Let's first discuss augmentative communication. Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is an umbrella term that encompasses the communication methods used to supplement or replace speech or writing for those with impairments in the production or comprehension of spoken or written language. This is very important because there are students that cannot speak and they need a voice. They need to express their wants and needs, communicate with the teacher and other students, and to participate in class. An AAC helps them to speak by them picking a picture or word (depending on their mental ability) and the device says the word for them. AACs can be iPads (they have apps) or an actual device. My daughter is non-verbal and is currently working on PECS which is not a device because she is not mentally intelligent enough to use an AAC. I am very much looking forward to the day when she will be able to use an AAC to communicate with me on a daily basis.
These are two different kinds of AACs. The first one is an eye gazing one. By the student gazing his eyes at the picture he choses, the device will know which picture and will speak the word that is associated with the picture. The second one is a hand held device that a child pushes the correct buttons.
There are ways to help children who are hard of hearing as well. There are assistive listening devices that the child wears a piece in their ear while the teacher wears their piece on their shirt. The teacher's part has a microphone that they talk into and the sound comes out in the ear piece that the student has on. I feel that this can help eliminate the obstacles that students could have like having trouble hearing the teacher. The problems this could cause could be: missing directions for assignments, not being able to hear questions that are being asked of them and not being able to hear the instruction of the lesson. It's great to know that there is a device to eliminate these problems.
I like how you talked about the two different types of AAC devices. It is crazy to think there is a device that can help a child communicate just by looking at the picture. That just shows how far technology has come! Great description!
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