Provide Feedback
You may wonder how a child learns the communication process with voice output or picture communication. The answer is: exactly the same as it is for a child learning to communicate orally - by TRIAL AND ERROR. Attempts to communicate may be exploratory and random at first. Adults help children build the meaning of communication attempts by providing concrete experiences and feedback. Augmentative communication is NOT ABOUT THE DEVICE but about how we teach it to be used in a functional way.
When a child activates a voice output message or points to a picture or object, an adult should immediately respond in several ways:
- Verbalizing the message back to the child ("Oh, you want the truck", "Yuck, you don't like it", "You want to play in the block area")
- Giving a response ("Here you go", "OK, no more juice", "OK, let's go to the block area")
- Giving immediate feedback can mean saying "no" ("No, it's not time for outside yet, let's check the schedule", "No more cookies, all gone")
Some students, when presented with voice output, like to press all the buttons to explore and/or find out what each one says. This is OK at the beginning if it doesn't start to interfere with purposeful use of the device.
If the exploration of the device seems repetitive, random or non-purposeful, the adult should hold the device in place long enough for the child to press it once, remove the device and give immediate reinforcement for the message even if it appeared to be random. Over time, this teaches that the device is not a toy and it has a specific purpose and there are specific ways of behaving when it is presented. Be consistent and patient. If the child's use of the device does not become purposeful over time, try using a simpler device (perhaps one with only one button/message) or contact a member of the Pre-K SPED Tech Team for help.