So it's 10:45 on a Friday night, I probably should be in bed, but I can't seem to get a question out of my mind. It's something I've been thinking about for a while and just now decided to talk about. I feel I'm very new the field of AT, I have learned a lot, but really have only been pursuing information for about 2 years. One think I have not seen a lot of research, opinions or facts about is "What age should we be looking at AT devices for student with significant cognitive disabilities & communication difficulties?"
OK, let me explain that. Here's what I know, from my college child psych class we know that typical children learn language the most effectively before they are 5 (as a general rule). So why are our students with SCD made to wait to get a device to help them communicate. I realize there are money issues, teams like to try out all the possibilities, etc... but shouldn't we be starting students ASAP when we know they have a difficulty communicating. I mean we all are aware that many of our students learn things using repetition over countless times, so why do we wait until they are 10 to start letting them communicate?
Also related to age, why are we not using more digital mediums to help students communicate? I am not against PECS, visuals, etc... to communicate, it is a wonderful system that when used correctly can open a world of communication for students, but as stated by Pyramid and other bloggers (check out TLWMSN about this) have stated PECS is not always done correctly. The other issue I have with PECS is how limiting it can be. A PECS book consists of everything "I" think a student would want to say...the problem is the student can't tell me what they want to say so you are limiting them. A digital system is more flexible in this way. While you can run in to the same limits, you are less likely because so much of the device is pre-programmed. Another feature I like is that many digital display devices allow you to scaffold your implementation, you can start with a small amount of choice and move up as the student becomes more comfortable. While this can be done with PECS it is more time consuming, in digital land it's a push of a button.
So maybe this is all just my bias, I admittedly despise paper. I keep all my notes in Evernote, my calendar is Google calendar, and my reminders are done at rememberthemilk.com. I will go out of my way to NOT take down information on paper. Tell me what you think, I know there are some people who specifically do AT evals and training reading this blog (Thank You for you support). What are you thoughts? Should we be looking at devices earlier? Should we be moving from paper to digital solutions? I'm curious, I want your opinions.
Patrick
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Patrick - how many computer courses were you required to take as a special ed major? You said in a post to the yahoo BM site a while back the key to running your class was the use of technology - and I thought that was great - but you are not the norm. Remember the people on these sites and blogs are already a step ahead - using the internet like this - most spec ed teachers we know are not even aware of them - much less on them. (especially "old school" teachers and SLP's) AAC and Assistive Technology in general is so important - not just for non verbal kids - but for all spec ed students.
ReplyDeleteComputers were added as an integral part of the regular ed curriculum LONG ago - but only now is special ed catching up. I've heard this said about inclusion and adapting curriculum not being where it should be as well - it's not taught in most colleges (at least not here) - so how are the teachers to implement?
And from what I've read on other blogs - we're not the only school district who's IT department is NOT responsible for the SW and HW of special ed kids. That's a real problem - the regular teachers have on site IT support - but most spec ed teachers are on their own for these "orphan" systems.
So the average teacher is not tech saavy and IT dept is not taking a role so....then there are the AT/AAC specialists - but they are few and far between in most ed systems - too often it's an outside consult that parents or teachers have to fight admin for. (and as many of we parents have found out - a lot of the teachers, OT's etc know AT/AAC should be suggested - but they're told not to for budget reasons - until the parents squawk.)
And let's touch on the insurance issue for a minute. We had an AAC eval done by the HEAD of the SLP dept at a very large hospital system declare that our 7 year old non verbal son was too low functioning for an AAC device. And no one would go against the head of the department so....I implemented SDPro at home on a touchscreen, designing the screens so he would be successful using and navigating them - and then he took that screen design to school.
You bring up some very good points! In thinking about my college experience I had to take ZERO computer classes! and I only graduated in 2000. All the information I've learned about AT has been on my own.
ReplyDeleteYou're completely right about SW and HW for SPED not the responsibility of IT in most districts. I know more about the programs than any IT person I've ever dealt with.
I also sympathize with your own case with your son. I'm sure this is more common than we realize. So back to my question, is there research or opinions out there that say we should be getting AAC devices into students at a younger age?
