APH Intervention Continuum of Communication Skills by Kerry Isham, Field Services Representative

APH provides a line of products which – when used sequentially - helps teach individuals with no formal means of communication methods of effectively making their wants and needs known.

These three products help nonverbal individuals with visual impairments shift seamlessly from haphazard movements and touch to purposeful actions and use of symbols to communicate. SAM Tactile Connections SLK

Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development Sensorimotor – 1st stage – Trying to make sense of the world using senses and movement. Preoperational – 2nd stage – Onset of language and use of symbols, pretending. Still lacks concrete logic. Operational – 3rd stage – Beginning to think logically and abstractly.

We begin with the Sensory Learning Kit

Sensory Learning Kit (SLK) Builds cognitive skills at the sensorimotor level of cognition, which is the first of Jean Piaget’s stages of cognitive development – trying to make sense of the world using senses and movement. The SLK uses highly attractive materials.

Sensory Learning Kit An educational intervention designed to: Build a positively bonded relationship between the learner and the practitioner Provide social experiences that facilitate access to sensory information *stimulates curiosity *motivates interactions *develops skills

Sensory Learning Kit Target population Cognitive age: 0-2 years Chronological age: 0 and up Could include: *Infants with atypical responses *Toddlers with atypical responses and mild to moderate delays *Pre-school and early elementary students with moderate to severe delays *Late elementary and secondary students with severe to profound delays

Sensory Learning Kit Can assist in increasing one’s quality of life in these areas: *Agency - Control over people and events *Anticipation - Something to look forward to *Participation - Shared experience

Sensory Learning Kit Use of Routines – highly structured activities to encourage reactions and interactions with the SLK components. Routines: Are familiar Are predictable Allow for controlled pacing Minimize sensory clutter Are consistent Are frequent Are low-stress

Sensory Learning Kit Routines can address these 3 levels of sensorimotor learning: Quiet alert - Attention to stimulation provided by partner Active alert - Exploration of learning media Partial Participation – Outcome directed motor sequences

Sensory Learning Kit Routines teach: Object exploration Object permanence Imitation Causality Means-ends Basic spatial relationships

The second APH product in the sequence is Symbols and Meaning

Symbols and Meaning (SAM) Target population - students with visual and multiple impairments and pre-school children with visual impairments who are just beginning to use symbols - the late sensorimotor, early preoperational stage of cognitive development

Symbols and Meaning Late sensorimotor and early preoperational level cognitive skills are the focus. Again, recall from Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development that Preoperational is the 2nd stage – the onset of language, the use of symbols, & pretending. The individual still lacks concrete logic.

Symbols and Meaning SAM includes a guidebook which provides strategies that help develop a strong sensory foundation for concepts about people, objects, actions, and places. Through use of these strategies, such symbols become meaningful.

Symbols and Meaning Games and activities focus on symbology (words & objects) representing: People: The self and others Objects: Tangible things Actions: Body movements of the self and others Places: Where things are, contexts for groups of things

Symbols and Meaning Once meaning is established by pairing symbols and concrete referents, additional games give individuals the opportunity to use object and word symbols in communication contexts. Videos of each game are included.

Symbols and Meaning SAM enables learners to understand:. What is it Symbols and Meaning SAM enables learners to understand: What is it? What does it do? How does it relate to other things?

Symbols and Meaning kit contents: • 2 baskets • Digital recorder • 25 plastic story pages • Assessments and Games book • Electronic assessment forms • Flash drive • Large Print Guidebook • SAM videos • Sport bag

Symbols and Meaning kit contents, cont’d: • 3 sizes of story bags • 3 sizes of story binders • Vinyl story box liners • 6 story boxes • Non-glare plastic tray liner • Vinyl tray liners • Two trays • Black Velcro strip and coins • White Velcro strip and coins

The last product in the continuum is Tactile Connections

Tactile Connections – Symbols for Communication Allows teachers to create a tactile card system that is individualized for visually impaired and blind learners who have additional disabilities and/or lack a formal means of communication or literacy. Tactile symbols are created when part of an object is mounted on a hand-sized card representing core vocabulary categories (e.g. people, places, actions, objects, etc.).

Tactile Connections Target population – Allows practitioners to create communication symbols for learners in the late preoperational through the operational stage of cognitive development, where use of symbols is more extensive and complex.

Tactile Connections Symbols such as words and pictures become tools for problem-solving, pretending and socializing.

Tactile Connections This kit can help build skills for the use of tactile symbols (objects and parts of objects organized into categories) as communication tools in environments where sighted peers might use pictures.

Tactile Connections This kit contains many of the essential components needed to create an effective tactile communication system – from an individual’s use of only simple nouns and verbs to fairly complex sentence construction.

APH worked with a number of knowledgeable professionals when creating the products in this much needed intervention continuum. For the most effective learning experience, it is recommended that practitioners and parents use these three products sequentially.

Kerry Isham, Field Services Representative Can you think of at least one individual with whom you work who could benefit from the APH Intervention Continuum? Kerry Isham, Field Services Representative kisham@aph.org