Approaching Communicative Competence Through Storytelling

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Approaching Communicative Competence Through
Storytelling

• Linda A. Meyer, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
• Director, Communication Services AT Coordinator
• Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center
• P.O. Box 1500 Fishersville, VA 22939-1500
• Phone [phone]-WWRC, ext. 2-7086
• Email  L.A.Meyer_at_wwrc.virginia.gov Website
  http//wwrc.virginia.gov/

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Question

• How do we help AAC users become more competent
  communicators in all settings?

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AAC Users often

• Lack the life experiences required to learn to be
  active participants in communication interactions
  and to exert control over the interaction
• Tend to have lower academic abilities - often
  because of their inability to interact in the
  classroom
• Literacy, in particular, is affected

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AAC Users Communication Styles

• Tend to be responders and requesters rather than
  initiators
• May be good at greetings closings
• Tend NOT to participate in
• Small talk/Chatter
• Jokes
• Story telling

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Competent communicators using AAC are able to

• portray a positive self-image to their
  communication partners
• show interest in others and draw others into
  interactions
• actively participate and take turns in a
  symmetrical fashion

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• be responsive to their communication partners and
  negotiate shared topics
• put their partners at ease with the AAC system,
  often by using humor as well as predictable,
  readable signals.
• (Light, 1998)

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Communicative Competence

• Speaking
• Listening
• Reading
• Writing

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Communicative competence, topics, style vary

• By Age
• Adults teens children
• Younger adults older adults
• Gender
• Social roles
• Life stage life experiences
• Environments
• etc., etc., etc.

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The things they want to talk about determine

• Vocabulary needs
• Visual display needs

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Storytelling vs. Communication

• Thesis Communicative competence can be gained
  through development of storytelling
• Personal news
• Jokes
• Events TV shows, sports, news, etc.

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Facilitation of Communicative Competence

• Group activities modeling
• Use of narrative storytelling
• Structuring classroom activities to facilitate
  communication by AAC users
• Expanding life experiences in any way possible

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Goal of the WWRC Empowerment Through
Communication (ETC) program

• To improve the communicative competence of
  individuals who use Alternative/Augmentative
  Communication (AAC) devices as their primary mode
  of communication

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Participants

• Each module includes 4 - 6 participants who have
  an augmentative/alternative communication device
  and who need to improve their communicative
  competence
• Adolescents or adults
• Vocational or independent living goal

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Participants must

• own a functioning AAC device
• be able to commit to 10 days
• be interested in becoming more integrated into
  the community (including possible vocational,
  educational, and social activities)
• be motivated to improve communication skills

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Funding

• Department of Rehabilitative Services (DRS)
• Commercial insurance Medicaid Medicare
• Other - Local Education Agency Private Pay etc.

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Program Instructors/Faculty

• Speech-Language Pathologists
• Occupational Therapists
• Computer Systems Engineers (AT specialists)
• SLP Graduate Student Interns
• Visiting Speakers

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Support Staff

• Social Worker
• Speech-Language Pathology Assistant
• Rehabilitation Engineers
• Vocational Evaluator
• Recreation Therapist
• Nursing
• Physicians
• Dietary staff

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Program

• Daily Schedule
• Communication Activities
• Empowerment Activities
• Computer Lab
• Outing
• Speeches
• Graduation

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Communication Activities Storytelling Methods

• Light tech High tech applications
• Remnant books
• Communication notebooks
• Programming childrens stories into devices for
  retelling to siblings, grandchildren, etc.
• Programming interactive elements of stories into
  devices for increased participation in story hour
  (Brown Bear, Brown Bear what do you see?, etc.)

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Storytelling Methods cont.

• Grapevine activity
• Ace Reporter
• Writing activities on the computer to develop
  narrative experiences
• Speeches

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Storytelling Methods cont.

• Outing
• To provide a common experience around which
  participants can develop storytelling and
  conversation sharing experiences and events

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Telling the stories

• Opening/Introductory
• Sequencing
• Wh- questions
• Where did you go?
• What did you do?
• Who did you see? Who went?
• How did we get there?
• Provide the supports needed to create and program

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Graduation Speeches
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Visual Scene Displays (VSDs)

• A visual scene is a picture, photograph, or
  virtual environment that depicts and represents a
  situation, place, or experience.
• (Dietz, McKelvey, Beukelman, 2006)
• Typically contextualized elements of the story
  are depicted in relationship to the natural
  environment (picture of a party, childs ball
  game, etc.)

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• AAC user and communication partner co-construct
  the gist of a visual scene using text and voice
  output to communicate specific messages, ask
  questions, or provide support for the listener.

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VSD Programming/Theme Development

• 3 Phases
• Informant Phase
• Programming Phase
• Validation Phase
• GOAL To support participation of the AAC user
  in multiple communication roles

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YES
NO
ASK ME YES-NO QUESTIONS
HELP
I used to love to drive fast cars.
I used to have a 19 Barracuda. It was (color).
In 19 it was nearly buried under the snow.
I used a piece of cardboard to remove the
snow because I didnt have a shovel.
My favorite car was my 77 Corvette.
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Many thanks to all who contributed to this effort

• The many AAC users and their families who gamely
  try our ideas in order to become competent and
  fully involved communicators
• Filip Loncke
• Sherry Rimel
• Ginger Shifflett
• Chip Clarke