Have Courage

Supporting a person in a new method of expression can be scary. You will learn together. It will get easier the more you do it.

a raised fist

It can feel intimidating when you are told that you need to learn a new skill. We’ve all taken new jobs where this was the case. Here are some life hacks (tips) on how everyone learns new skills:

    • Step outside your comfort zone. Be willing to try something new, knowing that it won’t always feel comfortable.
    • Break it down. What are the sub-skills you need to learn to get to mastery?
    • Focus on one sub-skill at a time. This can feel less overwhelming.
    • Make it personal. How will this new skill benefit you? How does it support your career? Convince yourself of the skill’s value in your life.
    • Learn by doing. Don’t be afraid to be hands on!

How does this apply to new methods of communication? The new device or method may be brand new for the person you support.  You may feel that you need to know the device more than the person you support. You don’t.

You simply need to be willing to explore the tool together. The following tips will make it easier for you, and those you support, to use any new form of communication:

    • Use the tools yourself!
    • Watch how the person communicates now. Take what you observe and model on the device (laughing at a TV show would be a good time to model the word “funny”).
    • Explore together and talk about what you do.
    • If you press the wrong button, don’t worry. Just talk about it.
      “Oops, I didn’t mean to say “frog”, hmmm, where is the word I wanted?”
    • Keep it in the moment. Use the device to talk about what you are doing here and now.
    • Ask open-ended questions. These get a lot more language than Yes/No questions. “What did you like about that show?” versus “Did you like that show?” (nods head)
    • Give it time. You are both learning.
    • Don’t give up! The person you support may need to see you model for a good while before they respond using the device.
    • If you ask a question, wait. Wait until it is uncomfortable – then wait some more. Give your client the time they need to craft their response.
    • Don’t worry about grammar. To start, you should think about modeling key words. Your sentences don’t have to be long. You don’t need to model every word you say.
    • Respond to any manner of communication. The important thing is that they get their message across. They don’t have to produce perfect, grammatical utterances.

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What makes a great support worker?

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Milieu Teaching

Milieu teaching is a behavioral intervention in which individuals are taught language skills and behaviors within the natural environment (the milieu). The teaching is delivered in places (such as the kitchen) and in situations (such as when a child wants a snack) in which individuals are most likely to want to communicate with other people.

Teaching begins when an individual shows an interest in activities or materials (for example, by standing next to a table with snacks on) or begins to communicate (for example by pointing to a snack). The teacher responds by using one or more specific techniques including Modelling: demonstrating the desired behavior; Manding: asking questions or providing verbal instructions; Time delay: waiting for a short period of time in order to prompt the desired response.

There are several variations of milieu teaching such as prelinguistic milieu teaching (where the focus is on teaching pre-verbal skills to very young children) and enhanced milieu teaching (where the focus is on responding to and interacting with the child).

The individual elements which make up milieu teaching (modeling, manding and time delay) can be delivered as standalone techniques, can be used together in specific milieu teaching programmes (such as the Responsive Education and Prelinguistic Milieu Teaching programme) or can be used together as part of multi-component social communication programmes (such as the Comprehensive Communication Intervention for Minimally Verbal Children With Autism).

From: http://www.researchautism.net/autism-interventions/types/behavioural-and-developmental/behavioural/milieu-teaching-and-autism

Supporting Research

Association between perceived social support and strain, and positive and negative outcome for adults with mild intellectual disability

Use of a developmental model of language acquisition: Applications to children using AAC systems