Communicative Competence for Individuals Who Use AAC: From Research to Effective Practice (Light, Beukelman, & Reichle)

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Table of Contents

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The Path to Attaining Communicative Competence

Related Titles:

Augmentative and Alternative Communication, Third Edition

Exemplary Practices for Beginning Communicators: Implications for AAC

The Path to Attaining Communicative Competence

Excerpted from Communicative Competence for Individuals Who Use AAC: From Research to Effective Practice, by Janice C. Light, Ph.D., David R. Beukelman, Ph.D., & Joe Reichle, Ph.D.

Copyright © 2003 by Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

If I could not express myself, I would become like the tree in the forest— the one for which it does not matter if it makes a sound when it comes crashing down, because there is no one around to hear it. Unfortunately there are still a great many silent fallen trees all around us if we stop and look. (Williams, 2000, p. 250).

Approximately 12 of every 1,000 people are unable to meet their daily communication needs through speech. They require augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) (e.g., signs, gestures, communication boards, voice output communication aids). Unless these individuals receive effective AAC interventions and supports, they will not have a “voice”; they will remain silenced. This quotation by Bob Williams underscores how important it is that people receive the necessary interventions and supports to develop the communicative competence essential to communicate effectively with others and participate fully in society. The ability to communicate is at the very center of people’s lives, for communication allows people to express their thoughts and feelings, to define who they are, to connect with others in meaningful ways, and to participate in education and work. The development of communicative competence is essential to express needs and wants, share information with others, and develop social closeness with family and friends.

For people with significant communication disabilities who require AAC, the journey to attain communicative competence presents many challenges. The goals are the same whether one communicates using natural speech or AAC

to develop the means, knowledge, judgment, and skills required to communicate effectively
to ensure the opportunities and supports required to meet a full range of communication objectives, including the expression of needs and wants, social closeness interactions with others, information exchange, and social etiquette routines

Although these goals are the same, the path to attaining communicative competence is fundamentally different for individuals who use AAC compared with those who use natural speech. The tools of communication and the skills required of the communicator are different. So, too, are the opportunities and the environmental supports available for communication and the barriers that must be overcome. These differences result from the motor, sensory perceptual, cognitive, social, and linguistic capabilities of the individuals who require AAC; the characteristics of the AAC systems; the characteristics of the environment; and the knowledge, attitudes, and interaction skills of communication partners.

This book explores the development of communicative competence by individuals with developmental disabilities who require AAC. Specifically, it discusses the means, knowledge, judgment, skills, and psychosocial attributes required by individuals who use AAC to attain communicative competence as well as the effects of environmental barriers and supports. The book presents interventions to enhance communicative competence and discusses methods to evaluate outcomes of these interventions.

The intent of this volume is to review the current research, to summarize what is known based on this research foundation, and to discuss the implications for effective practice to enhance the communicative competence of individuals who require AAC. The volume also delineates the gaps in current knowledge and understanding and defines priorities for future research. It is written for those with advanced interests in AAC and individuals with developmental disabilities and will be of interest to educational and rehabilitation professionals, students, researchers, and anyone else with an interest in the development of communicative competence by individuals with developmental disabilities who require AAC.

ORDERING INFO
ISBN 1-55766-639-3
Hardcover
512 pages / 6 x 9
2003 / $49.95
Stock# 6393