Yesterday, I wrote about AAC Modeling and compared it to introducing broccoli to a child. I’ve also written about modeling here and here, if you’d like some additional information.
If you are at all involved in the world of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), you probably hear a lot about modeling, also called Aided Language Input or Aided Language Stimulation. A couple of weeks ago, a parent told me that in one hour with her child, we used his device 390 times. A large percentage of that usage was modeling, but he is at the level of aided language input, where he will often “chime in.” My estimate is that he was likely responsible for 90 of the words activated.
I spend a lot of my days modeling, and that’s been true for the better part of the past 9 years of my professional life. Since sometimes it’s “fun” to calculate numbers, if I estimate that I spent 3 hours each day (because sometimes there’s meetings, travel, and training) modeling 300 times an hour, 180 days out of the year (which is not entirely accurate since there are actually more days because of extended school year programs), for the last 9 years, that means I have modeled 1,458,000 times.
If you’re a fellow AAC enthusiast, you may be calculating your own numbers. Pretty amazing, right?! I had never quantitatively calculated how much aided language input I actually do, and I’ve been thinking about how it takes time to get comfortable with modeling, for both students and the “modelers.” It also made me think that there are layers of modeling that come with familiarity and experience. It becomes acceptable and comfortable to be within and between layers because aided language input is part of a bigger, long term plan for success.
These layers of modeling engagement are based on what I’ve seen throughout many hours of aided language input for children who have CCN attributed to autism, cerebral palsy, apraxia, genetic syndromes, tracheostomies, cleft palates, traumatic brain injuries, or unknown developmental delays.
In yesterday’s post, I included research about introducing new foods and the amount of exposure that’s necessary for a child to try a new food and then the additional exposure and trials before they actually LIKE it. With exposure, excitement, support, and persistence, AAC users can begin to accept and enjoy language in a similar way that children learn to like new foods. Here’s my “EAT CAKE” model (I know it’s dorky, but it’s easy to remember.) of AAC Modeling Layers:
And here are some more details to accompany each of those layers and the equivalent to a child learning to like a new food:
Exposure: At this level, you’re just “putting it on the plate.” A child often has to have a new food on their plate 10 times before they’ll try it. The adult continues to model even if the child seems inattentive. The student may not look at the screen at all, but he/she tolerates YOUR use of the device in his/her presence.
Acknowledge: Take a look at it. Show that you enjoy it! Adult continues to model with a positive attitude and excitement towards the device. Child will occasionally look at the adult to see what the excitement is all about. He/she may stop and look up if you model/say something interesting. The child still might not pay any attention to the device and the adult’s excitement is not directly trying to tell the child to look at the device, but conveys the message that it’s something positive and fun.
Curiosity: Push it with the fork. Child will occasionally look at device when an interesting word is spoken and watching to see what you model. Child is still largely not exploring or attempting to engage with modeled language. He/She may not even be willing to touch it directly yet but is noticing it and deciding if it’s something that could be good.
Try it: Touch it. They’ve seen the device repeatedly and the adults in their life seems to be fine with the interaction with it. The presence hasn’t had any negative affect on the child and hasn’t contaminated anything else on their plate. They decide to reach out and touch it, just to see what will happen. They want to have an idea of what it will feel like but they are going to go any farther than that yet. For an AAC user, this might look like they are pressing a random button or they are “stimming” on the same button. They’re learning. Respond to what they say as you would respond to a verbal child. Keep in mind that you want them to have a positive feeling about using AAC, and it may take some time before they’re using it “functionally.” As this article states, “A child may need 10–15 tastes of a new food to develop a liking for it so giving up after a few attempts will generally fail to introduce the new food.”
Acceptance: This is no big deal. I have this all the time. The student expects you to model and looks for language that’s useful to the situation and to their lives overall. You may see the AAC user looking at the icons in the message window to see how you said that word.
Exploration: That was good. Let’s see what else I might like. Student touches buttons to see what they say and looks at you to assign meaning. You notice that he/she is starting to use the words you’ve modeled independently and the purposeful intent of the use of the device is becoming more frequent and noticeable. Children with some verbal skills may look to the device to cue verbal language or use words that you have modeled. Your modeling has more of a conversational feel and the student joins in more frequently, so there is a lot more “icing on the cake.”
Moving Throughout The Layers
It’s important to note that AAC users move throughout these layers of modeling engagement quickly and often without clearly defined lines. Take a look at this video where Owen doesn’t seem to care about the device and appears to care even less about giving input on my drawing.
He is engaged in his drawing, but he’s tolerating me modeling (Exposure level). When I say, “I’m going to make it a boy,” he looks at what I’m doing, moving momentarily into the Acknowledge level. At the end he verbally responds “A good smell,” using words from my verbal and device modeling to respond with his opinion (Icing on the cake of the Exploration layer). The video is less than two minutes long.
Here is a video that same day that shows Owen bouncing between the Curiosity layer (watching to see what is being modeled), the Try It layer (making choices), the Acceptance layer (looking at the pictures in the message window and laughing) and the Exploration layer (spontaneously using the device).
Here is a video of Alec where he is engaged in a bowling activity, but tolerates modeling, looks up when “Oh no!” is modeled (Acknowledgment), uses the device to say “strike” after it was modeled (Try It) and then watches when “All down” is modeled (Curiosity). He uses Acceptance throughout the video and looks at the icons in the message window when “bowling” is modeled. He also engages to say “want strike” and also says “Leave me alone please” as “Oh no” is being modeled (Exploration).
The most important thing you can do when you model is to enjoy it, model things that you think will be interesting to your AAC users and respond to what they say. Take the pressure off…of them and yourself. Just keep modeling! The more you do it, the more natural it feels!
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