What is AAC?
- AAC interventions are methods and technologies used to compensate for an individual’s reduced communicative competence. AAC is not necessarily a life-long tool, but also may have a temporary role when a child is having difficulty learning speech and language.
- AAC can be implemented by both children and adults.
- Such methods can consist of anything that supplements or replaces language, e.g. pictures, gestures etc.
- To use AAC an individual must select messages or codes from a set of possibilities. Just as we create sentences, these codes can be used alone or in a specific order to express a variety of messages.
- AAC is a vital asset for PWIDs, for instance 50% of children diagnosed with autism will remain functionally mute in adulthood (Peeters & Gillberg, 1999)
- An overall goal of AAC is to increase the quality of life and participation in everyday life of PWIDs.
AAC in Kenya
- Currently AAC is not implemented in Kenya, leaving over 3.5 million PWIDs without the necessary skills to communicate.
- AAC has been implemented in developed countries for the last 30 years, what was used in the ‘80s there is only now coming into practice here.
- At such a pivotal time in Kenya’s history, it is more important than ever that PWIDs can use AAC to access information.
- Under the UNCRPD, which has been ratified in Kenya, PWIDs have the right to the essential support that AAC provides them with. Failure to implement AAC by the Kenyan government will result in failure to comply with the UNCRPD.
Types of AAC – Aided Vs. Unaided
- AAC encompasses a variety of communication forms, ranging from natural gestures, manual signs, and picture communication boards, to sophisticated voice output or speech generating devices.
- Unaided AAC refers to systems which do not require any external device for their use, the PWID uses their own body to communicate, e.g. facial expressions, vocalizations, gestures, and signed languages.
- Aided AAC approaches involve an external aid or device such as a communication board or a speech-generating device. Depending on physical abilities and limitations, PWIDs indicate the appropriate message with a body part, a head or mouth stick or light pointer. Alternatively, PWIDs indicate Yes or No as the listener scans through the possible options.
Examples of Aided and Unaided AAC
- Unaided: Sign language – in sign language training PWIDs can be taught to request preferred items, engage in conversation, and emit verbal behaviour under the control of various stimulus conditions.
- Aided: The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) – teaches PWIDs to exchange picture symbols to request items.
- No single system best meets the diverse needs of all PWIDs. A number of factors, including cognitive and motor abilities, influence a PWID’s acquisition of an AAC system.
- Research has shown that AAC has resulted in improvements in communication across all intellectual disabilities (Branson & Demchak, 2009)
Example of AAC
Tactile Communication
- Sensory substitution means to transform the characteristics of one sensory modality into stimuli of another sensory modality.
- Sensory substitution systems are expected to help PWIDs restore their ability to perceive a certain defective sensory modality by using sensory information from a functioning sensory modality. Essentially one sense is replacing or augmenting another.
- Sight & touch are PWID’s strongest sensory modalities.
- Sensory substitution concerns human perception and the plasticity of the human brain. Contrary to popular belief, our brains can learn to replace defunct areas. They can regenerate by teaching a different part of the brain to do the job of the damaged area. It is this theory of plasticity that lies behind the success of sensory substitution.
- Sensory substitution has contributed to PWIDs enhanced brain function, human cognition and rehabilitation
- The same is applied to people who are deaf-blind.
Some Strategies to Support Aided Conversation
- Establish how they communicate YES/NO – this can be used to ensure agreed understanding of the PWID’s communication
- Give enough time for the PWID to think about and answer questions
- Ask open questions – this can help scaffold an agreed understanding
AAC and Educational Needs
The special schools and units for pupils with intellectual disabilities are currently 1,148. The schools have been operating without materials and books needed to introduce and promote the use of Augmentative and Alternative Modes of Communications (AAC) appropriate for persons with intellectual disabilities. Due to lack of AAC instructional materials and text books for pupils with intellectual disabilities, it has become difficult for Kenyans with intellectual disabilities to communicate on issues pertaining to their daily life. The difficulties in expressing themselves have resulted to ernotional and behavioural tantrums, which often result to further abuse by their families who chain, cage and physically abuse persons with intellectual disabilities.
To address the communication challenges experienced by more than 3.6 million Kenyans with intellectualdisabilities, the Kenya society for the Mentally Handicapped (KSMH) has put together a team of professionals that include intellectual disabilities consultants, educational psychologists, clinical psychologists, human rights consultants and special education teachers; who are actively producing instructional materials and text books for the introduction and promotion of Augmentative and Altemative Modes of Communications (AAC) in special schools and units for pupils with intellectual disabillties in Kenya.
This is being done for the first time in Kenya. The initiative has so far produced AAC materials on voting by over 1.5 million voters with intellectual disabilities currently registered to vote at the upcoming referendum. KSMH has also produced AAC information on human rights that is accessible to persons with intellectual disabilities. The programme is actively promoting communication skills by Kenyans with intellectualdisabilities. The initiative is expected to address communication challenges experienced by parents, families and communities where people with intellectual disabilities live. KSMH is requesting Safaricom to give support towards the production of AAC instructional materials and text books for use in the special schools and units for pupils with intellectual disabilities in Kenya.
To cover the 1,148 special schools for persons with intellectual disabilities, KSMH aims at producing AAC learning materials, The cost of producing these instructional materials and text books that are in tactile and embossed formats for persons with intellectualdisabilities is KShs. 7.5 million. We request for partners to partner with KSMH in the provision of these most important learning materials, which are expected to bring tremendous change in the lives of Kenyans with intellectual disabilities. This will enable Kenya adhere to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with lntellectual Disabilities. |
