I Can....Create a Communication Passport

Being well prepared for any situation can make all the difference for a successful outcome.  This is often the case when we think about providing positive communication support for people who use AAC.  When we know what will help an individual to get their message across successfully, both communication partners feel more comfortable and messages are given and received more easily.  This month we are featuring information about Communication Passports: a great way to share information about a person's communication profile. 

What is it?

A Communication Passport is a visually interesting and informative book (or booklet, flyer, place mat, etc.) that highlights information about a person's personality, likes & dislikes, communication strengths and needs. It is a way of presenting information that can be crucial in supporting successful interactions between a person who has difficulty communicating and their communication partners. 

A Communication Passport is one of the communication tools that is described in the You Tube video entitled "Knowing Me: Communication Tools for Transition".

Why is it important? 

Children and adults who have complex communication needs may express themselves in a wide variety of ways, not necessarily using speech or other more conventional methods of communication.  Some of our students use very specific methods to communicate, perhaps including some subtle body movements or gestures that might be easily missed when you don't know quite what you are looking for. A Communication Passport can help you get to know exactly how a person communicates and how you can help.

Who is it for? 

A Communication Passport is intended to get the basics about how best to support a person's communication to those who need it. 

Anyone who is new in your student's life: a substitute teacher, a new educational assistant, respite workers, summer camp counselors. These people often have limited time to get to know an individual who uses AAC. A Communication Passport can help them to understand the basics that might make interactions more successful. Highlight the most important pages in the passport that you want these people to read.

People you meet infrequently: doctors, dentists, hairdressers, the specialist who is coming to complete an assessment. Sharing information with these people quickly and easily may help to make these "special events" in a person's life more positive and successful.



Peers, classmates: sharing information that can promote positive communication experiences with peers is so important for our students. 

Extended family members: grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins who do not have  a lot of experience with interacting with someone who uses an alternative form of communication may benefit from the additional information that is captured in these documents. It can serve as a reminder when grandparents come to baby-sit. Or as a way to introduce a few tips to make communication more successful during a family occasion.


Where to keep it:

If you put in the effort to make a communication passport, you want people to read it. You want to make sure that it is visible and handy for everyone to read when they have a few minutes to do so. Keep a communication book where it is needed - hang it on the back of a wheelchair where others can see it. Make the cover interesting and add a message that invites others to look inside. Think about letting others know that the book is new and invite them to come and take a look. 

Consider the content of what's contained inside the book. Whenever possible, involve the person you are making the book for, so that he or she knows what is included and is happy to share that information with others. Keep privacy issues in mind when sharing information about personal needs or any topics of a sensitive nature.


Make it personal:

Let's be honest, reading a report about someone's communication abilities and needs can be pretty dull, no matter how important the information contained within it.   A Communication Passport is not a formal document.  It should scream "Read Me!". People who notice it hanging off the back of a chair should be intrigues and curious and itching to open the cover.  You can show some of the individual's personality throughout this book. Create a funky cover, add photographs and quotes. Make it something to be proud of and something that others really want to read.

 How do I make one?  
Step by step instructions for making Personal Communication Passports can be found on the CALL Scotland website. Here you will find templates (including variations such as Mini Passports), good practice guidelines for creating the document (including a checklist to evaluate the outcome of creating the passport) and tips and information that will be helpful as you work your way through the process. There is a great collection of articles that can be downloaded. "Introduction to Passports" by Sally Millar makes a great handout to share with others, detailing what a passport is all about. 

Who can help me make a passport? 

There is a lot of information online that will help you to create a passport for your child or family member. If you need some support, a Speech and Language Pathologist may be able to work with you. Sometimes you may find that someone in your child's class can lend a hand - this may be something that a DSW student can work on during a placement at the school. Not only will it allow that person to get to know your child, but may give them an opportunity to learn about a resource that may be helpful to them throughout their career. Think about involving your child's siblings or peers when pulling the information together to put into a passport. Sometimes peers look at things differently and they may have interesting insights about what's important to your child.

Updating: 
People change and passports need to change too, to reflect what's different. This is one good reason to keep a passport simple and to keep a back up copy that can be edited easily. Think about  a way of putting your passport together that will allow you to change a single page at a time, rather than changing a whole book. Give yourself a deadline for updating the book each year, perhaps before school starts up again in September.


