Introduction to Assistive Technology and AAC Systems

Course Policies and Grading

  • Discussion posts represent a significant portion of the final grade, accounting for approximately 23%23\%.
    • Participation in discussions is the primary method for content review and peer-to-peer interaction.
    • Weekly deadlines for discussion posts are as follows:
      • Initial Response: Due every Wednesday. Requirements include a minimum of 50 words50\,\text{words} reflecting a well-thought-out and formulated idea.
      • Peer Response: Due every Sunday. Students must reply to at least one peer (or three, depending on specific module instructions).
    • Grading Scale: An AA is achieved at a minimum of 92%92\%.

Major Assignments and Evaluations

  • Response Paper: The first assignment involves reading specific articles provided in the learning management system. Requirements include:
    • Providing the verbatim definition of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC).
    • Defining different types of AAC.
    • Extricating five to six main learning points.
    • A personal reflection on the material, including any intimidation or interest regarding the field.
  • SET Activity: A practical assessment exercise where students learn the "Boots on the Ground" perspective of assessment.
    • Speech-Language Pathology Assistants (SLPAs) and paraprofessionals are considered critical because they spend approximately 85%85\% of the day with the learner, observing behavior in various settings like lunch and the playground.
    • The activity uses a Sesame Street video featuring Abi Kadabi and a character with autism as a model.
    • Students create a mock assessment for a pet, a person they know, or even a fictional character (e.g., Star Wars characters).
  • Vocabulary Assignment: An ongoing task designed to help students master specific AAC terminology until they can recite it fluently.
  • Communication Board Projects: Students will construct various types of AAC supports to understand the complexity and difficulty learners face. These boards will be presented in class to build professional communication skills.
    • Object Communication Board: Created using tangible trinkets or household items (found at home or in inexpensive stores like Daiso).
    • Paper Communication Boards.
  • Research Paper and Digital Resource: At the end of the semester, students create digital handouts and a report to build a shared resource library for their peers.
  • Mock Therapy Demonstration: A low-key, five-minute demonstration near the end of the term.
    • Requirements: Choose one AAC device, select one learned strategy, and perform 1010 trials.
  • Exams: There are two major exams: a midterm and a final. The final is taken asynchronously during finals week, though those with physical notebooks must come in for a check.

Notebook Requirements and The Practical AAC Website

  • The notebook is intended to be a lifelong professional resource, specifically for the eventuality that a clinician may not see an AAC client for several years and needs to recall specific strategies.
  • Format: Digital (Google Drive or OneNote) is preferred, though paper is allowed. Paper notebooks require physical submission in the final week.
  • Categorization: It is highly recommended to label folders by topic (e.g., "Introduction to AAC/AT," "Communication Boards," "Research Paper Handouts") rather than by week (e.g., "Week 1," "Week 2") for better future utility.
  • Content: Must include all lectures, scanned/downloaded communication boards from the class, and resource handouts from peers.
  • Extra Resources: Students must curate 2525 additional resources from the internet.
    • At least 1010 of these must come from the "Practical AAC" website.
    • These can include video links (with screenshots), data sheets, or blog posts.

Assistive Technology (AT) vs. AAC

  • Assistive Technology (AT) Umbrella: AT is the broad category. It refers to any device, service, strategy, or practice used to support a problem faced by an individual with a disability.
    • Examples of low-cost AT: "I've fallen and I can't get up" alert buttons, reach grabbers, pencil grips, and squishy foam/plastic pieces for writing support.
    • Examples of high-cost AT: Wheelchairs, crutches, and walkers.
    • Legal Definition (Public Law): AT can be commercially acquired off-the-shelf, modified, or fully customized. It is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities.
  • The Two Buckets of AT:
    • AAC (Specialized for communication).
    • Academic/Employment AT (Specialized for school or workplace access).

