Importance of Functional Communication

1. Importance of Functional Communication AUTS 504 Sierra Nevada College

2. Functional Communication • Functional communication involves behavior (defined in form by the community) directed to another person who in turn provides related direct or social rewards. • Bondy, A. S., & Sulzer-Azaroff, B. (2002). The pyramid approach to education in autism. Newark, DE: Pyramid Educational Products.

3. Communication • There are two basic purposes for communicating • Requesting • Commenting • Bondy, A. S., & Sulzer-Azaroff, B. (2002). The pyramid approach to education in autism. Newark, DE: Pyramid Educational Products.

4. Communication • Requesting • Behavior directed to another person, who then provides some reinforcing outcome to the person doing the communicating. • Commenting • A request for acknowledgement (i.e., attention, social response) about something the communicator is seeing. • Bondy, A. S., & Sulzer-Azaroff, B. (2002). The pyramid approach to education in autism. Newark, DE: Pyramid Educational Products.

5. Communication Skills • The function of the communicative act • Teaching for generalization • Potentially effective modalities • Addressing the most basic critical communicative receptive and expressive functions • “Talking” about emotions • Interacting with others in a socially acceptable way • Bondy, A. S., & Sulzer-Azaroff, B. (2002). The pyramid approach to education in autism. Newark, DE: Pyramid Educational Products.

6. The Function of the Communicative Act • When teaching a communicative act • Identify the function • Expressive • Initiate to receive a specific outcome • Child says “popcorn” when they want popcorn • Receptive • Following a direction to receive a specific outcome • Adult directs imitation. Say “popcorn” • Bondy, A. S., & Sulzer-Azaroff, B. (2002). The pyramid approach to education in autism. Newark, DE: Pyramid Educational Products.

7. Teaching for Generalization • Just because a child can imitate or speak with a prompt does not mean they will be able to use the word spontaneously • Imitation and response need to be planned carefully for generalization across settings • Typically developing children do this naturally • Bondy, A. S., & Sulzer-Azaroff, B. (2002). The pyramid approach to education in autism. Newark, DE: Pyramid Educational Products.

8. Potentially Effective Modalities • Imagine you have lost your voice, how would you communicate? • Sign • Pictures • Visual Symbols • Written Words • Modalities can work alone or together • Bondy, A. S., & Sulzer-Azaroff, B. (2002). The pyramid approach to education in autism. Newark, DE: Pyramid Educational Products.

9. Asking for powerful reinforcers Asking for help Asking for a break Answering “yes” or “no” to “Do you want ___? If a child can’t effectively communicate to get their needs met they will try other ways Biting, kicking, self-injurious behavior Addressing Critical Expressive Skills • Bondy, A. S., & Sulzer-Azaroff, B. (2002). The pyramid approach to education in autism. Newark, DE: Pyramid Educational Products.

10. Functional instruction/direction following auditory and visual cues/prompts Transitioning from one activity to another Waiting patiently Schedule following If a child can’t effectively understand a communicative intent the results could Pose harm to the recipient of the communication Addressing Critical Receptive Skills • Bondy, A. S., & Sulzer-Azaroff, B. (2002). The pyramid approach to education in autism. Newark, DE: Pyramid Educational Products.

11. “Talking” about Emotions • Children can be taught about emotions by labeling them as they happen • Frank falls down and mom says, “Ouch! I bet your knee hurts.” • Frank’s mom is tickling him while he laughs she says, “You are laughing, you are a happy boy!” • Children should be taught to comment about emotions once they can comment about things around them • Bondy, A. S., & Sulzer-Azaroff, B. (2002). The pyramid approach to education in autism. Newark, DE: Pyramid Educational Products.

12. Interacting with Others in a Socially Acceptable Way • Conversational or Play interactions require children to be able to • Understanding how to respond to or initiate with others • Turn-taking once initial communication has been made • How to politely end conversation or play • Bondy, A. S., & Sulzer-Azaroff, B. (2002). The pyramid approach to education in autism. Newark, DE: Pyramid Educational Products.

