AAC and Autism: Making Meaningful Connections Happen

In many respects, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) for people with autism who are non-verbal is not so different from communication as the rest of us know it. Universal aspects of self-expression – reasons to interact, effective attention getters and the presence of active listeners, to name a few – fuel their AAC experiences. The main difference lies in the social deficits associated with autism. For those coping with the condition, communication can often be an anxiety-producing experience leading to challenging behaviors (withdrawal or aggression, for example) and impair a person’s word retrieval, language production and auditory processing abilities.

Many people coping with such issues find multiple ways to make meaningful connections through their use of a variety of speech communication technologies including DynaVox and Mayer-Johnson products. Components of their AAC systems may range from a speech-generating device to picture symbols to electronic or manual visual schedules. Strategies and tips for successful communication include:

Repetitive modeling
Integrating an AAC device into the life of a person with autism is a process that often requires caregivers to demonstrate, step by step, how to use the device to express a desire, need, thought or feeling until the person can do so without prompting. Steps may progress from selecting a button on the device that says “drink” then another that says “please” to pressing a sequence of buttons for the delivery of the fuller message, “I’m thirsty. May I have a drink, please?” The person would select a “Thank you” button to complete the interaction.

Stating the intent to communicate
Just as typically speaking individuals may clear their throats or say “Excuse me” to gain the attention of conversation partners, people with autism may wave to the partner, point at a desired object or use a verbal approximation to tell others they have something to say. Chad Roberts utters “Up-en” (a combination of “up” and “open”), in such situations. He then proceeds to convey his message through his DynaVox MT4.

Keeping it real
Folks with autism tend to be most motivated to interact when the reason for doing so relates to their life concretely. Opportunities to socialize may be less motivating than the more tangible prospect of watching a video or taking a break from an activity. Ensuring that the individual has access to relevant vocabulary is key. It might take the form of sentences programmed into a device (“I need my space” or “Can I watch my favorite movie?”), a photo of a place where the person can go for a rest, or a visual advertisement for the movie.

By synchronizing spoken or written words with pictures, gestures and facial expressions, caregivers can help the individual to clarify abstract concepts (moods or emotions, for example) that may be harder to express. A basic goal that may be accomplished through this process is the identification of actions generally acceptable (smiling, laughing, humming along with a song on the radio) or unacceptable (throwing an object out of frustration) in a social setting.