Passports for different reasons:

 
Emergency situations call for very specific information that can be found and used quickly and efficiently. This is not the time to be reading through a book of personal details, it is a time for the basics in an instant. 
Here's a description of the Communication Passport for A&E resource from Praactical AAC:
"This Communication Passport is designed to give important information about a person who uses AAC to healthcare professionals and first responders in case of accident or emergency. It uses a stoplight metaphor to guide the partner through important information, such as emergency contacts, health conditions, medications, how the person takes their medication, how to communicate with the person, and more."
The template is free to download. 

My Health Passport - This passport has important information that allows health professionals to best support someone with complex communication needs while they are visiting a hospital or clinic. 

Page Profiles are documents that summarize the supports that a person needs in order to participate to their full potential. Again, a quick and easy way to share information that might just make an experience successful. Typically, one page profiles contain 3 sections:

1. ‘Appreciation’ – what people appreciate about the person, their character, gifts and talents
2. ‘What is important to’ – what matters to them, from their perspective, about school and life
3. ‘How to support’ – the ‘expertise’ from family, teachers and others about how to get the best out of the person

Examples of One Page Profiles and templates are included here. There are also links to other resources, including You Tube videos of what to consider when creating a one page profile.


Keeping it simple

A Communication Passport does not have to be printed in colour, laminated and bound professionally. While we often want the finished product to be something that the user can be proud of, there are situations where sharing the information any way that we can is the most important thing. Here's an example of a project in Ghana , where Communication Passports were made with paper, pen and glue. 


(Originally published on May 12, 2015 and updated December 2020)

I Can...use symbols so that my child will too!

We start talking to our children the day they are born, even though we know that we are not going to hear a “word” back from them for some time to come.  Research suggests that the average 18 month old has been exposed to over 4,380 hours of oral language – about 8 hours each day. Jane Korsten (Speech Language Pathologist) did the math to demonstrate that if we only provide speech and language therapy sessions two times per week for a child who has a communication system, it will take 84 years to reach the same amount of language exposure. If we are going to successfully teach a child how to use symbols, we are going to need to do a little more than that weekly therapy. Luckily, there are lots of things that we can do to help support a child’s communication development.

Our children who are using AAC need to see their language “in action”. Having others use the same AAC system to communicate allows our students to make connections between symbols and their meanings; shows them how to find symbols; how to put words together to make sentences; how to add word endings … They need to see it happen in order to do it themselves. On the flip side, modeling use of an AAC system also gives us a little bit of insight into what it takes to learn and use a system effectively. The only way to become proficient in using a personal communication display or speech generating device is to use it.

For an introduction to the technique of Aided Language, take 5 minutes to watch this video from One Kids Place Children’s Treatment Centre in North Bay Ontario.

"Modeling”, “Aided Language Input”, “Aided Language Stimulation”, call it what you will. On the wonderful Uncommon Sense Blog, you can find a great explanation of what is meant by these terms, along with links to some helpful related resources. (Honestly this blog is fantastic – the content that we wanted for our blog this month has already been created by Dana and beautifully put together!).
 

Check out the handout from the AAC Institute that can be printed out for your child’s team to share the message about modeling.

So, do you want to see all this in action? Again, Dana has done all the work for us by collecting some videos together showing Aided Language Stimulation happening across a number of different situations.


The Hanen Centre is a Canadian not-for-profit charitable organization committed to supporting parents, early childhood educators and speech-language pathologists in their efforts to promote the best possible language, social and literacy skills in young children. As clinicians we frequently talk to caregivers about applying some basic "Hanen" principles when working on communication skills. The information and suggestions found on this website apply to all children who are developing communication skills. Check out the Tips for Parents section on the website for some great suggestions on how to foster communication skills in everyday activities. Here are some things to keep in mind to turn that "work" that you are doing into "play".

First things first: make it fun!
Communication opportunities happen all around us, throughout the day. Children learn best when they are motivated and having fun – don’t we all? Any play activity is a chance to show your child how language can be used for a purpose.  Identify your child’s preferences in order to motivate him to use his communication skills in an activity.

