See, the cornerstone of AAC would be talking about the right to communicate.

Now, if I know that that’s my fundamental right, my right to communicate, I will communicate anyway.

Now because I use speech, I have the luxury. But if I did not have speech the way I’m using it, I would still communicate.

So I think it’s for every teacher to realize that if this child is communicating something through their gestures, body language, facial expressions, the child has something to say.

It is I think, for us, as teachers to figure out how we are going to empower, how we are going to help this child to communicate.

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Look at me.

Barsha, how’s it going?

Aw.

A.

N.

Na, again? Okay.

Joint letters?

Da.

Ananda.

Revolution? (Andalan?)

Happiness! (Ananda!)

Oh happiness!

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The moment we think of AAC, the first thought which comes to our mind are people with disabilities.

However, if you really think carefully, all of us are users of AAC.

We don’t call it AAC, but for example, I use my hand a lot while talking, I use a lot of emojis and text messages, now all that is AAC.

But it becomes important for people with complex communication needs, those with cerebral palsy, those with autism, those with maybe ADHD, Down Syndrome and several others.

This is to go with children.

There are several adults who might have had a stroke, uh might have had some kind of an accident or paralysis for which reason their speech has got affected or at least uh we don’t understand the speech.

There are many senior citizens who have dementia or Alzheimer’s, again, for whom communication is a challenge.

AAC is for all. And there’s nothing like early intervention is only for children.

Yes, it is, but at any point in time, the person comes to us for training or to any other place which works with AAC, it’s a time to start.
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So, when a parent or a family member uh comes uh with this person who’s having speech challenges, the first thing that we do is an assessment.

Now that is required to understand what exactly are the existing skills and knowledge of the person who’s having difficulty using speech, you know?

So it could be, what is the vocabulary?

What is the language spoken at home?

Who are the friends whom this person speaks to?

Who are the family members this person speaks to?

At which time of the day this person is most communicative?

So these are several uh things and we have this multidisciplinary team who sits with the parent to discuss these things, and obviously the individual also, if this individual has uh cognition and can support telling us of exactly what are his preferences and also non-preferences.

So in the multidisciplinary team approach, uh I not only speak of parents and the teachers but obviously the doctors, the SLP who’s in involved in it, the…anybody else actually in in the child’s life because when the assessment is done, in the meeting, we try to know exactly everybody who is a part of this child’s life.

So it is not in compartments, like the child goes to school and that’s when the child is communicating, it’s like an all-round thing.

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Uh for parents, of course, I personally believe that uh it starts at home.

So, I guess the fact of feeling embarrassed, it should not be a thing because obviously I know my child is having difficulties or that my family member has difficulties, so why should I be ashamed of it?

I’m proud of the fact that well, this person has so many things to say and I’m part of that entire world of this wonderful child, so I’m going to empower that.

So I guess creating opportunities and constantly working as a team, so yes obviously it’ll be carrying the device, however small or big it is.

But guess what, I mean it is not all the time that the child has to use the device, there will be opportunities.

So, for example, if a child is going to a birthday party, obviously something like a chat book where the ‘happy birthday dear friend’ is there, the child would be opening it or using that to say to the friend, why would I say it?

So the fact that I’m not going to pre-empt my child’s communication or I’m not going to speak for the child, which is again a very cultural thing with us, I think.

It’s not to do with people with disabilities or children with disabilities, we do it all the time.

If a child is asked a question, as parents we are over anxious to give the answer.

I think we need to step back and do all this answering-questioning at home in the training which anybody can be a part of.

And then when the child is out in the community, is for the child to communicate freely.

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However, with people with uh disabilities who have difficulties using their hands and feet, basically motor difficulties, we actually work on access.

Now by access, what do I understand is like, for example, many of our trainees as well as some of my colleagues um like to use their finger to point out on a board which has alphabets to spell.

Uh, another student might be comfortable using the elbow to point.

Somebody might be comfortable using the entire arm, the fist.

So, in whichever way this person is comfortable communicating is what we train and is what we obviously uh support and enhance.

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So, assistive technology is use of technology for assisting, for adapting and for rehabilitation purposes again for people with disabilities.

So it could be a toy, a regular toy which the child has never used because of the physical difficulties.

So adapting the toy in such a manner so that the child can use a switch to press on the switch so that the toy moves, which is again something which all children do and play being the basis of all learning, that’s again assistive technology.

Assistive technology could also be uh use of an android tablet, a software which allows speech, if the person presses on it or selects a particular grid and there is speech coming out.

We use a lot of phones, phones again nowadays have accessibility features, now that’s…that is again an assistive technology device for communication.

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Uh so the biggest myth about AAC is that my child will never be able to speak, but AAC, as in the term goes, it is not to hinder speech, it is to augment speech.

See, if you think back when we learned, when I learned Jack and Jill, um I still remember the pictures that were used for Jack and Jill.

It it does not mean that I did not know how to read but that visual cue always helped me.

So again, uh using a picture board, using visual cues will never hinder speech, it will only augment speech, so that’s one myth.

Secondly, that young children should not be introduced to AAC, maybe once they understand a little, then.

No, as young as they are babies and they are going to communicate as early as that.

It could be the phone, it could be a tab as I said.

So that again, there’s no age, as in to start off with AAC.

And there are no exactly pre-requisite skills hence required.

I mean, you’re breathing and hence you’re communicating, so it is as simple as that.

It’s just for us parents and teachers to figure out how are we going to help this person to communicate.

Then about language development, will my child develop language?

So actually if you go into AAC, the entire training is about training this child to start off with words and then go on to phrases and actually learn how to, you know, point out to an entire sentence, the semantics, uh the syntax, all of it.

So, it’s really a myth that AAC will be hindering all these things.

It doesn’t, it really enhances it.

Nothing can be done without a team approach, so obviously the parent will be required, the teachers will be required, each family member has to be a part of it and then only can it go on to the larger community.

It’s only if I believe that my child, as a teacher or as a parent my child has the right to communicate and my job is not to speak for my child, will I then empower the child to communicate independently.

So I think our job is only done when the person with speech difficulties is communicating without our help, so that is important.

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