The Power of Augmentative Communication Systems for Teaching Manding
Teaching a child to request for their wants and needs through spoken language isn’t always the best approach to help a child talk. Sometimes, augmentative communication systems are needed to help them gain this important skill called manding.
Now, there are several systems out there, so which should you use? I’m giving you my recommendations so you can decide today and start implementing strategies to get your child to start requesting and ultimately using spoken language.
What Is Augmentative Communication?
There are several augmentative communication systems that are available to us that have their pluses and minuses. But the one thing they all have in common is that they’re easy to physically prompt. That means we can help the child to do a behavior, allowing them to come in contact with reinforcement. It’s veritably impossible to physically prompt someone to say something as spoken language relies on a complex combination of factors. This includes opening and closing your mouth, vibrations of the vocal cords, the correct tongue placement, mouth shape, as well as the specific airflow and control. So it can be quite complex to someone who has to learn to do each part through trial and error practice.
And none of that, aside from some simple help with mouth positioning, is something that we can physically prompt. At best, we can model or use imitative prompts. Without the ability to physically prompt, we cannot get some kids to do the behavior we want to reinforce, and therefore cannot show them the benefit of that behavior and help them to practice using it more and more frequently.
Types of Augmentative Communication
So this is why augmentative communication systems are so important to us. The three main systems you can use to help augment the learning process of spoken language are sign language, the picture exchange communication system called PECS, and the use of an electronic talking device or software. These devices allow you to push a button and the device then says the word for you.
Now all three of these systems are easily and physically profitable. You can still work on verbal imitation as well as choose an augmentative system that is best for this individual child to use. Not as a substitute or replacement, but as a bridge to spoken language.
So, how do you choose? I’m not going to try to convince you that one is better than the others, but I will quickly mention some of their pros and cons.
Sign Language
The main pro of sign language is that it is not selection based where PECS and a talker device are both selection based. This means the behavior is always the same. With sign language you do a different behavior for everything that you want the child to ask for. And although this can make it more difficult to learn initially, it does mimic spoken language. I don’t have evidence this is the case, that could make the jump from sign language to spoken language easier for a child.
The downside to sign language is that it can be more challenging to teach, especially to children who have a limited motor imitation repertoire. Maybe they have weak motor skills, or even an aversion to physical touch. Additionally, the only listeners the child has to communicate with are people who also know the signs that the child has been taught.
PECS and Electronic Augmentative Communication Devices
PECS stands for Picture Exchange Communication System. It is easy to teach because the behavior the child uses is always the same. They just grab a picture and they hand it to the listener. Because the pictures are clear and easy to see, anyone can be a helpful listener.
Perhaps the best of both worlds, though, is using an electronic device. A “talker.” It allows for easy selection based prompting like PECS, and it allows for anyone to be the listener.
Both of these systems are selection based, as I mentioned before. The same behavior is used over and over by the child. They just select a different button to push or a different picture to pick up each time.
Another major deterrent to the use of talkers was always the costs related to it. But with the advent of reasonably priced iPad software that has become far less of a barrier to most families.
How to Teach Manding Using an Augmentative Communication System
Once an augmentative communication system has been chosen, start using effective prompting to teach the child to use the system to ask for their most strongly and frequently desired things. If I’m going to help you teach your child to use augmentative communication to mand for things, I need a list of things your child is most likely to want to ask for throughout the day. This list should include food and drink items, but it must also include items like toys and activities that the child enjoys.
When deciding what mands we’re likely to want to teach, it is very important that we consider exactly what we will call these items as they will eventually become your child’s first words. Teaching mands for words like “more,” “please,” “help,” and “eat” are not recommended. The reason is, these words do not have standalone specific value to the child. They’re reliant on other mands to be successful.
For example, if I teach a child to say “more,” the sign or the PECS picture for “more” is only useful in relation to another mand for what they want more of. The same is true for the word “eat.” What do they want to eat? The child is right back to pointing. The first words we teach should be specific names for specific items with no ambiguity. When they show you the picture of a train, they want their favorite train toy. If they make the sign that you taught them for Oreo cookies, then they want an Oreo.
Transferring from a System to Spoken Language
And if at all possible, you should find words that are simple for the child to eventually learn to say. In other words, avoid calling something a radio controlled vehicle, just call it a car. Or a race car if there are other types of cars that the child likes as well. This way, when we are ready to transfer from the augmentative communication system to spoken language, we have targets that the child will likely be able to produce more easily, and that we can target with our verbal imitation practice as well.
