AAC and Literacy

Sandra Stewart

Speech PathologistCrippled Children's Assoc.May, 1999.

Reading, writing, speaking and listening develop concurrently and interrelatedly, rather than sequentially.(Koppenhaver et al., 1991; Maehr, 1991; Teale & Sulzby, 1989)

“There is consensus that literacy involves a complex integration of cultural, social and psychological processes, as well as linguistic processes, developing from birth onwards (rather than being a sequence of discrete ‘learned’ cognitive subskills taught at school)

Millar, S. & Kerr, J. CALL Centre, 1995

listening, speaking, reading, writing

Children develop all four abilities concurrently and inter-relatedly when they: see print in their environment observe literate models use print themselves for functional purposes and when they are read with.

Their reading and writing behaviours support the development of listening and speaking and vice versa

Steelman, Coleman & Koppenhaver, 1992

reading/writing“The reading-writing connection

occurs in all subjects in school and throughout one’s lifetime in personal communications; therefore, writing across the curriculum and writing for a purpose are essential.”

Steelman, Coleman & Koppenhaver, 1992

Important process“For people who are unable to speak,

literacy is an important key to unlocking communication barriers and improving quality of life.”

(ACN, Vol. 9, No. 4, 1996)

“Literacy skills are integral to a child’s success in school, a young adult’s transition into the workforce and an adult’s ability to live freely and independently.”

(Yoder & Koppenhaver, 1993 in (ACN, Vol. 9, No. 4, 1996)

Important process“..no symbol system, no matter how

linguistically-based or how many thousands of items it can represent, can compare to the alphabet. With just a small set of letters (for example, 26 in English), any literate individual who is unable to speak can write anything, in any way she or he chooses.”

(ACN, Vol. 9, No. 4, 1996)

“Approximately 70% of individuals with severe communication impairments are significantly behind their peers in literacy learning.”

Koppenhaver & Yoder, 1992

Challenging processlimited researchspecialised assessmentspecialised interventionto help AAC users develop literacy skills

we need to collaborate

BarriersSeveral authors have identified numerous factors affecting the acquisition of literacy that are more to do with physical, social and psychological barriers in the environment than with an individual child’s linguistic or cognitive factors.

Identify literacy

barriers in your classroom

Barriersmay not be positioned to see

everyday models of literacyoften reliant on others to initiate storybook sessions

and to choose books for them. limited literacy opportunities fewer opportunities to participate actively in story

reading sessions (for example, ask questions, comment, predict what will happen next, retell, act out)

fewer opportunities for repeated readings limited access to writing materials reduced expectations relative to literacy learning

Models of literacyEg. seeing someone ….

look up a phone number in a book writing a note reading a book for pleasure reading notices/memos using a calendar/schedular reading a recipe book reading traffic signs

Limited Opportunities

“Koppenhaver & Yoder (1980) reported that in the classrooms of three adolescent boys with Cerebral Palsy, 30% - 40% of the instructional time allocated to literacy each day was devoted instead to non-literacy activities such as toileting, waiting, or booting up a computer.”

(In Beukelman and Mirenda, 1992, pg245)

Repeated ReadingsA number of researchers have observed that

children use repeated readings as an opportunity to help them become more dominant in the storybook interactions

(Cazden, 1983; Samuels, 1985; Snow & Ninio, 1986; Teale, 1982)

Expectations “Adult users with congenital disabilities who

learned to read as children have consistently identified the high expectations and encouragement of family members as having a major role in their success (Kopenhaver, Evans & Yoder,1991)”

(In Beukelman and Mirenda, 1992)

Identify literacy opportunities within your classroom

Creating a literate person

There are three main ingredients needed to help create a literate person;

print in the environment

(labels and models)

access to writing and reading

(play with books, draw, pretend to be readers & writers)

interactive storybook reading

(read frequently, relate to experiences, contribute in some way)

Steelman, Pierce Coleman & Koppenhaver, 1992

StrategiesUse a vocabulary set derived from the target

story throughout the day (that is, for multiple activities)

Facilitate repeated readingsProvide opportunities to see themselves as

literateProvide opportunities to participate

Opportunities to Participate

access to vocabulary For example, “turn the page, act it out” to choose books

access to turn pages independentlyaccess to single repeated lines

Repetitive Line Hierarchy

alone at the end at the beginning in the middle

Musselwhite & King -DeBaun,1997

Task

Determine a 12 word

vocabulary that can be used

generically to facilitate

participation during story

listening time

Books for Learning

selected for repeated readings focus for activities serve as the core of the theme development of literacy related

extension activities communication/language learning

goals(Musselwhite & King-DeBaun, 1997)

Books for Enjoyment

enrich the curriculum help develop world knowledge support the current ‘Book for Learning’ not offered for repeated readings unless

requested by students(Musselwhite & King-DeBaun, 1997)

Adaptations Colour-coding books

RED Repeated line book with symbolBLUE Symbols affixedGREEN Signs affixedYELLOW Sturdy booksWHITE Programmed into device

Musselwhite & King DeBaun, 1997

Adaptations-Independent book listening

taped books books on video, slides or filmstrip/audiotape projectors via AAC device

colour coded pages (symbols not required) shrunk pages step scan Liberator™ notebooks and macros and

minserts to create novel stories computerised books (paired use - one AAC user with single

message to turn the page and more able bodied student operating the mouse)

Assessments Contextual Factors

environmental expectations opportunities for literacy learning quality and quantity of literacy experiences

Literacy Skills criteria based measurement tools standardised tests observations adapted materials for AAC users

Tools materials/devices/software/equipment enabling AAC

users to read and write(ACN, Vol. 9, No. 2, 1996)

summary“Literacy doesn’t just happen, it is cultivated

over time…”

“Literacy learning cannot be allotted to one hour per day within the school curriculum nor delegated to only the classroom teacher, reading teacher, special educator or speech pathologist; it is a team effort, to be accomplished throughout the day, at school and at home.”

Steelman, Coleman & Koppenhaver, 1992

Software

References Beukelman, D. & Mirenda, P. Blackstone, S. Augmentative Communication News. Vol. 9, No.3., Monterey,1996 Blackstone, S. Augmentative Communication News. Vol. 9, No. 4., Monterey,1996 Koppenhaver, D. & Yoder, D. Literacy issues in persons with severe speech and physical

impairments. In R. Gaylord-Ross (Ed.), Issues and Research in Special Education, vol. 2 in Minspeak Conference Proceedings, 1992.

Millar,S. & Kerr, J. Augmentative Communication and Literacy: The Sail Kit Approach. CALL Centre, University of Edinburgh, AGOSCI News, 1995 (originally published in Widening the Perspective ISBN 1898942 07 1.

Musslewhite,C. & King DeBaun. Emergent Literacy Success: Merging Technology and Whole Language for Students with Disabilities. Creative Communicating & Southeast Augmentative Communication Conference Publication Clinician Series, Birmingham, 1997.

Steelman, J., Pierce Coleman, P., & Koppenhaver, D. Minspeak: A Tool for Developing Literacy. The Carolina Literacy Center, University of North Carolina, Minspeak Conference Proceedings, 1992.

Resources Center for Literacy and Disability Studies.

literacy@acpub.duke.edu The Literacy Project, CALL Centre, University of

Edinburgh, 4 Buccleuch Place, Edinburgh EH8 9LW. Glennen, S. & DeCoste, D. Handbook of Augmentative

and Alternative Communication, Singular Publishing Group Inc., San Dieago. 1997. (Chapter 8 The Role of Literacy in AAC)

Kelly, J. & Friend, T. Hands-on Reading, Mayer-Johnson Co., Solana Beach, 1995