Communicative Competence for Individuals who require Augmentative and Alternative Communication: A New Definition for a New Era of Communication?

Figures & data

Table I. Knowledge, Judgment, and Skills Required for Individuals who use AAC to Attain Communicative Competence (Adapted from Light & Gulens, 2002).

Domain	Examples of knowledge, judgment, and skills required
Linguistic	Develop skills in the native language(s) spoken and written in the home and broader social community, for example: • Understand the form, content, and use of spoken language(s) used by others both at home and in the broader social community • Develop as many expressive skills (content, form, and use) in the spoken language(s) of the home and broader social community as appropriate • Code switch between different language(s) and cultures as required • Develop literacy skills to understand and use the written language(s) of the home and broader social community; code switch between these written language(s) as required Develop skills in the language code of the AAC systems for home and the broader social community, for example: • Develop lexical knowledge of the symbols used to express concepts via AAC • Develop semantic, syntactic, and morphological skills to express more complex meanings via AAC • Choose appropriate AAC systems to meet the needs of different cultural /linguistic environments • Learn the appropriate linguistic conventions for different communication and social media tools
Operational	Produce unaided symbols, for example: • Plan and produce the required hand shape, position, orientation, and movement to produce manual signs or conventional gestures • Plan and produce the required body movements to act out messages via pantomime • Plan and produce the required body movements to produce other unaided codes (e.g., eye blink codes, looking up to say yes) Operate aided AAC systems /apps accurately and efficiently, for example: • Open communication board, turn pages, and point to target AAC symbol • Pick up target symbol and hand it to partner when using PECS • Use paper and pencil to draw concept • Use selection technique to access required AAC symbols (e.g., direct selection with finger, fist, toe or eyes; row column scanning with a single switch; directed scanning with a joystick) • Navigate within AAC systems/ apps as required Operate social media and other mainstream communication tools, for example: • Access social media /communication tools as required • Capture and upload photos and video as required to support communication via social media • Navigate between apps/ tools as required to meet needs
Social	Develop appropriate sociolinguistic skills, for example: • Fulfill obligatory and nonobligatory turns in interaction • Initiate and terminate interactions appropriately • Maintain and develop topics of conversation • Express a wide range of communicative functions (e.g., request information, protest, request objects/actions, provide information, provide clarification, confirm/deny, request attention) • Choose appropriate AAC systems/apps and/or social media tools to meet communication needs as required • Use appropriate form, content, and conventions as required for the audience and media Develop appropriate sociorelational skills, for example: • Participate actively in interactions • Be responsive to partners • Demonstrate interest in partners (e.g., ask partner-focused questions) • Put partners at ease • Project a positive self-image • Maintain a positive rapport with partners
Strategic	Use compensatory strategies to bypass limitations in the linguistic domain, for example: • Ask partner to write /type or point to symbols to augment spoken input and bypass comprehension difficulties • Use mementos to bypass vocabulary limitations and establish the topic • Ask partner to provide choices to overcome vocabulary limitations • Ask the partner to guess and provide clues to bypass vocabulary limitations Use compensatory strategies to bypass limitations in the operational domain, for example: • Use telegraphic messages to enhance rate of communication • Ask partner to predict as message is spelled to reduce fatigue and enhance rate of communication • Have partner assist in locating appropriate page to help with navigational demands Use compensatory strategies to bypass limitations in social domain, for example: • Use an introduction strategy to put the partner at ease • Use humor to maintain a positive rapport and put partner at ease • Utilize social media to increase social network

Table II. Psychosocial Factors and the Potential Impact on Communicative Competence (Adapted from Light, 2003).

Psychosocial factor	Definition	Potential impact
Motivation to communicate	Drive to communicate, influenced by the belief that the goal (i.e., communication) is important and attainable	Defines the individual's desire to communicate with others in specific situations
Attitude toward AAC	Ideas about AAC charged with emotion (positive or negative) that predispose AAC use (or lack of use) in a given situation	Influences the individual's willingness to use (or not use) AAC to communicate with others in specific situations
Communication confidence	Self-assurance based on the individual's belief that communication success is achievable within a given situation	Influences the propensity of the individual to actually act (i.e., communicate) in specific situations
Resilience	Capacity to prevent, minimize, or overcome the damaging effects of adversities; capacity to compensate for problems and recover from failures	Influences the individual's persistence with communication in the face of barriers, adversities, and failures

Table III. Environmental Supports that may Facilitate the Communicative Competence of Individuals who Require AAC (Adapted from Light, 2003).

Environmental factor	Examples of environmental supports
Policy	• Legislation that supports accessibility and inclusion of individuals who require AAC • Policies that ensure funding of AAC systems and assistive technologies • Legislation that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities • Policies that support universal design of technologies
Practice	• Evidence-based, consumer responsive, culturally competent service delivery by multidisciplinary team with expertise in AAC • Funding support for AAC systems/ assistive technologies and services • Availability of technologies that are accessible for individuals with disabilities
Attitude	• Advocacy and public education activities to promote awareness of the rights and capabilities of individuals with disabilities • Meaningful opportunities for communication and interaction with peers • Appropriate expectations in the home, school, work and community
Knowledge	• Knowledge of funding sources and AAC resources • Knowledge of AAC symbols and transmission techniques • Knowledge of positioning requirements • Knowledge of strategies for vocabulary selection, layout, organization, and regular updating • Knowledge of operation and programming of AAC technologies • Knowledge of daily care and maintenance routines • Strategies for technical trouble shooting • Strategies for integrating AAC into daily use
Skills	• Partners who use interaction strategies to support successful communication (e.g., wait for individual to communicate, recognize and respond to communicative attempts, provide appropriate language input, augment input if required, confirm their understanding)

Light, J. (2003). Shattering the silence: Development of communicative competence by individuals who use AAC. In J.C. Light, D.R. Beukelman, & J. Reichle (Eds.), Communicative competence for individuals who use AAC: From research to effective practice (pp. 3–38). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.

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