and heavily reinforced, especially in young children, in order to avoid an apathy to making future communication attempts.

Have you ever tried something similar or had a non-speaking experience? 

Encourage pointing with beams 'o light!

Pointing is a very important skill.  It's a form of communication and joint attention.  When a child points to the passing firetruck, he is telling you "Look at that!".  He wants to share something with you.  He wants to make a social connection with you, and wants your attention so he can tell you about something.  Joint attention is essential for communication and social exchanges.

Inadvertently, pointing also triggers multiple learning opportunities.  When the child points to something, the response from the adult is something along the lines of "Oh?  What do you see?  It's a big red firetruck!  Where do you think the firetruck is going?  He's going fast, isn't he?".  Such a natural response is a wonderful learning opportunity, because we just labeled the thing he was interested in and pointed to ("firetruck"), and also presented characteristics ("big", "red", "fast").  We are having a conversation with the child, even if the child cannot verbally answer yet.

A lack of pointing is also one of those warning signs for autism.  Bugsy didn't point (at all) until she was 2 years old, and only after some pretty intensive therapy.  We did hand-over-hand a lot, modeling, and enlisted the help of toys with tiny buttons that could only be pressed with one finger.  Like an alphabet board toy where she had to isolate her index finger in order to press one button at a time.  Even after she started pointing, it was only under certain circumstances and only with prompting.  It wasn't until she was 3 years old that she was reliably and independently pointing to communicate her wants and needs. 

OTC 12 Finger Beams $8.00

The other day, a family friend gave Bugsy a toy that I wished I knew had existed 2 years ago.  It would have saved us a lot of sweat and tears.  They're finger light beams.  A little elastic allows you to put it on a finger (any finger), and then the light shines on whatever you're pointing to.  You can buy them online from Oriental Trading Company (12 for $8) or Amazon (40 for $7 with prime shipping: here or here).  


Now, granted, the toy will work and the light will still shine if the child isn't pointing but just making a fist or whatever.  But that's where the adult supervision, modeling, encouragement, and prompting comes in.  I particularly like the set that Bugsy got, because instead of just shooting a light, it actually makes pictures.  If she's not pointing at a blank wall, then the picture gets distorted and she can't see it, so it encourages her to target a specific location.  Also, if she's shaking her hand/arm/finger, the picture starts bouncing around - so it's motivation to hold her hand steady.  It's a good way to work on strengthening, because she can actually see that she's being unsteady.  Bugsy will say "uh-oh" if she drops her hand and loses her picture =).   

As you can tell from the picture, these things are pretty tiny.  Adult supervision is DEFINITELY needed because it's totally swallowable.  Besides the fact that swallowing anything non-food is not so great for you, these things are powered by 3 watch batteries...so that's something you definitely don't want to add to your diet.

The one thing I really don't like about this toy is that little elastic band.  Bugsy has come a long way with tolerating things on her, but when she first got this toy she was still a little bit hesitant.  I had to actually force it on her little finger, and she was about to make a fuss before I turned it on and she was too mesmerized by the pretty pictures to remember that she was mad at me.  Now when she knows we're playing with these she readily sticks her finger out for them.  However, I wouldn't be so confident 2 years ago the pretty pictures could have overpowered the tantrum.  This toy also requires a pretty dark room for it to work.  So if your kiddo has sensory sensitivities, this might be more trouble than it's worth for your family.

Has anyone else seen these things and had success with them in working on pointing?  I didn't know they existed until 2 weeks ago, and Bugsy has already mastered the pointing skill, so I'd be interested to know how it works for kids who are still working on pointing.