| Aspect |
Action |
Examples |
|
Vocabulary
|
Including culturally appropriate vocabulary on communication boards and devices |
- Including "spaza shop" on a communication board for African clients
- Ensuring that the child’s mother-tongue is used on the communication board to facilitate interaction at home
|
|
|
|
| Symbols |
"Africanizing" line drawings such as PCS |
|
|
|
|
| Devices |
Making devices more relevant and affordable for clients from lower socio-economic backgrounds |
- Digital voice output devices in particular are relevant due to their flexibility to accommodate different
languages |
|
|
|
| Interaction styles |
Showing an awareness of and sensitivity to culturally appropriate interaction styles |
- Children from traditional African backgrounds are often required not to make eye contact with adults
- Children might not be expected to
initiate interaction with adults |
|
|
|
| Intervention activities |
Selecting appropriate activities as a basis for intervention |
- Caregivers from traditional African backgrounds engage in caregiving routines but not in play with their children
|
|
|
|
| Partners |
Involving the appropriate interaction partners in intervention |
- Due to HIV/AIDS and other chronic illnesses, the main caregiver might not be the biological parent. This clearly can add a different dimension to the
intervention process.
- Children from traditional African
backgrounds engage in verbal
conversation with peers rather than
with adults. |
© The ASHA Leader, 2007
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