Hi Patrick!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great discussion. Something else to remember is that "higher tech" AAC such as digital display and even dynamic screen display, is relatively new and rapidly developing all the time. For that matter, AT as we know it today is fairly new on the scene. I've been teaching since 1994 and I can tell you that at that point Boardmaker was so new it was almost unheard of, at least here in rural KS. To that point folks had been drawing their own pictures, or photocopying them, coloring, and cutting them apart using the Boardmaker books, IF they were using picture based communication systems at all. SDPro came out sometime in the late 90s I believe and we were so excited to get it. But we were limited to using it on a stationary desktop with very little in the way of accessibility. I remember coming across my first single message Big Mack and being ecstatic. Now I couldn't do without multi message step by steps for simpler communication, let alone Boardmaker. In college, during the early 90's, we didn't even have the internet (wow! how did we manage?). And there was NO training in assistive technology and not much in computers (we were still programming in DOS, pre Windows). Even today, teachers and SLPs are getting limited AT training, although I think that's steadily improving. If the statistics bear true for special ed. like they do for general ed., we have more teachers closer to retirement than the beginning of their careers. People tend to use and apply what they were taught and what they are comfortable with. It takes a lot of time and commitment to stay abreast of all the changes. Teachers are busy people and unfortunately not all of them are all that motivated to make changes and learn new things. I wish our school-based tech specialists had even a little AT background so they could support us. Our cooperative has ONE AT specialist with a para. They serve the entire 9-district county-wide coop. There is not a lot of time for them to do much more than breeze in, give a consultation, conduct a workshop, and move on. Sometimes there is even follow-up but mostly it is up to the teacher to try to figure it out. It's a sad reality, but reality all the same that there is just no time or staff to "hold hands" and support teachers. And most of them are either unwilling or unable (because of time) to learn to create using programs like Boardmaker, Intellitools, Clicker, etc. although they are often willing to use things that are already created as long as it doesn't take any time. In addition, professional development in this area is sorely lacking. The gen ed. teachers I work with have all kinds of opportunities to go to workshops about the latest techniques for reading, writing, and math. There are lots of things about learning how to use Excel, Blackboard, interactive whiteboards, powerpoint, Office 07, integrating multimedia,.... But where are the workshops on AT? We're lucky if we get one conference a year where I am (can't afford CTG, ATIA, ASHA and they just don't happen close to KS anyway). And yes, I know there is on-line stuff and I'm very willing to pursue my own staff development, but not everyone has the time and means to do so. And let's not even get started on all the other burdens placed on teachers today or there just won't be room on your comments page. HA HA
In any case, as frustrating as it may be to know that we are losing precious time with our youngest students (believe me, I walk in those shoes every day), things have improved so much since I started teaching. Given time, I think we'll continue to see changes. Yep, that means that today's students may be missing out but we can't run before we can walk. Think about what "our" kids from even 15-20 years ago missed out on (back when we were still crawling). It really is too bad we can't go back in time and do better. I would give a lot to be able to do things over with my first students given what I know now and with today's resources. And just think what could be available to us 10 years from now. Wow!
This is exactly the kind of discussion I was hoping this would spark! Alicia you bring up several very key points. I really didn't think about the fact that this is such a new technology, and that we are fighting a system that is still stuck in the 1980's (maybe even more behind). When I think about how SPED has evolved from the time IDEA was first passed, it's amazing what we've accomplished.
ReplyDeleteAs for AT specialists I know how hard it is, even here in the burbs of Chicago, we have 1 AT person for 7 to 8 districts and sometimes they are even only part time! It's so sad that technology is seen to be the next step for our students, but coops and districts are so unwilling to invest in it. I was denied an AT specialist position with a coop because the board would not approve the extra expense.
And I think you've touched on the central feeling I have. We need to get our younger students evaluated earlier so they have that time. Yes, we have to walk before we run, but we also need to have this debate in the open and need to talk about it. I'm impatient but I hope that this can start the discussion.
I've done some "googling" for research on AAC use and age. Can't find anything "con" - only pros. Early intervention shows up. The fact that early AAC does NOT impede natural speech - if a child is going to attain it. (I remember this from days as a Downs Syndrome parent - all the studies that showed pairing sign did NOT impede speech production.)
ReplyDeleteLike Alicia, I had also thought about the lack of studies using dynamic screen devices since technology is fairly new and these are longitudinal studies.
However, the following site had a great summary of some of the research a few years back. Many citations and what the common fear or myth is behind "will AAC impede natural speech" and the research findings. And how not having a way to communicate has devastating effects on areas well beyond communication. Gets into AT and AAC.
http://k-12.pisd.edu/currinst/sped/AT/AACvsspeech.htm
One more point - I have found that so much emphasis is placed on "requests and needs" via AAC and not enough on using AAC/AT to develop language based educational/cognitive skills in general.
We are finding more and more in our district the need to help students receive AAC as early as possible - especially since we know that research strongly supports this. You are right that PECS isn't always implemented correctly across all settings - and my goal is always to catch a student BEFORE any significant communication frustration sets in. Often just making sure they have access to a Big Mac or a Go Talk is enough to help this stage be successful - Often I try to have a consistent voice output device for them when they transition to Kindergarten - there is so much that happens in K that they need voice output for simple things like the alphabet and the days of the week...my theory is the earlier the better, as long as it is appropriate.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one struggling with this. I'm also glad to hear that I'm not the only one feels that we need to start earlier.
ReplyDeleteI love the site that you found Sandy, this will be a great resource when needing to talk with admin!