Assistive Technology
communicating via symbols IS easY...
Talking requires the coordination and manipulation of 70 different muscles, quite apart from the ability to recognise and make particular individual sounds and associate combinations of them with some sort of meaning. Wouldn't it be easier if you could just press a button on a screen? While by no means simple, it is easier for many people to produce language via the use of devices that allow the production of words by pressing on symbolic pictures.
...but choosing a device and diving in can be hard
The market for assistive communication technology is not easy to navigate. There are an increasing array of options from a wide range of providers. There are also often significant costs involved. It is important to get the decision around a device correct from the start. One must consider a person's current ability to understand and use language, the environment they live in and the communicative acts they may need to complete in order to participate more effectively in social situations. This is quite apart from considering the available options from a technical perspective. When assessing for a device's suitability, we also consider a person's: understanding that pictures can have the same meaning as words; ability to manipulate and navigate a device; alternative options for communication should the technology stop working; and social competence - knowing what to say, who to say it to and when to say it.
yet the REsults can be very rewarding
Assistive technology can be very successfully used to facilitate early communication for children with language delays, to supplement the language of people who have suffered some form of brain damage or to offer an alternative form off communication for people who need one. The use of devices to facilitate communication never results in a reduction of verbal language and has in fact been shown to help increase verbal output. Particularly for people with Autism Spectrum Disorders, the addition of a visual medium to language therapy can be highly beneficial.