Download Communication Partner Strategies

Communication Partner
Strategies
For Peds and Adults with Acquired
Needs
Pediatric Clients
• Modeling
• Communication Expectations within Daily
Routines
• Gradually decrease supports/cues
• Sabotage
• Wait Time
• Adapt the Environment
Modeling
• Def: The child’s communication partner uses the
child’s communication system to model use
(while also providing appropriate verbal model)
• Why use: Facilitates receptive language
comprehension, increase ability to use device
communicatively, + increase use of correct syntax
• What you need: Consider vocab you want to
model + where it’s located in device.
Communication Expectations within
Daily Routines
• Def: Various opportunities for communication
are built into child’s daily routine
• Why: Become familiar with expectations of
communicating by developing a natural and
consistent routine that places demand for
communication on him/her
• What need: Many ppl across different
environments
Gradually decrease supports/cues
• Def: Initially might require both verbal and visual
cue. As become more familiar with pictures and
vocab, as well as expectation for communication,
can decrease cues
• Why: Need to give them support to be successful,
while never giving more cues than they need.
Goal is always to be an independent
communicator
• What need: Understanding of cues (max, mod,
min) or prompting hierarchy
Sabotage
• Def: Sabotage what child is doing to give reason
to communicate
• Why: provides child with reason to communicate.
Can also be used to expand functions of
communication.
• What: Consider activity to use with partner. Think
of what they need to enjoy activity (opening a
box, all pieces to a game). Then consider how you
can sabotage by withholding key items your child
will need.
Wait Time
• Def: To give child opportunity to
communicate. Wait 10 sec. before providing a
cue. If motor issues (eye gaze), may need even
longer.
• Why: Speaking person may move too fast to
allow communicator time to interject with
system. Research shows significantly more
initiations made with wait time.
• What: Patience (hard)
Adapt the Environment
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Adapt the Environment
Def: Put items in site but out of reach
Why: Give a reason to communicate
What need: Preferred item. Put it in place
where they can see it but not retrieve by self.
Will need to draw attention to item and
ensure system available to request
AVOID
• Don’t expect user to know how to communicate without
direct models and instruction
• Don’t demand prerequisite skills
• Don’t overprompt or prompt too quickly
• Don’t ask the person questions you already know the
answer to
• Don’t teach ONLY requesting or provide ONLY nouns
• Don’t focus on vocab that won’t be relevant tomorrow
• Don’t remove AAC system or move symbols around
• Don’t stop all “babbling” (exploring of buttons)
• Don’t expect sentences right away or think you only have to
model grammatically correct sentences
Strategies Used by People with
Aphasia
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Multimodal Communication
Engagement strategies
Repair strategies
Ask for repetition
Signal speaker to slow down
Use “placeholders” when trying to retrieve word
Indicate to speaker to write message
Use circumlocution
Use reiterative utterances to express meaning
Alert unfamiliar listeners regarding aphasia
Verify listener’s understanding
Ways Communication Partners can
Support Comprehension
• Speak in natural, calm, slow voice, providing time to
respond and using simple sentences
• Discover best way to question
• Present one idea at a time
• Emphasize key words
• Use redundant info
• Rephrase or simplify what you said when person does
not understand
• Alert person to a new topic
• Keep paper and marker/pen handy at all times
• Provide permanent referents if possible
Ways Communication Partners can
Support Comprehension Cont.
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Supplement your speech with other modes
Provide written word choices
Use large print and plenty of blank space
Pay attention to persons body and facial expressions
Verify your understanding to person
Use natural encouragement to keep convo going
Direct person to a different strategy when needed
Acknowledge competence
Use humor
Project “listening attitude”
AVOID
• Teaching or evaluative comments (“Good
talking”, “Say my name…”)
• Patronizing tone of voice or comments
• “Baby talk” or elderease
• Increased vocal loudness