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Augmentative & Alternative Communication: Supporting Children & Adults With Complex Communication Needs
This product is Out of Print
New Edition 9781598571967
New Edition 9781598571967
634 pages, Hardcover
First published January 18, 2005
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65 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 9, 2016
There's good reason this textbook is in its fourth edition. Comprehensive information is presented concisely with plenty of real-life examples. It also contains numerous references, including possibly every single journal article or book relevant to the topic.
I found a couple of things especially helpful: firstly, that AAC programs need to "invest in the future" (p.207) (that is, start working on long-term goals contemporaneously with the immediately usable, simpler program), and secondly the whole chapter on literacy (chapter 12).
The text places a strong focus on getting input from the people with CCN (complex communication needs) themselves, as they can come up with important suggestions. For example, on p123 it mentions a study where people with CCN suggested the need for AAC devices to enable private conversations when necessary, which is a feature the programmers may not have thought of. I'm not sure if ProLoquo2Go enables a silent mode for private conversations - nothing useful came up in a quick search.
I didn't read Part III, which relates to individuals with acquired disabilities.
Throughout the entire text I only took issue with the contents once, on pages 189-190 where it describes a staff member who refused to allow profanity to be programmed into some men's AAC devices. This refusal is described scathingly and not discussed. However, parents of neurotypical children often make the same choice as the staff member, by shielding their children from swearing and asking those in the children's vicinity to mind their language. Reasons for this may include that the children are too young to be aware of when and if repeating the coarse language would be acceptable. If a person with CCN is at the developmental age of a child, then wanting to shield that person from profanity could be quite reasonable, given that it may be a goal for the person to behave in a socially appropriate manner. Of course, in the case study described it is likely that the men were of a developmental age to gauge whether or not coarse language would be acceptable in the social context.
Note for the fifth edition - Victoria is a state, not a "province" of Australia, just as California is not a "province" of the US.
I found a couple of things especially helpful: firstly, that AAC programs need to "invest in the future" (p.207) (that is, start working on long-term goals contemporaneously with the immediately usable, simpler program), and secondly the whole chapter on literacy (chapter 12).
The text places a strong focus on getting input from the people with CCN (complex communication needs) themselves, as they can come up with important suggestions. For example, on p123 it mentions a study where people with CCN suggested the need for AAC devices to enable private conversations when necessary, which is a feature the programmers may not have thought of. I'm not sure if ProLoquo2Go enables a silent mode for private conversations - nothing useful came up in a quick search.
I didn't read Part III, which relates to individuals with acquired disabilities.
Throughout the entire text I only took issue with the contents once, on pages 189-190 where it describes a staff member who refused to allow profanity to be programmed into some men's AAC devices. This refusal is described scathingly and not discussed. However, parents of neurotypical children often make the same choice as the staff member, by shielding their children from swearing and asking those in the children's vicinity to mind their language. Reasons for this may include that the children are too young to be aware of when and if repeating the coarse language would be acceptable. If a person with CCN is at the developmental age of a child, then wanting to shield that person from profanity could be quite reasonable, given that it may be a goal for the person to behave in a socially appropriate manner. Of course, in the case study described it is likely that the men were of a developmental age to gauge whether or not coarse language would be acceptable in the social context.
Note for the fifth edition - Victoria is a state, not a "province" of Australia, just as California is not a "province" of the US.
January 24, 2021
(4☆ Would recommend)
Great textbook. It is well laid out and well written. Very resourceful.
Great textbook. It is well laid out and well written. Very resourceful.
February 7, 2021
Deeply studied and compassionately written. For children and adults, it really offers comprehensive knowledge about augmentative and complementary communication.
April 13, 2015
Easy to read. It really covers a lot of information in an accessible way. I don't mind reading it which is good for a textbook. Color pictures might be nice instead of all of them being black and white, but that is just nitpicking.
I probably won't actually read every chapter, at least not this year...
I probably won't actually read every chapter, at least not this year...
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews