Working with AAC

Speech therapist

UNICEF Special School and Education Centre in Słupsk

Special institution run by the managing body, City of Słupsk

Education and therapy of children with special educational needs (intellectual disabilities: mild, moderate, severe, profound, multiple disabilities, autism, Down syndrome, mental disorders), surdotyflopedphagogy, speech therapy, sociotherapy.

Communication difficulties caused by autism or intellectual disability, supporting the child’s development in early childhood.

I am familiar with ACC methods. I’ve been working in this field for 22 years.

I use AAC methods in my work with my students whose speech did not develop in early childhood.

Understanding the needs and emotions of people who cannot communicate verbally. A child or adult who is understood and their needs  are satisfied feel safe and comfortable.

I had a student with severe hearing loss, with intellectual disability. Learning the student’s home sign symbols – extended with sign language symbols introduced by the teacher in combination with the picture – resulted in better communication and reading of the student’s messages and needs.

Now, he has become more open to communication, more joyful, more trusting. The basic symbols were extended to the other students in the class who wanted to communicate with Peter.

AACs are quite well known in the field of education in my country, especially in special institutions, but not all teachers have access to specialised equipment – the cost of equipment and training does not allow to equip everyone with additional skills and tools to support the communication process.

Yes. The development of technology, tools and aids in the direction of AAC allows for more effective therapeutic activities and enrichment of the specialist offer of the institution, and thus the development and shaping of new skills of our pupils and pupils, understanding and satisfying their needs.

For example:

•  Hanna Rodak, Danuta Nawrocka; A Guide for Pedagogues, Speech Therapists and Parents of Children with Communication Difficulties, “From Picture to Word”
•  Bogusława B. Kaczmarek, Marzena Mieszkowicz, Jolanta Łukowska, “PRKM Communication Development Program, “Pictorial games with Makaton – learning communication symbols”
•  https://migam.org/lekcje-pjm-i-asl/

• Team Collaboration;
• Patience;
• Search; 
• Self-evaluation.