AAC Switch Scanning: Balancing task and technology demands — Presentation

Eskin, N.,  Pope,L., Slowey, A., Eck, A., O’Rourke, K., Caron, J. (2017, March).  AAC Switch Scanning: Balancing task and technology demands.  Poster presentation at the Pennsylvania Speech-Language Hearing Association (PSHA) Convention in Harrisburg, PA.  [Handout]
Aim:  Individuals who require the use of scanning to communicate or access the curriculum are not taught how to use the technology, rather the equipment is placed in front of them and it is assumed that if they can select the switch, they will know how to optimally use the support.  Application of explicit instruction techniques can potentially improve outcomes. Through use of the Gradual Release of Responsibility Model (Fischer & Frey, 2013), interventions can be designed to balance sensory, motor and cognitive demands of a task and allow for greater participation and growth with the technology.
Method:  Case example with curriculum modification.  With a strong collaboration between the SLP and general education teachers, the curriculum was modified to support learning and appropriate alternative methods to measure performance.
Discussion:  Curriculum modification for AAC requires both creativity and collaboration between professionals to ensure that the student is able to demonstrate his learning using AAC (Calculator & Black, 2010; Soto, Müller, Hunt, & Goetz, 2001).   SLPs should be aware of the individual’s academic needs in order to better ensure access to the curriculum (Soto, Müller, Hunt, and Goetz, 2001).  This discussion should guide the goals and services provided by SLPs, with social and academic participation being at the forefront of service provision.