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Froma Cummings, Jolene Madden, and Elizabeth Bolar
Scottsdale Unified School District
Scottsdale, AZ
What happens when the private “team of experts”
recognizes greater communication richness/potential than the less
experiences home school team? Learn the strategies used to engage
the home team in developing interactive communication pages.
Understand the support necessary to assist the home school team
integrate appropriate communication strategies into their
classroom day.
Complete paper: Todd, a 16 year old autistic high school
student, heightens our awareness of those not so uncommon
circumstances when the “team of experts’ recognizes
greater communication richness than the less experienced home
school team. This history of the search for total communication
strategies dates back to his toddler years.
Todd was very fortunate that, when his development seemed to
deviate from that of a typical child, his mother’s best
friend was a highly respected Speech and Language Pathologist.
Ellen recognized that the child’s language and
communication patterns were developing differently and urged
Todd’s mother to seek medical consultation and early
intervention. Todd’s early intervention, even at the
initial stages, was directed by an ‘expert’ in the
very young field of augmentative communication.
Photo album pictures illustrate Todd communicating to his
grandpa using picture communication boards with familiar
photographs. There are pictures using communication placemats and
a variety of communication boards across environments. After a
move to Arizona and enrollment in an early intervention center,
Todd participated in programs at the SPEAC center, using state of
the art computer software for early intervention and early
communication. Todd’s mother became an advocate for her son
and his expressive communication growth reflected the efforts of
the Assistive Technology specialists, classroom staff and very
diligent family.
As technology grew, Todd’s communication strategies
included the use of Picture Communication Symbols and an early
ZYGO Macaw. It became evident that Todd communicated most with
persons who respected him and he and his mother continued to seek
out this communication environment. There evolved a communication
climate of success with some communication partners and
withdrawal from others. It is not surprising that Todd, when
presented with an original DynaVox, told the AT specialist that
he prefers strawberry yogurt and eagerly carried the device to
the yogurt store to voice his choice. Todd continued to grow his
language, using the Canon Communicator with selected
communication partners and holding the congregation captive using
his Words + Pegasus Lite for his Bar Mitzvah. When he
appropriately targeted the buttons to voice the prayers and
yawned during the longer Hebrew prayers, non-believers became
believers, respecting Todd’s rich communications.
As the transition from middle school to high school approached,
it became evident that Todd’s ongoing communication
strategies may not be adequate for the real time speed of
communication in the high school environment. The mother again
sought out a ‘team of experts’ to assess her
son’s strengths and needs and make recommendations for the
most appropriate augmentative communication device. The home
school team preparing him for this transition did not recognize
the richness of communication that was evident to the more
experienced assessment team. Todd’s mother was faced with a
dilemma - did she accept the view of the home school team re: her
son’s communication capabilities and compromise what she
believed to be true or did she actualize the recommendations of
the AAC specialists who understood her son’s strengths and
needs and further grow his communication? The latter, quite
obvious choice, however, had significant baggage attached to it.
It would create a greater gap between what was being provided to
Todd in the classroom and what she perceived to be his
abilities.
The recommendations made in the July 1999 report, for a DynaMyte
with PCS, was funded by the family’s private health
insurance carrier. The device was taken to the high school during
Todd’s freshman year and the home school team firmly
disagreed with the recommendation. Their assistance was sought in
page design and they offered pages with 12 buttons - quite a
variance from the successful scrolling searches Todd had used to
communicate with the AT specialists. Communication partners at
school believed that Todd could not use this device to
communicate effectively, while, at home, Todd was using it to
talk about the previous night’s baseball game.
This scenario reflects a major fallacy of the expert model
because, as we all agree, each school team should be a team of
experts. When there is such a wide discrepancy between the
knowledge of the prescribers and the everyday implementers in the
classroom, failure seems inevitable. The case is further
complicated when the home school team has not seen Todd’s
successful expanded communications and their limited experience
in AAC is magnified by a lack of vision for the student.
The AT specialists’ task was to close the gap between what
Todd was asked to do at school and what he was capable of doing
with his selected communication partners. Todd himself took the
initiative to demonstrate his communication strengths. One day
the AT specialists were visiting with Todd in the classroom
kitchen prior to a meeting. Pizza had been ordered in and Todd
desired more than his allotted share. He used his device to argue
his point that there was pizza left so why couldn’t he have
more? He then focused on an attractive peer mentor and engaged
her in conversation about what she had done the previous night.
When he responded appropriately using the pages designed by the
AT specialists, the typical high school student was not the only
person listening. Classroom staff members were wildly
impressed.
As time approached for the meeting, Todd was asked if he wanted
to join the group. He picked up his DynaMyte and strutted into
the conference room, conversing with his familiar communication
partners along the way. In effect, Todd directed the meeting and
demonstrated his abilities to communicate effectively using this
communication device. Buy in from the home team was increasing,
but not complete. The action plan included increased
participation in page design, ongoing support from the school
district’s AT team and continued encouragement to the
school that they listen to what Todd had to say.
As summer approached, it became necessary to develop a plan to
maintain the communications with a representative of the school
team in Todd’s social recreational program. The department
chair was the designee and she met with Todd during the summer to
converse in the camp program and elsewhere in the community. She
became a believer and entered Todd’s elite circle of
respected communication partners. This transferred back into the
classroom in the fall. Concurrently, Todd’s mother sought
out private Language Therapy with funding through the Department
of Developmental Disabilities.
The process continues with the design of additional pages and
collaboration of what is appropriate language for a high school
sophomore. There is now a real “team” between the
home school team and the district AT specialists. The home team
more frequently recognizes Todd’s successful communications
and Todd, recognizing their respect for him, interacts with them
on a higher level. Todd has welcomed the home school team into
his circle of communication partners. As an added bonus, the home
school team more confidently implements suggestions provided by
the AT specialists and the home team has gained skills which they
also implement with other students. Todd and his mom continue to
drive the program and changes in the communication pages are made
only with Todd’s concurrence.
This presentation is about Todd’s mother’s decision
to accept the recommendations of the private clinicians, procure
device funding through private insurance and then seek strategies
for “closing the gap” i.e. assisting the home school
team to elevate their expectations of the student’s
communication skills. Participants in the session will understand
the following:
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