Communication Do’s and Don’ts

We can talk at 150 words per minute; many communication aid users can’t communicate at 150 words an hour. You have to adjust to their time. And drop in a comment from time to time just to avoid enormous silences.

Any nervousness or doubts on your part will certainly be transmitted to the aid user, usually with disastrous effects on their confidence.

Are you talking down to the aid user? Do you raise your voice when you talk to someone who cannot speak? Does your interaction consist largely of orders and prohibitions? Do you talk about them to other people in front of them?

Get them to sit down and stay down. Don’t let them point without looking at the board. If they start something, they should finish it. Discipline is often iffy, but the more you can get in there, the better.

Find out exactly how the user accesses their communication aid and how it should be positioned, and be consistent. If possible, observe someone who is communicating fluently with the aid user and ask them to observe your early attempts. Achieve success in small things before aiming for in depth discussion.

In the early stages of communication it often helps the user if the receiver says each letter or symbol aloud as it’s indicated, and repeats the utterance to date at the end of each word. Further on, the user will probably prefer it if their partner doesn’t say the utterance aloud until it’s complete (and then only if it isn’t private).

It is just as important for the aid user to feel that you’re interested, as it is for you to feel the person you’re talking to is listening. If the aid user is inexperienced, monitor the output and warn them if you have trouble understanding it, so that corrections can be made before there’s an irretrievable communication breakdown.

Many users produce telegraphic utterances (as we would in their place). A user whose communication system only has a limited vocabulary obviously has no choice but to make approximations. In these cases it’s necessary to play 20 questions to ascertain the user's exact meaning. Make it a practice to ask the user at the end of each utterance if you've got it right – if the communication aid doesn’t produce written output it’s very easy for the receiver to muddle a sequence of words or symbols.

It’s easy to get so involved in the process that one forgets that the user wants a response. You may need to ensure tactfully that others around the user also respond. It’s very discouraging for a user to spell "Hi! How are you?" with a great deal of effort only to be ignored.

Arrange for the aid user to be able to make real choices (not just to "choose" to have lunch when it's lunch time anyway!). Act on the aid user's requests and comments whenever possible, and explain and apologize if it isn’t possible.

Our communication isn’t restricted to particular times and places. Neither should theirs. Inconvenience isn’t a good reason to refuse communication. If the situation is really difficult (if the bus is waiting, say) ask them if the communication is really urgent (after all, the person may have mislaid something important, or need the toilet). If the communication isn’t urgent, fix another time for a chat – and stick to it. And don’t put their device in the cupboard at school, or at home, or when you go out. You take your voice everywhere – they should have the same opportunity.

Many aid users have used their aids only to make choices or to answer basic questions. They need encouragement to enter into longer conversations and to reveal more of themselves. Try getting them to write stories – that can give their opinions a way out.

If an aid user says something clearly not designed for public consumption, resist the temptation to pass it on, no matter how interesting or amusing it is. Remember, adults (and children) have the right not to have everything they say reported to their parents.

We talk to other people all through the day. Don’t make communication a rare treat – let them use it as often as you possibly can.

Volunteer your opinions. Tell the aid user what you’ve been doing. It’s slow and tiring for the user to ask questions, and equally, it’s abnormal (but unfortunately very common) for the aid user always to give information in response to your questions, but never to receive any in return.

Using a communication aid to give a message is far more laborious, and far more likely to be misunderstood, than giving the same message in speech. Consequently, avoid unnecessary or repetitive questions.

Many aid users have very negative attitudes towards questions they perceive as testing and will often muck up or give rubbish answers. Testing should be kept to appropriate situations, such as the classroom. After all, we’re not required to establish our competence every time we open our mouths. If we were, we wouldn't talk very much.

If the communication attempt is unsuccessful, accept responsibility. After all, you don’t have the excuse of having a communication impairment! A statement such as "I'm sorry. I'm not at my best today. Let's have another go tomorrow," helps the aid user to maintain confidence.

Heaven knows, people who can’t speak get enough negativity already. They’ve probably been underestimated for their entire lives, and because they’ve had no way to communicate they’ve failed all their tests at school. It’s marvelous that they’re communicating now, and you should let them know that.