Teamwork and AAC Competencies

Brandon Eddy

1/25/2017 1:58 AM

One of my favorite benefits of collaborative teamwork is effectively and appropriately addressing skills to help students achieve mastery in each AAC competency. Janice Light (1989) outlined four foundational AAC competencies that lead to independent communication. These competencies include (1) linguistic competence, or the ability to master the linguistic code of the native language and AAC system; (2) social competence, or the user’s ability to utilize their AAC tool in a conversational context; (3) strategic competence, which includes the user’s ability to compensate for the limitations of their AAC tool; and (4) operational competence which includes the user’s ability to develop skills in their access method, and to monitor and manage features of their AAC tool, such as battery life, accessing different apps, or even accessing forms of social media. Through teamwork of school teams and private providers, our clients can have the most practice with appropriate communication partners.

As an outpatient hospital-based speech-language pathologist, I have the opportunity to work with children in a one-on-one setting spending much of our therapy time focusing on developing expressive language skills, setting up opportunities to practice operational skills, and rehearsing strategies to prevent or repair communication breakdown. I have found that my students often gain skills quickly in linguistic, strategic, and operational competence when I work with them, but in our one-on-one setting there are limited social skills that we can practice that will generalize to their most meaningful contexts. Though we might practice engaging in social routines, our clients are unlikely to generalize this skill to peers, teachers, the bus driver, or less familiar family members unless they are provided structured learning opportunities with these conversational partners.

When providing services in isolation in a one-on-one setting, we may fall short of mastery in each of our target competencies. For private providers in speech-language pathology, school-based providers and school staff are absolutely critical in helping our students to master social competency skills in addition to improving other competencies. Helping students learn to interject with an idea, comment on friend’s idea, or engage in social pleasantries occur naturally and frequently within the school day, whereas these opportunities may be minimal or may require imaginary play in a one-on-one setting (e.g., greeting others). Push-in services allow students to master integrating their AAC tool into daily communication with peers, teachers, and paraprofessionals. School-based speech-language pathologists are encouraged to take advantage of this reciprocal relationship to narrow the focus of their services given such large and diverse case-loads in school settings.

Collaboration between private providers and school providers is absolutely critical for children who are using AAC, not only to align goals, but to establish a shared vision. This work is important within the same discipline, as demonstrated above, but we must work hard to include our larger team. For example, when Occupational Therapists hope to have children work on writing skills using apps on an iPad, it is vital that AAC therapists consider this in the evaluative and therapeutic process. When this is the case, it is increasingly important to help the client learn to navigate between apps if they are using their device for more than just communication. As a team we must share a vision which includes our five year plan.

Collaborating with my school-based colleagues has allowed me to form new relationships and improve client outcomes. When engaging in teamwork, I have seen clients acquire new skills more quickly, and generalize their skills to different settings. Use of a device at school allows my clients to engage with peers, and develop new social routines. What are some of your favorite collaborative or interdisciplinary teamwork experiences?


Resources:
Light, J. C. (1989). Toward a definition of communicative competence for individuals using augmentative and alternative communication systems. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 5(4), 137-144.

Speech-Language Pathologist,Educator,teamwork

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