"Inspire, Don't Require" When Teaching Children How to Communicate
I was really honored to be featured this month in the SpeakUp Blog hosted by USSAAC which is the American chapter of the International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (ISAAC). The SpeakUp blog highlights stories of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) users, helpful resources and strategies from all-star AAC clinicians and timely information on AAC research and advocacy. In this month's feature I wrote about a catch phrase that I've been using for years to help coach communication partners working with children with complex communication needs: "Inspire, don't require"
Here's a sneak peek from the article...
We don’t have the capacity to force verbal children to talk… so why, then, would it be acceptable to take a child’s hand and activate their words on their device or tell them what to say in any given situation?
And more importantly... how does requiring a child to say specific words actually translate into autonomous communication? Spolier alert: it doesn’t.
That’s where the “Inspire” piece of this catch phrase comes into play.
As the adults who are responsible for teaching children how to communicate, it’s our responsibility to INSPIRE. This often requires us to put aside our own agenda and approach a child with genuine curiosity. It means focusing on having fun, before we even begin to think about specific language targets.
In my own practice, I’m on an endless pursuit for the novel, the interesting, the weird, the surprising and the silly because those are the types of activities that inspire a child to communicate in an authentic way that’s neither coerced, nor forced.
Click HERE to read the full article.
What are your thoughts on "Inspire, Don't Require"? What are your favorite ways to inspire your children to communicate? Leave a comment below--- I would LOVE to hear from you!
OVER TO YOU
How do you inspire your child in practice? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
