Teacher’s voice on AAC
Profession
Organisation
Action scale of the organisation (European, national, local), if relevant
What does your profession involve?
Working in contact with students who have language and hearing impairments and are often unable to communicate via the written and oral code, it is necessary to find effective strategies aimed at facilitating communication and understanding. AAC is a valuable ally in school and out-of-school settings to support communication and learning in a spontaneous way.
Are you familiar with AAC methods? Since when?
Yes. Around 10 years.
In which situations do you use AAC methods?
Especially with non-verbal pupils with severe motor disabilities who are unable to grip a pen, with pupils with DSA (autism spectrum disorder) with low functioning and with some foreign pupils.
Which are the benefits of using AAC methods?
AAC enables communication for those who cannot express themselves through ‘traditional communication channels’. It is also very useful for facilitating the texts of foreign students, and in general for promoting the inclusion and autonomy of those who are partly or completely unable to express themselves. It facilitates the communication of basic needs, the understanding of a concept and trains the visual-graphic memory. It also helps the child to improve sentence syntax.
In which situation have you seen these benefits?
AAC has been of great help to me with a pupil with hearing problems. We always used Alternative and Augmentative Communication with him at school; however, it was especially during his hospitalisation after an operation for a cochlear implant surgery that AAC enabled the child to communicate with doctors and nurses.
Do you think AAC methods are well known in the educational field in your country?
Unfortunately, AAC is not always used in all schools, and often a lack of training or knowledge of the methodologies creates gaps between one school and another. Moreover, courses to learn how to use it are extremely expensive.
Do you think that AAC-related practices should be improved? Why?
Currently there is a lot of confusion: many people improvise themselves as expert operators or it is a common and widespread opinion that the use of AAC should only be delegated to the school. Initiating an AAC project requires a major commitment on the part of the family, professionals and communication partners, i.e. all those who revolve around the child with communication difficulties.
Do you have any resources to share (websites, portals, books…)?
- www.simcaa.it
- www.ilibripertutti.it
- www.fareleggeretutti.it
- Fondazione PAIDEIA
- Centro sovrazonale di comunicazione aumentativa (http://sovrazonalecaa.org)
- Fondazione ARES (www.fondazioneares.com)
- Isaac Italy (www.isaacitaly.it)
- Il CAAmaleonte (www.ilcaamaleonte.it/)
- Apps for mobile devices: GeMS and Stella stellina
- Tadà: allows you to read and listen to modified children’s books with text entirely translated into symbols.
- Edook: digital library that collects projects for children and adolescents, teachers and educators.
Advices to implement AAC methods at school?
In order to implement Alternative Augmentative Communication support, constant and daily planning is required, which is not only supported by a single person (the support teacher) but must be agreed upon by the team of professionals who revolve around the pupil (psychologist, educator, speech therapist, social worker, therapist, teacher…) and shared with the parents and guardians.