Expressive Communicaton
At the moment of birth and possibly even before, tiny infants communicate with their mothers, fathers, and other caregivers. By 1 month of age, typically developing infants show a repertoire of communication skills that include making facial expressions, smiling, cooing, wriggling toes, grasping hands, squealing, and crying.
These dramatic changes in communication and language provide the foundation for social relationships and learning in the preschool and early school years.
Children who are born with disabilities that affect one or more developmental systems of hearing, vision, physical mobility, cognition, social interaction, attention, play, or other ares are at risk of delays in communication, speech, and language.
Level of Communication Independence
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1. Emerging Communicator
The individual does not have a reliable method of expressive communication through a system of symbolic language.
2. Context-dependent communicator
The individual has a reliable method of communication that is symbolic and is limited to specific communication paterns or contexts
3. Independent communicator
The indivdual has the ability and tools to communicate on any topic to anyone in any context
The individual does not have a reliable method of expressive communication through a system of symbolic language.
2. Context-dependent communicator
The individual has a reliable method of communication that is symbolic and is limited to specific communication paterns or contexts
3. Independent communicator
The indivdual has the ability and tools to communicate on any topic to anyone in any context
Types of Technology:
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Low Technology -
Communication photographs
Features: Individual photographs, Direct select to point to or handle photographs
Purpose: Includes individual photographs of child's familiar receptive vocabulary and novel words
Examples: Digital photographs of actual items, people, actions, places and feelings of child's environment
Storyboard/song board
Features: Various sizes and number of photographs/icons on board to show key concepts in song or story.
Purpose: Photographic/picture icon display with concepts/words from song or story
Examples: Teacher-made materials, Making language visible CD from creative communicating ($50)
Mid Technology
Multiple-message communicator; beginning devices
Features: Digitized voice, Battery operated, Direct select for voice output
Purpose: Has a range of recording time and number of selections, Provides topic communication with overlays organized by topic or theme
Example: Basic Talk 4 from Enabling Devices ($130)
High Technology
Text Based device with speech synthesis
Features: A text-to-speech (TTS) system converts normal language text into speech
Purpose: helps a child community via written words
Example: seri on the iPhone, computers that are set up via voice recognition
Speech Generating device with dynamic display
Features: are electronic augmentative and alternative communication systems used to supplement or replace speech or writing for individuals with severe speech impairments
Purpose: Has a range of areas that give the child a chance to community with their peers and teachers.
Example: touchscreen devices, iPad, keyboard text to speech device