All persons, regardless of the extent of their disabilities, have the right to affect, through commu

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• All persons, regardless of the extent of
  their disabilities, have the right to affect,
  through communication, the conditions of their
  own existence.

National Joint Committee for the Communicative
Needs of Persons with Severe Disabilities, 1992
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ATEN
Creating a Symbol Rich Environment

• Unlocking Human Potential
• Through Technology

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Objectives

• Describe the components of a symbol rich
  environment
• Discuss benefits of this environment
• Present strategies for success
• Develop vocabulary and symbols for a classroom
  activity
• Share ideas and create visual language materials
  for immediate classroom use
• Challenge you to think outside the box!

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What are Visual Strategies?

• Natural Environmental Cues
• Tools found in daily routine that provide
  information
• Specially designed tools for specific individuals

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Yes/No?

• Can visual strategies help people with verbal
  language?

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Yes/No?

• Will the use of visual strategies inhibit a
  childs speech development?

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Components of a Symbol Rich Environment

• Symbols
• Symbolic schedules
• Communication displays
• Communication devices

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Strategies for Success

• Both the environment and the communication
  partner(s) need to be adapted to create
  opportunities for communication
• These opportunities need to provide for
  interactive communication
• Have high expectations for communication to occur

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Benefits to Facilitators

• Quick, Easy and Natural
• Focus
• Organization
• Readily accessible vocabulary
• Reinforces Whole Language

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Benefits to Students

• Independence
• Literacy
• Generalization
• Opportunities
• Accessibility
• Symbol recognition and language
• Communicative interactions

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Beyond the Classroom

• Cafeteria
• Office
• Clinic
• Special areas
• Day care/baby sitters
• Home
• Job site
• Leisure areas

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Basic Communication Functions(J. Light)

• Basic needs
• Information exchange
• Social closeness
• Social routines

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Communicative Functions (cont)

• Direct Attention
• Request
• Answer
• Comply
• Reject

• Greetings
• Partings
• Comment
• Reinforcement

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Core Vocabulary

• Highly functional words and phrases
• Basic functional needs
• Brief social exchanges
• Necessary information
• Highly reinforcing and responsive to needs

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Fringe Vocabulary

• Content rich
• Topic related
• Specific to activity and environment
• Language richness
• Expressions custom to the client

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Does the vocabulary reflect the users...

• Age
• Sex
• Interests
• Communication style
• Cultural Background

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Vocabulary Selection Techniques

• Vocabulary lists
• Role playing
• Shadowing
• Audio and/or videotaping
• Brainstorming

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Once Vocabulary is Selected...

• Compare lists
• Eliminate redundancies
• Prioritize
• Continuously review/revise vocabulary

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Symbols

• Objects
• Photographs
• Facsimiles
• Pictures (black and white or color)
• Letters and words

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Symbols as Prompts

• Daily symbols
• Super symbols

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Use of Color Size
house
Salient feature
Silhouette
Color coded
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Display Organization

• Situational or categorical
• Positions of the student
• Frequency of use of the vocabulary
• Vision
• Accessing
• Single messages vs sequencing
• Consistency of location

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Implementation Strategies

• Highly motivating
• Reinforcing
• Interactive routines
• Descriptive feedback
• No show me activities
• Environmental arrangement
• Natural format
• Frequently occurring activities
• Aided language stimulation

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Creating Opportunities for Communication

• Sabotage
• Novel element
• Environmental arrangement
• Oversight

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Communication Partner Strategies

• Do not anticipate message
• Allow time
• Accept any mode of communication you understand
• Provide immediate feedback and reinforcement
• Respond to what was communicated even if you
  think it is wrong
• Comment more than question

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Creating Activities

• Themes
• Functional
• Team Collaboration
• Incorporate Assistive Technology

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Once an activity is selected...

• Try one or two strategies at first
• Choose the appropriate symbols and create
  messages the student wants to communicate
• Help the student visually and auditorally attend
  to each symbol on the display
• Create or provide opportunities to practice

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Helpful Hints!

• Glue sticks make your pictures less bubbly
• Rough Velcro - attach to items you will be
  manipulating. Soft Velcro attach to stationary
  items.
• Save packaging from toys, cereal boxes, etc. to
  use as facsimiles
• Collect menus from favorite restaurants
• Save flyers from newspaper

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More Helpful Hints!

• If you are using a digital or 35mm camera, take
  the pictures outside on a solid colored
  background.
• If you scan a bulky item, cover the scanner with
  a blanket, the image will come out sharper.

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How Can We Have All of This?

• Grants
• Technology Committees
• PTA
• Train parents, students, school volunteers, and
  assistants to make materials

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NowThat should clear up a few things around
here!
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Questions/Evaluations

• Workshop Title Creating a Symbol Rich
  Environment
• Presenters Name