Education and Employment in Assistive Technology

  • AT Specialist Role: Focuses on academic or employment-based AT. Typical certifications include an 18-month18\text{-month} or 6-month6\text{-month} post-baccalaureate program (available at Cal State Northridge or Cal State Dominguez Hills).
  • Academic AT: Focuses on identifying tools to bypass roadblocks in reading, writing, spelling, and typing to access general education curriculum.
    • Includes Speech-to-Text (talking into the computer).
    • Includes Text-to-Speech (reading digital text aloud to aid comprehension and decoding).
  • Employment AT: Focuses on workplace accommodations, such as specialized mice for carpal tunnel syndrome or ergonomic supports.

Definitive Definition of AAC

  • AAC is an area of assistive technology that attempts to compensate for a temporary or permanent impairment in an individual's expressive communication.
  • Nature of Impairment: Can be temporary (e.g., following intubation or a coma) or permanent.
  • Purpose: To supplement or replace natural speech and/or writing using various symbols, strategies, and techniques.
  • Functional Goal: To maximize an individual's communication skills. It is always an addition to existing skills, never a replacement that hinders development.
  • Timing: Should be implemented as early as possible. It is never a "last resort" after years of failed speech therapy.

The AAC Assessment Team

  • AAC decision-making must be a multidisciplinary team effort. The team includes:
    • Family and Client: Most important members; they provide the most relevant information.
    • Learner/User: The individual using the system.
    • Educational Staff: General and special education teachers who oversee goals and implementation.
    • Physical Therapist (PT): Evaluates gross motor skills and positioning (e.g., mounting devices on wheelchairs).
    • Occupational Therapist (OT): Evaluates fine motor skills for device access.
    • Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP): Identifies communication strengths, needs, and writes the formal assessment.
    • SLPA/Paraprofessionals: The primary implementers who know the daily habits and needs of the learner.

Symbol Hierarchy and Iconicity

  • Referent: The actual object, concept, or thought that a symbol represents.
  • Iconicity: The degree to which a symbol represents its referent.
    • High Iconicity: The symbol is easily understood (e.g., a standard heart shape for "heart").
    • Low Iconicity: The symbol is abstract or ambiguous (e.g., a pound sign or asterisk that could mean multiple things like "snowflack" or "line").
    • Clinician Note: Iconicity is subjective. A photograph of a generic sippy cup may have low iconicity for a child whose specific cup is red with an orange lid.
  • The Symbol Hierarchy (from most concrete to abstract):
    1. Actual Objects: Tangible, real-life items. Good for beginners but difficult to carry.
    2. Miniature Objects: Scaled-down versions of real items (e.g., a tiny chair).
    3. Tangible Symbols (2D or 3D): Partial objects or textures (e.g., using a piece of an M&M wrapper to represent snacks).
    4. Photographs: Real images of objects. Can range from specific (local park) to generic (any park).
    5. Line Drawings: Simplistic drawings (e.g., Boardmaker icons).
    6. Abstract Symbols: Symbols used on electronic devices that may not look like the real item.

Classifications of AAC Systems

  • Unaided AAC: Requires no additional equipment. Uses only the body (top of head to bottom of knees).
    • Examples: Gestures, pointing, American Sign Language (ASL), Cued Speech, "home signs."
  • Aided AAC: Requires external tools or equipment. Classified as No, Low-Mid, or High Tech.
    • No Tech: Non-electronic systems with no power source.
      • Examples: Pen and paper, dry erase boards, printed communication books.
    • Low-Mid Tech: (Treated as a single category). Simple electronic items that are typically static and less expensive (under $1,500\$1,500 to $2,000\$2,000).
      • Features: Static display (does not change screens); may or may not have voice output.
      • Examples: Big MAC switches, GoTalk, iTalk2, QuickTalker.
    • High-Tech: Complex electronic systems.
      • Features: Dynamic display (screens change, folders within folders); typically more expensive.
      • Dedicated Device: A device used exclusively for communication, often covered by insurance.
      • Non-Dedicated Device: iPads or tablets with communication apps (not covered by insurance because they can perform other tasks like email).