Supporting the Use of Augmentive Communication at Home and in the Community

In the last post, I discussed how IEP must reflect on goals for a student who uses Augmentive Communication Tools within the school setting.  One additional important feature of these tools is using them beyond the classroom.  Using them at home reinforces what students learned in school and helps them generalize their learnings to new situations.

To accomplish this, there must be a working relationship between the teacher(s) and the family.  Regular communication must occur so the needs of the family/student can be understood as well as various outcomes from using the tool can be evaluated.  For example, an expanded vocabulary may be needed at home for things that do not occur in school (like preparing to go to sleep at night).  One must also reflect on the culture of the family itself to best support the student and his/her family.

Finally, one must provide training to the family in the use of the augmentive tool.  Also teaching them how to respond/react to the student using the tool must be implemented.  For instance, parents and siblings may need to be taught to wait for the child to respond and not fill in possible answers.  This will show the child that they want to hear from him/her and will encourage expanded use of the tool.

Source: Dell, A; Newton, G and Petroff, J.  (2012).  Assistive Technology in the Classroom: Enhancing the School Experience of Students with Disabilities. Pearson Education.