“Look! My car. My car go up! Your turn. Car go up! Down, down, down. Car go down”. 

There is lots more information to be found on the Hanen website that you can use to find out "What Makes Your Child Tick?". 

Follow your child’s lead: 
As adults we sometimes like to have a plan. As parents or teachers or communication partners, we know that sometimes we have to throw that plan away and follow where our child might take us. Perhaps we thought we were going to play cars this afternoon, but if my child is fascinated with the bubbles in the washing up bowl, maybe we’ll talk about those instead. “Bubbles! I see bubbles! More bubbles! Bubbles go up.” 

Observe, Wait & Listen: 

Another key consideration from Hanen is to Observe, Wait and Listen (OWL). Here is their description of how this benefits a child engaged in playing with playdough:

Observe – your child and see what she does.  Observe silently, really watching to see what she is doing with the playdough. Often, children don’t begin with an idea of what to do with the playdough. They manipulate it and when it starts to look like something they recognize, they may then start to turn it into something specific. To give your child time to come up with her own ideas, just observe without speaking, suggesting or instructing her.
Wait – sit quietly and avoid showing your child things she could do with the playdough. Just squeeze or roll your own playdough slowly. Your goal is to give your child an opportunity to do what SHE wants to do FIRST.
Listen – to what she says, without interrupting. If she says something, respond and show interest, but avoid telling her what to do or try not to ask questions that test, such as “What are you doing?”, or “What are you making?” She probably doesn’t know yet - she’s still experimenting! 

Talk using simple repetitive language:
Model slowly so that your student can see which vocabulary items you are pointing to and can follow along. Carol Goossens recommends the following guidelines when providing aided language stimulation for children:

•  use primarily single words (symbols) and short grammatically correct phrases (symbol phrases) to talk about what the child is hearing, seeing, doing and feeling
• use lots of repetition as you describe ongoing events (lots of opportunities to practice)
• speak slowly, inserting numerous pauses into the conversational flow
• whenever the child indicates something with a single word (symbol), expand that message into a semantically equivalent two-word (symbol) combination.

Model by using one or two words more than you child is currently using:When using an augmentative communication system to model language, not every word needs to be selected on the display or device as we are talking.  To teach our students how to take the next steps, we can keep adding to what we are saying. Start with one word and when we know that our student can manage that, add on another. Keep building language one step at a time. 

Use “think outloud” strategies: 
When selecting words on a display, it can help to talk through the process so that your child can follow along. We can share with our students the connections that we make that help us to remember where to find a specific word. Often these connections are made through life experience - our students maybe don't share these connections yet, but we can help them with some explanation as we search for words. "I want to ask for a big cookie, so let's see how I can say 'big'. I think maybe it's here - I see an elephant and he's really BIG. Let's see... yes, there it is: 'big'. I want big cookie!" 

How much is too much?

When modeling language, when do we immerse our students in language and when do we need to consider more focused modeling? Gail VanTatenhove has some suggestions around providing modeling for students who may have visual, auditory and /or motor processing challenges.

Practice, practice, practice… 
When you read the information, this whole process sounds kind of straightforward… we point to pictures as we talk. Which leads us to wondering why we are not necessarily seeing everyone modeling language on communication displays or devices when we walk into classrooms or clinics or homes… In reality, being able to model language for children using any form of AAC takes practice. We need to slow down and think about what we are saying. We need to know where all those symbols are located before we can show our students where they are. Sometimes, especially for a system with lots of vocabulary, this means that we need to spend some time learning where the messages are located ourselves. One way to do this is to make a paper-based copy of what’s on the student’s system.  That way, we can get to know the communication system better, without having to take it away from the student.

Some words of wisdom, as always, from Praactical AAC about "Getting the Team On Board". 

Start a modeling revolution…

Share the idea of modeling with family, colleagues, peers.. if everyone starts to point to symbols as they speak, perhaps others will follow along. Make some extra copies of the core board that is used in your classroom and throw on a sign that invites others to join in: “Welcome to our classroom. Grab a board and come talk with us!”

Want more?
There is so much information online about this topic... a great place to start is back at Praactical AAC, where there are many posts with related resources.




(Original Post April 1, 2015, Updated July 24, 2020)

I can ... get things moving!

