Robin Hurd

Different Symbol Systems

by Robin Hurd

A parent recently expressed concern over choosing the AAC system that her child seemed to do best on because the teacher used a different symbol set in the classroom. The question of how much, if at all, seeing different symbol sets at school affects a child’s learning is one that is probably near and dear to the hearts of many researchers in the field, who have focused their energies completely on the study of symbol sets for use with AAC.

Nonetheless, I will boldly go where others may fear to tread, as we discuss this common concern of many parents who see multiple symbol sets used around their children.

First of all, symbol use is not limited just to people who use AAC. Teachers of normally developing children have used symbols for years to help developing readers. You may have heard this called rebus writing. The sight words (such as “I am a”) are printed, but the fringe words are either replaced with pictures or the word is printed along with the picture to give the reader a clue about what the word means.

Symbols may be used within a classroom for a variety of reasons. You may see symbols used to show where items should be put away, symbols used to support reading, symbols to show the daily schedule, symbols on worksheets, symbols used as communication prompts, symbols used as low tech communication systems, and symbols used on voice output AAC systems. You may even see symbols on the children’s newspaper that comes home with your child. Whew! That’s a lot of symbols in one classroom!

Back to our original question: Do all of these different symbol sets confuse the child? I don’t believe they do.

When symbols are used for reading support or showing where to put away the toys, the important thing is that the child knows what that symbol (or picture) means. A crayon looks like a crayon, whether it is part of an official symbol set used for AAC systems, or a piece of clip art, or a photo.

Some of the symbols a teacher uses may need to be explained to the child. For instance, the kindergarten teachers at our school use a butterfly and a magnifying glass to indicate the science center in their classroom. Once the child understands that the butterfly and magnifying glass means the science center, he or she is fine with that symbol. To him, it means, “that part of the room where I go to learn about outside stuff.” She knows what she needs to know when she sees that symbol.

Though a variety of symbols within the classroom are not a big concern, there are times when a child does need to see his or her own symbol set being used. The time when this is beneficial is when symbols are being used as specific communication prompts to show a child how to access a word on his AAC system. For instance, if I want Josh and Caleb to learn where the word “under” is on their AAC system, it would be foolish to try to teach that word using a visual prompt that had nothing to do with the way the boys would actually access this new word!

Especially if a child is using a low tech AAC system that does not include voice output, the symbol is the communication. Visual prompts to help this child access the AAC system, if used, must be even more consistent than prompts for a child whose system includes the added feedback of voice output once the symbol is selected.

For children using voice output systems, learning a new word is a combination of motor planning (they remember where their hand goes to find that word) and auditory feedback (they remember that word because they heard it on their voice output) along with symbols or icon sequences. Teaching new vocabulary for these children requires a combination of all three of these areas. When all three areas are targeted, the child who learns by doing or the child who learns by hearing it has his chosen learning style supported, as well as the child learns by seeing.

Pushing for the removal of all symbols except those used on your child’s AAC system is asking for the impossible, and tends only to restrict children in a class to one type of AAC system, regardless of their skills and abilities and what can yield the best results. A realistic expectation is that each child within the class will use the most effective communication for him or her, whether that be AAC or speech. Visual prompts for communication, if used, should be made specifically for the individual’s AAC system. Within the classroom and in pre-printed materials, however, a shared set of symbols will be used for literacy support, daily schedules, worksheets, etc. Teachers may choose from a variety of symbols, photos or pre-printed materials for this shared set, depending on personal preference and the skills of all the class members. In a classroom where only one child uses AAC, we would expect to find that child’s symbol set dominating the shared symbols. But even in this type of situation, other symbols will be seen in the classroom on pre-printed materials.

In any classroom setting, different children will communicate differently. Yet there will always be the need for shared experiences within the classroom, and symbols can play a part in this. Having a personal set of symbols for communication, and having a shared set of symbols that belong to all students in the classroom provides a child with a sense of belonging, instead of just the inevitable feelings of “being different” that are inherent in having a disability.

As always, I invite your contact with comments or suggestions. E-mail me at parents@aacinstitute.org.