Thursday, April 10, 2014

Designing Augmentative Communication Systems to Meet Communication Demands

As teachers, it is important to design specific augmentative communication systems that help meet the demands of our students in all learning environments; school, home, and the community.  In order to do this, the teacher must provide learners with a communication board that has specific vocabulary words for each setting and any activities that may be involved within that setting.  "Teachers are encouraged to copy the board, laminate them, and use them in context" (Dell, Newton, Petroff, 2012).  The more students are provided the opportunity to use their boards, the more practice they will have with building communication skills; this is great for students who are learning to use their boards in other facilities outside of their learning environment (home and community).

Some communication boards are used to help students express their wants, needs, and feelings.  This type of board can be used at school, at home, and within the community.  

Communication boards can be used for specific activities, such as art or cooking.  The above board helps a student express what they want or need to complete an art activity.


References:

Dell, A.G., Newton, D.A., Petroff, J.G. (2012).  Assistive Technology in the Classroom; Enhancing the School Experiences of Students with Disabilities.  2nd Edition.  

1 comment:

  1. Lauren,

    I really enjoy reading your blog and it is very informative. I agree that communication boards are very important and need to be used properly at home and school. I also think giving students the option to share their needs and wants is very important.

    ReplyDelete