Two years ago, a 10
year old boy living with autism came to our school in Ile-Ife. He could echo
what people said, but could not communicate his needs. He was violent; he used
to bite his wrist and he would attack the adults in the school. In fact,
because of my stature, I seemed like his favourite target. After a few weeks of
observation, we concluded that he showed this behaviour whenever he was hungry.
As they say “Behaviour is communication”, so this boy was obviously telling us
“give me food”. What we had to do was teach him an appropriate way to
communicate his need for food. We taught him to sign “eat” with the Makaton
sign language while saying “eat”. Not long afterwards, he would conveniently
sign and say “eat” whenever he was hungry. We moved forward by teaching him to
say “I want to eat”. Now he can tell us what he wants to eat (eba, amala, rice,
groundnut, cheese balls etc.). His language has greatly improved in two years.
Usually, when I speak
with parents of a child with autism and no or little speech, they would tell me
that their most important need is speech. But I have learnt from experience
that our major need for the child is the ability to communicate his/her needs.
photo credit: www.communityrun.org
This brings me to an
important topic; Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). Augmentative
and Alternative Communication is an umbrella term that refers to communication
aids or systems that are implemented to replace or support spoken or written
language. It allows people with communication difficulties to express their
thoughts, emotions, ideas, and needs. AAC systems range from using simple tools
such as one’s body to communicate to using electronic devices; usually based on
the severity of the communication limitations. These systems can be aided or
unaided. Unaided systems refer to communication with the use of body parts,
which may include sign language and gestures. Aided involves using the help of equipment outside the human body; such as pictures, communication boards,
communication notebooks, I-pads, speech producing devices etc.
A picture board showing different types of food, copied from Wikipedia
Imagine yourself in a
strange land looking for directions and nobody around you understands the English
language. I can imagine how frustrating that would be. Won’t it be a relief if
you have a picture to express your thoughts? Or somebody around you understands
the gestures you are using to communicate? Communication difficulties can cause
frustration and anxiety. AAC gives us an opportunity to relieve such
frustration and anxiety. AAC has been reported to provide individuals with good
quality of life. In children with autism, AAC systems have been shown to
improve speech and social interaction, and help reduce unwanted behaviours.
.jpg)
photo credit: www.learningworksforkids.com
But then, many parents
express fear that by introducing an alternative form of communication, their
children may never see a reason to speak. On the contrary, there are many
reports of people whose speech improved significantly after they were
introduced to other means of communication. In the school I worked in Ife, we
have a girl who two years ago had no speech and could not communicate her needs
at age 8. We introduced her to Makaton sign language and picture exchange
communications system, and now she communicates her needs quite well. In fact,
now she has started echoing when the teacher talks to her.
Makaton symbols copied from www.widgit.com
Augmentative and
Alternative Communication systems will meet the communication needs of a child
living with autism, regardless of the severity of the condition. One just has
to find the right system that will work for that child. But it is important to
say that AAC does NOT WORK LIKE MAGIC. It is important to be patient as the child
learns to use the communication aid. We do not learn sign language once and
become “pro”, it takes time. It may also take time for the child to get accustomed
to the chose AAC system, please be patient. You will eventually enjoy the
rewards.
With all my love this
season... Muah
