As vocabulary on an AAC device is generally created by someone other than the communicator, there are sometimes ideas that the user would like to express but is unable to find on their device.
T chose to listen to music during one of our sessions. Rather than listen to songs we both had heard 1000 time we tried a new playlist and gave our opinions on it. She had the option of selecting 'I don't know', 'Like', 'Don't like' and 'cool'. She could also select 'turn the page' to the feelings page to say how the song made her feel, 'stop' to stop the song and 'something else' to listen to a different song. There is also a symbol for 'toilet' on her communication frame.
After listening to a few songs and chatting about them we came to an unusual one. First, she chose 'I don't know' and then looked at the symbol for 'toilet'. She did not need the bathroom. We continued listening to the song and she looked at the symbol for toilet again but still didn’t need it. I was confused until I asked her if the song belongs in the toilet and she gave a big clear 'yes' with her eyes and started laughing.
When deciding on a communication system, we need to remember that the AAC user can only use words that we provide them with. We need to make sure that the vocabulary is as robust as possible. Even the most robust system will not contain all of the necessary words. To compensate for this, the AAC user will need to develop strategic competence, this refers to strategies that compensate for limitations within the AAC system.T has demonstrated that she is developing this!
Please contact us for more information on the robust communication systems that we have available. Our online training courses discuss strategic competence and the other competencies that AAC users develop over time. Please click here to find out more.