13. Teaching Communication • Three main interventions • Functional communication training to replace challenging behaviors • Increases in initiation of verbal and nonverbal communication • Increases in the core communication skills National Research Council. (2001). Educating children with autism (C. Lord & J.      P. McGee, Eds.). Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

14. Functional Communication • Behaviors are a function of communication • Empirical evidence for teaching communication to replace challenging behaviors • AAC messages congruent with the function of the behavior • Look at me – Attention • I want____ – Tangible • I need a break - Escape National Research Council. (2001). Educating children with autism (C. Lord & J.      P. McGee, Eds.). Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

15. Initiation is a pivotal behavior The more a child initiates the more it will trigger responses from others Enhancing other communication and language skills Children who self-initiate communication have more positive treatment outcomes Increasing Initiations National Research Council. (2001). Educating children with autism (C. Lord & J.      P. McGee, Eds.). Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

16. Augmentative and Alternative Communication • “an area of clinical practice that attempts to compensate (either temporarily or permanently) for the impairment and disability patterns of individuals with severe expressive communication disorders” (American Speech-Language-Hearing Associatiton, 1989:7). National Research Council. (2001). Educating children with autism (C. Lord & J.      P. McGee, Eds.). Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

17. AAC • May be used to support existing speech or development of a nonverbal system • Sign language • Visual symbols • Voice output devices (VOCA) • Visual icons or words National Research Council. (2001). Educating children with autism (C. Lord & J.      P. McGee, Eds.). Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

18. AAC • There is no evidence that use of AAC systems as collaterals to language instruction results in delays in the acquisition of speech, though specifying the advantages and disadvantages of using AAC in support of the development of speech in different populations remains a research question. (p. 58) National Research Council. (2001). Educating children with autism (C. Lord & J.      P. McGee, Eds.). Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

19. AAC • There is evidence that sign language enhances the use of speech for some children. • There is no evidence to suggest that sign language interferes with the development of speech National Research Council. (2001). Educating children with autism (C. Lord & J.      P. McGee, Eds.). Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

20. Children with good verbal imitation skills demonstrate better speech production than those with poor verbal imitation skills, with or without AAC. Children with poor verbal imitation skills are the best candidates for an AAC system, such as sign language, because they are likely to make poor progress in speech acquisition without AAC. AAC National Research Council. (2001). Educating children with autism (C. Lord & J.      P. McGee, Eds.). Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

21. What is AAC • Interventions designed to make up for expressive communication deficits • Augmentative • The interventions can be used to improve upon the effectiveness of communication through existing means – including speech • Alternative • System that can temporarily or permanently replace speech Bondy, A., & Frost, L. (2001). A picture's worth: PECS and other visual communication strategies in autism. Bethesda, MD: Woodbine House.

22. AAC • Modalities to augment/replace speech • Residual speech • Vocalizations • Pictures or related visual symbols • Photographs, line drawings • Braille • Gestures • American Sign Language • Informal • Switch-activated devices Bondy, A., & Frost, L. (2001). A picture's worth: PECS and other visual communication strategies in autism. Bethesda, MD: Woodbine House.

23. Two Main AAC • Unaided • Do not require equipment to produce • Gestures • Body Language • Vocalizations • Manual signs Bondy, A., & Frost, L. (2001). A picture's worth: PECS and other visual communication strategies in autism. Bethesda, MD: Woodbine House.

24. Two Main AAC • Aided • Requires devices that are external • Communication books • Voice output communication devices (VOCAS) • Computers Bondy, A., & Frost, L. (2001). A picture's worth: PECS and other visual communication strategies in autism. Bethesda, MD: Woodbine House.

25. Low Tech Non-electronic Communication books Communication boards Communication wallets Fanny backs Date-books Notepads Post-it notes AAC Techniques Bondy, A., & Frost, L. (2001). A picture's worth: PECS and other visual communication strategies in autism. Bethesda, MD: Woodbine House.

26. High Tech Electronic – requires external power source BIGmack AlphaTalker Digivox Speaking Dynamically Computer PDA iPad, iPod touch, iPhone AAC Techniques Bondy, A., & Frost, L. (2001). A picture's worth: PECS and other visual communication strategies in autism. Bethesda, MD: Woodbine House.