Partner Instruction in AAC: Strategies for Building Circles of Support

Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of New Mexico Albuquerque, NM It could be argued that the growing technological focus of today’s global society is raising the collective consciousness for how technology can be used as a communication tool. As technology that allows us to communicate across a variety of modes (e.g., text, video chat, social media outlets) becomes commonplace within our daily interactions, the dynamic and transactional nature of communication becomes more apparent. On the positive side, it is possible for us to successfully enhance our interactions and relationships with others through the use of a variety of mobile and web-based technologies as we share up-to-the-minute thoughts, photos, and videos. On the other hand, the use of such technologies can become overwhelming, and we run the risk of bombarding those with whom we interact with an inordinate amount of information that may ultimately have a negative effect on our interactions and relationships. Perhaps there is a certain skill set that some people have or have developed that allows them to functionally and successfully communicate via technology, whereas others may struggle in this area. Of course this relates to the premise of our clinical work with individuals with complex communication needs. We have evidence to indicate that pairing appropriate technology with relevant interventions can afford our clients opportunities to develop functional communication skills for use in real-world contexts. However, it also has been well documented that direct intervention with our clients is not always sufficient. Our clients face opportunity barriers when it comes to communication (Beukelman & Mirenda, 2012). Whether you prefer to think of the people with whom your clients communicate in the more traditional sense as facilitators (Cumley & Beukelman, 1992) or in a broader sense as communication partners (Kent-Walsh & McNaughton, 2005), there is evidence indicating that many individuals who interact with clients using AAC do not naturally and readily provide supportive opportunities for communication (Light, Collier, & Parnes, 1985). In other words, people do not necessarily intuitively know how to alter their own communicative behaviors to support the communication of someone using AAC. That brings us to the focus of the current issue as well as the next issue of