In our busy world, it often feels like we are moving at the speed of a race car from one thing to the next. Once in a while we may need to slow down or even to stop, while we are waiting for something to happen: an appointment, an assessment or a meeting that will lead us to our next steps...
While we are waiting, there are often things that we can do to keep everything moving along and to get prepared for what lies ahead. In the world of AAC, here are a few suggestions of ways that we can keep taking those steps forward.


What can I do now?

When you have to wait for an assessment or for AAC services to "begin" for your child, ask your service provider about what you can be doing to get ready. There are a variety of service pathways at the children's treatment centres across Ontario. Often the process is outlined on the Centres' websites. 

At TVCC in London, Ontario, parents and caregivers of children who have been referred are encouraged to complete an Augmentative Communication Orientation online learning module, where they learn about what's involved in the assessment process. Families may also participate in a Discovery Consultation at which information related to their child's existing communication skills is shared. If their child then needs to wait for an assessment, suggestions are made for some introductory "next steps" that can help that child continue to develop their communication skills while waiting for an appointment.

Gathering information...
You may be asked to gather together information that will ultimately be used when service providers are beginning their involvement. Some of this information can be helpful in many different situations: informing a new teacher about how your child communicates, sharing information with a support worker in the home, providing an update to a medical specialist at your next appointment. 

Here are a few ways to pull all of that information together:

 - Observe your child and document what you see. Your child will have lots of different ways that they use right now to let you know how they're feeling or what they want to do. If you can list what your child does and what it means, it can be very helpful to others who are just getting to know them for the first time. Sometimes this list of communication strategies used is referred to as a "Communication Dictionary". 

- List your child's preferences e.g. favourite toys, books, movies, activities. When thinking about setting up opportunities for practicing communication, AAC clinicians will often want to engage your child in activities that are highly motivating. Knowing what items your child doesn't like can be equally important, as there are times when we need to know if a child is making a request for an item with intent ("I'm looking at my favorite stuffy. I really want it.") vs. looking at an item because you have held it up ("I'm looking at the empty kleenex box"). 

- Considering your child's preferences is a great starting point for documenting vocabulary that you think will need to be added to any communication system that is put in place. Start to keep a note of those key words that will be motivating for your child - the names of pets or best buddies, places that they love to visit, expressions that your family likes to use. The list that you generate can later be used as a starting point for customizing a vocabulary on a speech generating device or personal communication display.

Thinking about funding...
When looking ahead to putting in place communication strategies, there may be items that are recommended to be purchased or leased following the assessment. Many funding sources require documentation from a doctor stating a child's diagnosis. It will be helpful to obtain this from your doctor ahead of time. Information about potential funding sources is often available through a local children's treatment centre. In London, Ontario, TVCC funding information can be found here.  

Sharing Information...
- Put your observations into an "About Me Book". You can make it as fancy or as straightforward as you want. Sharing information about how your child communicates can provide the context needed for successful communication. It can also be used to share interests and spark conversation. 

- Another way of collecting all of this information is by creating a "Communication Passport". Download a template that can be customized and printed out. 

- Create a "Remnant Book". This is a place to store photos, postcards, tickets or mementos that are meaningful  to someone. This provides a way to talk about things that are fun or important to the person and allows others to get to know them better. Many families use a small photo album that can be easily transported or attached to a wheelchair with a clip. 

A picture is worth a thousand words...
Capture some examples of how your child is currently communicating on a phone or tablet. This can be a very helpful tool when introducing your child to new people. Not only does it show what your child is capable of, it can also show new communication partners how they can best interact with your child (e.g. how to ask questions, how to interpret responses). These days you can gather all your information together in a high tech manner - capture the information for your communication passport in a Prezi that others can watch and learn from. Here's a brilliant example, all about Abby! 

Shape your child's yes and no responses. Having a consistent, repeatable and recognizable way to say "yes" and "no" can be very helpful when your child is communicating with a variety of different people. There are lots of ways that you can say "yes" and "no" - a head movement, a gesture, moving your eyes a certain way, etc. In addition, we sometimes use different methods at different times to 'say' these words. Our students often benefit from clear feedback about what they have done that has been accepted as a "yes" or "no" response: "I see you looking right at me - I think you are telling me yes". Share with others what has worked and what you are looking for as a "yes" and "no" response - make sure it's listed in your communication dictionary and passport!
For additional ideas for shaping yes/no responses, check the Teaching Learners with Multiple Needs blogspot. 

