The program was originally aired as part of the “Partner Instruction in AAC: Strategies for Building Circles of Support” online conference (June 13-25, 2012).

Too often, intervention is focused on a symbolic form without considering a child's understanding of communication and its purpose. This may be particularly true for people who have sensory and multiple impairments. Since sensory impairments can limit the access these learners have to partners and communication topics, additional disabilities (e.g., cognitive or motor challenges) may further restrict their means of communication, hindering our ability to detect and respond to their attempts to engage the world. In this session, we'll discuss strategies to help us develop meaningful communication with this population.

Learning Outcomes
You will be able to:

• identify key elements of communication development
• describe the role of the communication partner in relation to these elements and the learner's understanding of communication
• describe strategies for helping the learner develop communicative intent and how these strategies can be embedded into daily routines
• describe symbolic communication options for learners who have sensory and multiple disabilities

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