Implementing augmentative and alternative communication at a rehabilitation & educational center (specialists’ interaction with the family)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.35765/eetp.2020.1557.09
Keywords: child with severe intellectual disability, augmentative and alternative communication, educational evaluation, parental cooperation with the school, Rehabilitation & Education Center

Abstract

Close cooperation between the home environment and the educational setting is an important element of the effectiveness of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). The author’s aim was to examine the quality of this cooperation using the example (case study) of one of Poland’s Rehabilitation and Education Centers (OREs) in Wrocław. The author carried out an evaluation study in parallel with the center’s internal evaluation. She used a survey addressed to teachers, specialists, and parents, as well as individual conversations, document analysis, and observation. The practical effect of the evaluation study was the formulation of detailed recommendations for the center. The author stated that the effectiveness of implementing AAC in work with children and young people—OREs’ participants—is low, mainly due to the inharmonious cooperation between the families and the educational center. The second important factor is the uneven use of AAC in both settings. Teachers and specialists use almost all situations during the day to establish communication with the ORE participants—they employ a variety of communication methods and utilize the most modern devices—while parents, who have difficulties adequately using AAC at home, point to the high costs of the communication devices.

Author Biography

Aneta Maria Kochanowicz, WSB University, Dąbrowa Górnicza

Aneta Maria Kochanowicz jest z wykształcenia pedagogiem, oligofrenopedagogiem i logopedą. Specjalizuję się także we wspomagających i alternatywnych sposobach porozumiewania się (AAC) z dziećmi ze sprzężoną niepełnosprawnością. Jest zatrudniona na stanowisku adiunkta w Akademii Wyższej Szkoły Biznesu oraz na stanowisku logopedy w Ośrodku Rehabilitacyjno-Edukacyjnym Stowarzyszenia OSTOJA we Wrocławiu. W 2016 roku obroniła z wyróżnieniem pracę doktorską pt. Konteksty sensu życia i sensu troski o dziecko z syndromem apallicznym. Dr Aneta Maria Kochanowicz została laureatką konkursu Polskiego Towarzystwa Pedagogicznego na wyróżniającą się pracę doktorską z zakresu pedagogiki. Jej publikacja Dziecko w śpiączce. Sens życia, sens troski jest nieznacznie zmodyfikowaną wersją dysertacji.

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Published
2020-10-16
How to Cite
Kochanowicz, A. M. (2020). Implementing augmentative and alternative communication at a rehabilitation & educational center (specialists’ interaction with the family). Elementary Education in Theory and Practice, 15(3(57), 129-143. https://doi.org/10.35765/eetp.2020.1557.09
Issue
Vol. 15 No. 3(57) (2020): From Exlusion to Inclusion
Section
Varia

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