Modeling...
Here's something that you can start doing as soon as symbols are introduced for your child.  Pointing to symbols as you speak helps kids understand what symbols mean and how they can be used.  It sounds like a simple enough idea, but requires us to change how we interact with our children.  The PRC Let's Talk Blog has a wonderful post by Beth Ahmad that explains why we need a "Model, Model, Model" Mantra. 

Learning locally...

Often Children's Treatment Centres will offer workshops and small group activities for children, parents, siblings and caregivers. Information about what is available may be posted on the Centres' websites or may be available from other professionals who work with your child. At TVCC in London, Ontario, online Education Workshops on specific topics are available.  If you don't see the workshop that you think will be most helpful for you, let your clinicians know. Sometimes workshops are developed based on how many people are asking for them.

I can...get my toes wet!

Often when people imagine using AC, they think of really competent, literate people such as Stephen Hawking. Although he truly is an inspiration, the process to become a literate AC user can be daunting.  How can emergent communicators get their toes wet with augmentative communication?  In this issue, we’ll explore simple ways get started with communicating using AC. 

Non Verbal Communication 

When kids aren't able to make themselves understood they often use many forms of non-verbal communication to express themselves such as facial expression, gestures, sounds, and some word approximations.   It's important to recognize this communication and to reinforce it by responding in a positive way.   

For example, perhaps your child looks at toys to indicate they'd  like to play. Tell them what you are seeing and what you think it means.  "I see you looking at your toys, I think you're telling me you'd like to play".  It feels great when you are able to understand your child's non-verbal communication.  Share this skill with others so that your child can communicate with others in the same way. 

You can capture all of this information in a "Communication Dictionary" where you can document what your child is doing (communication behaviour), what you think it means and how to respond.  Although this is a simple tool, it can open the doors of communication with less familiar people.   It also provides them with the opportunity to connect with your child so that together they can share a new experience or learn something new. You can download an example of a communication dictionary and a template to get you started: Communication Dictionary Template

You can also capture this information in a "Communication Passport" along with other personal information that allows your child's personality to shine through. By sharing your child's areas of interest with others, you can help your child communicate about the things that are important to them. For more information and to download a template:  http://www.communicationpassports.org.uk/Home/ 

Why Symbols?
Kids who aren't yet reading, may use symbols as their language of communication.  Often kids start out using photographs because they are familiar and represent the exact item they want. We communicate for so many reasons including: to request things, to share feelings, to refuse, to ask questions, to comment and so much more.  In order for kids to communicate for all of these reasons, they need to learn a symbol system to represent feelings, actions, places, describing words (big/little), and concepts (in/out, on/under, more/less).

Symbol Types and Hierarchy:  This list provides the order of the easiest representations for a student to understand.

Real Objects

Color photographs

Black and white photographs

Miniature Objects

Symbols

Printed words

Symbols Libraries:  
There are a variety of symbol libraries that are used in augmentative communication systems.  Together with your child’s SLP choose a symbol set. Here are some examples of some commonly used symbols:

Picture CommunicationSymbols

(Boardmaker)

Widgit Symbols

by Widgit (Communicate in Print Software)

SymbolStix Prime

by N2Y (Online Symbol Library) 

MinSpeak Symbols

by Prentke Romich Company

Bliss Symbols

from the Bliss Symbolics Communication Institute Canada   

Access to Symbols:  Talk with your clinicians or school team about the need to produce symbols at home for your child.  You may also find access to symbol-making software at your child’s school or community library.

Creating Symbols and Boards: There are plenty of ready made boards that you can access online.  If you have access to Boardmaker, you can often download them and customize them for your child.   Boardmaker Community is a website where you can download or upload these types of resources. 

Simple Speech Generating Devices:  There are sometimes opportunities to borrow simple speech generating devices from a school or a children’s treatment centre.  You could also request a short-term loan of a device through some distributors. 

If you get the chance to borrow a BIGmack, a Step-by Step or a similar device….try out some of these ideas:

Download this Handout: WhatCan I Say? -Single Message Device Ideas

 Download this Handout: WhatCan I Say? - Sequential Message Device Ideas

iPod, iPhone, iPad Options for Simple Speech Generating Devices
There are some apps that can be used as simple messaging devices if your child is able to access a button on an idevice.  

Examples of Single Message Apps:

• iSpeak Button by Goatella ($3.99) https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ispeak-button/id471583149?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

• Sounding Board by Ablenet (Free): This app can be configured to allow 1 button on the screen but can also be used with more messages.  https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/soundingboard/id390532167 * in Canada, search under iphone apps.  You can adjust the size of the screen by touching 2x on the bottom right.

• Go Talk Now Lite (Free version): This app can also be configured to allow 1 button on the screen. https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/gotalk-now-lite/id953164338
  

  Example of Sequential Message App: 

• iSpeak Sequences by Goatella ($4.99) https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ispeak-sequences/id593930331?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

If you get the chance to borrow a device that has more than one button (e.g. Supertalker or Go Talk), search online for some ready made overlays.  

I Can...be a Star! 
This month, we are happy to introduce clients who are using Augmentative Communication strategies and/or equipment to participate...way to go!

Here's a way to grab people's attention...share information about your child's communication using a new tool called "Prezi".  Take a look at this amazing presentation that was created to allow Abby to share information about herself with her classmates.

Brittany uses many methods to communicate and has recently learned to use a speech generating device (SGD) to make requests to her family, friends and teachers.  Watch this video and see how she's asking for things she wants.  Well done Brittany!  Keep building those communication skills with your Alt Chat SGD!

Dallas is learning to use his device to clarify his communication.  Here he is using it to help read a story with his educational assistant.  He uses his device to participate in the classroom - answering his teacher's questions and contributing his ideas to the class.  He has also given a speech to his class about one of his favourite topics - baseball.  Well done Dallas!  Keep on communicating!
 

I can... get to know you!

Since starting back to school in early September, your students have likely had several opportunities to meet new people: teachers, classmates, support personnel, even a new bus driver.  Meeting new people can be challenging, particularly for students who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). Here are some ideas to make this a less stressful process.


Here are some vocabulary suggestions for getting to know new people:

Great to meet you!	Let’s trade e-mail addresses.	What’s your name?
There are some things you need to know about how I communicate…	I’d like to remember your name. Can you help me add it to my device?	I need to compose my message. It will take a few minutes – can you wait?
Tell me something about yourself.	Check out my “All About Me Book”, it’s in my backpack.	I don’t think we’ve met. My name is …
Do you have time to talk?	Please get my symbol display.	How are you doing today?

Communication Passports or All About Me books

Communication passports are books that present an overall picture of a person. They are written in a way which reflects the person’s personality and can include the following:

• general background information including details about likes & dislikes, family and friends;
• a description of how the person communicates and how others can best communicate with them;
• a summary of the person’s views and preferences.

Communication passports are best created in partnership with the person who will “own” the  finished product. They need to be unique and engaging to others. These resources are particularly useful at times of transition, for example when a student moves from elementary school to high school. 

No-Tech Ideas

·         People can be nervous about talking to an individual who uses AAC. Help your student create a personal introduction to their communication system. Write a short paragraph about how the system is used and how the student wants the listener to help. Post it in a place, where all listeners will notice it & read it, for example on a tray or a wheelchair.

Light Tech Ideas

·         Ablenet carries a range of introductory devices that work well for students who want to share information or news. The good news is that they have recently improved some of the devices, such as the Step-by-Step^TM, which now has 2 full minutes of recording time, better digital sound and improved battery life. Makes a great Christmas gift!

 High Tech Ideas

·         Some devices have Internet, email and messaging capabilities. Chat with your ACS clinician to find out more about this.

·         Remember your Internet safety tips

http://safecanada.ca/parents_e.asp?OP=link&topic=239

Resources for families and educators: Check out the following websites for great ideas…

· Read more information about the 2007 ICE conference (See “Opportunities to Learn”): http://www.marchofdimes.ca/dimes/people_with_disabilities_caregivers/news_and_ media/omod_news/2007/ICE2007.htm