Alternative and Augmentative Communication in Support of Persons with Language Development Retardation

Abstract

Frequently, a child with severe deficiencies is at an early stage of communication development, which symbolizes a disadvantage in comparison to his chronological age. Although the child may display a certain repertoire of incipient communication behavior due to his motor, sensory, cognitive, or another type of deficiency, it is possible that adults may not be able or may not know to respond to these types of behavior. Furthermore, when adults try to answer, it can happen that the child can not understand their signals. As a result, the child is not able to acquire the necessary understanding in order to make the cognitive progress from unintentional communication to an intended one. In the individual therapy sessions, where the parent will participate, the augmentative and alternative communication specialist will implement the individual intervention program in order to develop the child's language functions and the transition to the intentional, symbolic communication in order to achieve a recovery or a compensation of the language function. In Augmentative and Alternative Communication interventions, subjects will be encouraged to use various methods and means in different situations and with different comunication parteners. The Augmentative and Alternative Communication system represents the opportunity for people with a delay in language development to aquire a certain level of indepence, contributing to greater social participation by these people.