Alongside the IASC project, Janice was contracted to carry out a review by The Communication Trust, which supports young people with speech, language and communication needs. While many AAC users aspire to use text-based tools to communicate, their literacy levels can be much lower than would be expected for their learning ability. Janice identified rich areas for further research, including training and support for educators, and the particular literacy needs of children who use AAC.
AAC users can face specific challenges to taking part in the repetitive learning tasks associated with early literacy. For children using AAC, early learning experiences can’t be taken for granted - whether that’s a short piece of writing for school, or even a bedtime story.
“It takes these young people four times longer to produce a page of writing than their typically-developing peer. They’re just not getting the same practice. They’re not getting the same amount of exposure to becoming literate and curriculum moves on.
“If you think of early pre-literacy experiences, quite often that’s associated with bedtime storybook reading. It’s the last thing you do; you snuggle up, and you read the same story. A typically-developing kid will drive you bonkers because they’ll want the same book read to them forever. You’re not allowed to miss a page, you’re not allowed to miss a line, and they’ll stop you from doing it. Kids know how to teach themselves better than we do. They’re not letting you move on until they know they’ve got the story down pat.”
For children who use AAC, things are different.
“Getting them ready for bed will take twice, maybe four times as long. Having meals will take longer. So, by the time they get that little one into bed, it might not happen. If they are getting storybook exposure, they are not in charge in the same way as their typically-developing peers. Adults say ‘oh, let’s read a different book tonight’ and it’s because the adult’s bored, not the child. From that very early stage it’s about exposure to literacy. What educationalists need to understand is how much exposure, and when, and what kind of exposure they should get.”
Following her review for The Communication Trust and a literacy study at Manchester Met, Janice is planning an international literacy summer school at the University to begin in summer 2021.
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