This week, we present Rachel’s interview with Alyssa Hillary Zisk and Lily Konyn, two autistic part-time AAC users who are members of the AAC Research Team at AssistiveWare. Alyssa and Lily discuss Gestalt Language Processing, including research into using immediate and delayed echolalia for communicative purposes and why research suggests someone being a “gestalt language processor” may be more of a spectrum and less binary. They also share about things that make modeling less effective, including talking while modeling, doing “+1 modeling”, and doing “key word” modeling.
Before the interview, Chris does a banter with Rachel - in a car, in person! They talk about a co-worker of Chris who recently did a successful AAC awareness training for a Kindergarten class! Chris shares some of the positive feedback, and encourages educators to try and emulate the idea in their own school!
Key ideas this week:
🔑 Programming in phrases that we think might be helpful is not “adding a gestalt” to the device, it’s just adding a useful phrase. Gestalts have an established emotional connection to the person who is learning language; a phrase doesn’t become a gestalt just because a therapist or parent thinks it would be useful.
🔑 Alyssa says that there is not a lot of research specifically referencing Gestalt Language Processing, but there is relevant research about delayed and immediate echolalia being used for communication purposes. Alyssa also mentions first hand accounts from autistic people who first used echolalia to communicate, as well as “remixed echolalia”, i.e., taking a script and moving or changing a part of it, which is very is similar to the idea of “mitigated gestalts” in gestalt language processing.
🔑 Alyssa and Lily are not supporters of “+1 modeling”, where the communication partner models one word longer than the AAC user uses. Alyssa and Lily think this may cause an AAC user to become stuck only using one button because they only see two word utterances modeled. We model full sentences to children, not just sentences one word longer than they are saying.
🔑 Similarly, Alyssa and Lily suggest that communication partners should refrain from saying words as they they are inputting them into the AAC device - it can create competing auditory channels, which is difficult for anyone with auditory processing challenges.
🔑 Alyssa and Lily are also not supporters of “key word modeling”, where the communication partner models one or two key words as they are talking. One word is faster to model than the entire sentence, but when the AAC user tries to communicate themselves, they are going to find out it is a lot more difficult than pressing one or two words. Alyssa and Lily believe this could cause the AAC user to stop trusting their communication partner or decide that they are inherently bad at AAC.
Links from this week's episode:
AAC for Speaking Autistic Adults by Alyssa Hillary Zisk: https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/AUT.2018.0007
How to Talk about AAC Users (According to Them) by Alyssa Hillary Zisk and Lily Konyn: https://www.assistiveware.com/blog/how-to-talk-about-aac
Visit talkingwithtech.org to access previous episodes, resources, and CEU credits that you can earn for listening to TWT episodes!
Help us develop new content and keep the podcast going strong! Support our podcast at patreon.com/talkingwithtech!
Coaching Call w/ Michaela Ball: Supporting a Severely Apraxic Emergent Communicator
Small Talks 4: Candice Steel, Chris Ramirez, Monique Madrid, Sarah Gregory, and TJ Haley
TWT Live from New Jersey - Part 3
TWT Live from New Jersey - Part 2
Talking with Tech LIVE from New Jersey - Part 1
Cuyahoga AAC Podcast Social Group: Benefits of a District-Wide AAC/AT Social Group
Codi & Jennifer Mendenhall: Using Social Media and Making Videos as a Teen AAC User
Stephen Kneece: Making Core Word & Speech Therapy Music Videos
Erin Sheldon & Karen Erickson: Why Literacy Matters for People with Significant Disabilities - Part II
Erin Sheldon & Karen Erickson: Why Literacy Matters for People with Significant Disabilities - Part I
Kaylie Gustafson: Supporting Eye Gaze Users Through Telepractice
Shawnda Saul: Telepractice AAC Coaching for Teachers, Parents, and Staff
Lauren Kravetz Bonnet & Brittany Thomas: Short-Term, High-Intensity AAC Intervention in the Schools
Alison Bono: Transitioning from Low Tech to High Tech AAC
Alexis Martinez & Natalie Fry: Increasing Access to AAC for Grad Students
Kathy Howery: Making Modeling a Better, More Meaningful Experience
Krista Howard & Deanna Wagner: Creating a Successful Community AAC Group
David Moehn: Supporting Students More Universally with Technology
Karen Wilson: Technology Supports for ADHD, Dyslexia, and Language-Learning Disorders
Teaching with Tech: Picseepal
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Navigating Life After 40
Teaching Learning Leading K-12
Regenerative Skills
The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast
The Mel Robbins Podcast