Efficiency or Precision? Striking a Balance for AAC Learners
Elliott has been using some form of high tech AAC since he was in kindergarten and can express wants/needs easily. Though his language is simplistic compared to his 5th grade peers, he is able to use his SGD to give opinions, explain them, ask questions, engage in small talk, and tell short narratives. His SLP has targeted skills in inferencing, use of prefixes (‘un’ and ‘re’), verbal reasoning, Tier 2 vocabulary, and embedded clauses to help Elliott acquire the language skills that will allow him to be more successful in his academic work. She is keenly aware that, as he transitions to middle school, the academic and social demands on him will increase significantly.
Although Elliott can spontaneously produce 9-12 word sentences, he usually communicates in short, simple utterances. In a recent interaction he used a single word, ‘good,’ to describe a video, and a short sentence (‘I was mad’) to tell about an event.
In both cases, Elliott’s clinician knows that he was fully capable of using more sophisticated vocabulary and producing more complex sentences. She also knows that the cognitive, linguistic, and motoric effort it takes Elliott to use his ‘best language,’ is considerable.
The question she wrestled with is familiar to many of us: When do we accept simple yet effective utterances, and when do we push for clients to use more advanced language?
The answer is highly variable, of course, depending on the client and the circumstances. Here are some thoughts to consider as you work through those decisions with your own AAC learners.
“When should we prioritize efficiency?”
Saying something in a single word or short sentence can be effective and efficient. If you ask me where the door is, for example, I’m more likely to point and say ‘right there’ than I am to say ‘It is approximately 90 degrees over my left shoulder.’ Both are correct. Both are effective. But when you consider the amount of time and effort it takes to produce each one with an SGD, it is apparent that the first one is much more efficient. Using more language, like in the second example, doesn’t really have a better pay-off than the short, simple version.
Efficiency is hugely important to AAC learners. Knowing how to communicate in the most efficient way is a valuable skill that we should teach and reinforce. We should consider targeting less-than-top-ability when:
- it effectively conveys what the communicator is trying to express;
- the focus is on the exchange of information;
- it is the norm for the context;
- communication needs to happen quickly;
- the learner is exceedingly distressed; and,
- the skill is difficult and the learner is tired, distracted, or stressed.
“When should we prioritize more advanced or precise language?”
The problem, of course, is that the more we use simple language, the less likely we are to get better at using more advanced language.To make linguistic expression faster and easier, our AAC learners need lots of practice. Are there times when we accept language that is less than our client’s best? Absolutely. But to help them become more linguistically competent, we have to balance that against times where we press them for more advanced or precise language. Consider prioritizing more sophisticated language when:
- quick communication is not essential;
- simpler language doesn’t effectively convey what the communicator wants to express;
- the focus of the interaction is on language teaching of a particular skill;
- the skill is difficult, but the partner is able to support the process; and,
- the learner signals a preference for this format.
The struggle to find a balance between efficiency and precision is part of the language teaching process that most AAC interventionists face. Like so many things in AAC teaching, it isn’t all one or the other. If you’ve wrestled with this dilemma and have thoughts or suggestions, please add to the conversation on this topic. We’d love to hear what has worked or not worked with the AAC learners you know.
This post was written by Carole Zangari