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What do we know about communication?

• Everyone communicates, but not everyone can speak
• Someone may not speak well enough to meet their needs, but they still communicate
• If we know exactly how someone communicates, they can be understood

What does this person use to communicate?

• Speech?
• Communication device?
• Pictures?
• Signs or gestures?
• Body language or facial expressions?
• Sounds or movements?
• Other ways?

 

Communication Inventory (Example)

Communication Method    Y/N           Level                When used                  Example

Speech	Y	One word at a time	Naming Marvel characters	“Thor”
Communication Device	N	n/a	n/a	n/a
Pictures	Y	Points	Movie choices	Point to picture of “Spiderman”
Signs or Gestures	Y	Single signs	Wants to eat	Sign for “eat”, “cookie”, “pizza”
Body language or facial expression	Y	Waves, Smiles, Frowns	Greeting, Expressing emotions	Waves and smiles when happy
Sounds or movements	Y	Hums; Pulls someone’s arm	When a favorite item is out of reach	Starts humming and pulls others to the location of an item
Other	N	n/a	n/a	n/a

 

Most people use a combination of different ways to communicate

• We all use multiple ways to communicate, such as speech, body language, email, gestures, facial expressions.
• Waving to someone across a noisy room may be more effective than talking
• “Successful communication strikes a balance of being: effective, most efficient, and socially appropriate” (Tabi Jones Wohleber)