Everyone is Entitled to Communicate Melinda Music, MA/CCC-SLP Paintsville independent schools

Develop Communication for Students whom are Nonverbal and Severely Speech Impaired An increase in kids with autism, ADHD, speech and language disorders, developmental delays, behavioral disorders, and other disabilities in schools These students have difficulty communicating everyday wants and needs. They have difficulty transitioning from one activity to another. All students need a functional and effective means of communication. Special education caseloads are increasing each year. More parents/kids are needing and/or wanting one-on-one assistance daily, causing students to become dependent on an instructional assistant and they lose independence.

Plan of Action Teach nonverbal and severely speech impaired kids the process of communication using PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System). Use pictures in notebooks that travel everywhere with them at school, home, and in the community. Use Boardmaker pictures because they are the same universal colored pictures that are used in higher tech communication apps, devices, and programs. Once communicati0n process is learned, students can move to a more compact communication app or device. Picture schedules will also be made and implemented in classrooms to help with completing tasks, transitioning needs, and to help all students visualize their schedules.

Materials Purchased Boardmaker Plus software HP Color printer Large PECS books Tabbed and non tabbed insert pages for PECS books Sentence Strips Communication Book Straps Universal No symbols PECS Posters PECS 151 pictures

Research Question Will the use of the Picture Exchange Communication System help to create an understanding of the language process and be a successful, effective, and functional communication system for special needs students that will enable them to communicate on a daily basis?

Outcomes Each student will use a PECS book independently to communicate their wants and needs successfully with multiple communication partners. Students will transition from one activity to another without negative behaviors. Students will manipulate their own daily schedule to know when an activity is finished and what happens next.

PECS Posters

Teacher Input When I asked teachers and parents about the students using picture schedules in the classroom and using PECS to communicate their immediate needs with adults and peers, responses were as follows: Elementary Teachers: “He is using his pictures to communicate with me and other adults.” “There are so many pictures to try and keep up with. It gets cumbersome carrying a book of pictures around all the time and he often has to flip through pages several times before he can find the picture he is looking for.” “Pictures are sometimes missing from his book. I’m not sure if he is losing them or taking them out.” “He is trying to use words verbally more frequently and I am understanding some of them.” The picture schedule is helping all the students in my classroom. Interruptions have declined.

Teacher Input continued… High School Teacher: “He is not wanting to use his pictures to communicate at all. Every time we get his book out, he pushes it to the side and shakes his head no. We have even tried using a communication app on his iPad and he keeps turning it off and deleting the app.” “He continues to rely on his gestures and made-up signs to communicate with teachers and peers.” “Parents continue to encourage use of the signs and gestures.” “He does not have any desire to use pictures for communication. He will point to pictures on request, but not for initiated any communication.”

Parent Input Elementary parent: “I am so pleased with how he has learned to communicate this year.” “We have not been called from the school to take him home for bad behavior all school year.” “He is not only using pictures to communicate at home, but his speech and vocabulary have improved so much that he is trying to use more words and phrases at home everyday. You can’t always understand him, but he is communicating.” High School Parent: I would love for him to learn to use a device or iPad to be able to communicate with anyone and everyone. “I’m sorry. We have just always understood him and haven’t pushed him to learn new ways of communicating.” “He is very strong-willed and set in his ways.” “I usually always know what he wants and needs or I can figure it out. He relies on me to help him communicate with others who aren’t as familiar with him.”

What I Learned You can not teach an old dog new tricks. Early intervention is so important in developing a communication system (the earlier the better). Designing and implementing PECS books are very time consuming. It is difficult to keep adding new pictures to the communication book, hard to keep them organized, and it can take a while to find pictures needed to communicate. Do not underestimate a student’s potential because he or she has limited verbal skills.

What I learned continued… The more vocabulary a child develops, the more pictures you need. Carrying a book of hundreds or thousands of words is not always ideal. It will probably be more beneficial to transfer to another more portable device with unlimited vocabulary for communication past Phase 3 of learning the PECS.

Summary My successful student continues to have access to his PECS book and a 32 picture device in his classroom and at home for communication purposes. However, he has picked up enough of the communication process and vocabulary that he is now communicating mostly through verbal skills. His speech continues to be somewhat unintelligible to unfamiliar listeners due to his diagnosis of developmental apraxia of speech. He continues to learn and develop more daily. PECS was only the beginning to helping him develop a means of communication. This project was definitely worth every minute as it gave one child a voice!