Parents' Corner
November 2011
Katya Hill
Moving Beyond AAC Awareness Month
s AAC Awareness month concludes, I reflected on the impact an “awareness” month might have on improving the education, future employment opportunities, service delivery and Speech Generating Device (SGD) funding for children who need AAC technology, services and supports. When I opened my inbox this morning, one message caused me to question the value of increasing AAC awareness without addressing the knowledge and skills for AAC decision-making. Someone sent me a “tweeted” question about recommending an App for AAC.
Is this the question that we want to ask?
--Tweeted by an SLP in a school.
As ridiculous as this question may seem, I find the “tweet” even more incredible having been sent by a member of the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA). The answer will influence the life experience of the children who need AAC in this school district and perhaps beyond.
If the sender tallies up the tweeted replies to arrive at an App with the most recommendations, then ALL children who need AAC in that school district likely will be receiving poor AAC interventions. However, the answer is obvious if the replies focus on the principle of language first and technology second, and the expectation that speech-language clinicians apply the principles of evidence-based practice. NO ONE APP CAN DO THE JOB!
Parents have to be extremely concerned that school administrators are asking for a one App solution for providing AAC assistive technology. Parents should be even more concerned that a speech-language clinician would seek an answer. This scenario places a burden on parents to investigate and query how decisions about their child’s AAC interventions and education are being made. Most parents are advocates for their child, but in today’s climate of economic retrenchment and false confidence in iPads as AAC technology, queries about the evidence are imperative.
AAC Awareness month is not enough to change the knowledge and attitudes of many professionals in decision making positions. For the best life experience for their child, parents need information, training, and support to know the right questions to ask about matching their child with an AAC solution. In some cases, parents may be more knowledgeable about how to consider and evaluate the software and hardware of an AAC intervention then the professionals whose primary concern may be ease of use and cost. Parents always know the most about their child’s abilities, skills, and potential.
The AAC Institute’s mission to provide the tools, resources, and services that result in the most effective communication for children and adults who rely on AAC translates to supporting parents through the labyrinth that develops around funding AAC intervention. The news media created excitement about tablet technology that has influenced thinking about the benefit of Apps as a low cost alternative for children who rely on AAC. However, the availability of commercial technology does not lessen the importance of highly specialized knowledge and skills needed for gathering the evidence and providing clinical and educational services that result in the highest performance communication. On the contrary, the proliferation of tablet technology and apps heightens the importance of informed decision-making and experienced specialists.
Thirty–some years ago, I entered the emerging field of AAC with excitement that AAC interventions would create for children on my caseload in the future. Today, I’m equally energized by the questions circulating about AAC because of the attention the media has shaped around the iPad and Apps. Parents have the opportunity to turn attention away from technology and towards performance and outcomes they desire for their child. I hope that this month’s Parents’ Corner column motivates readers to seek the information and supports needed to shift the discussion from schools making an easy solution on purchasing an App to AAC teams finding the intervention that is in the best interest of the child who needs AAC to succeed.
Let me suggest some AAC Institute Resources:
●Check out the AAC Institute on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/AAC-Institute/163992643906
●Communicate with the AAC Parents Google Group http://groups.google.com/group/AACParents?pli=1
●Stayed Informed on Exclusive Preferred Provider Arrangements http://www.aacinstitute.org/funding/PreferredProviders.html
● Make sure you’re fully informed about AAC Language Representation Methods at http://www.aacinstitute.org/Resources/ProductsandServices/ConsideringAACLRMs/index.html
NEW!
AAC ConsumerNet ----- Check it out!http://www.aacinstitute.org/AACConsumerNet
Your feedback is always valued. parents@aacinstitute.org.
