БългарскиAAC2024 – 22 November 2024
Conference Opening
prof. Maurice Grinberg, ASSIST – Assistive Technologies, Bulgaria
10 years of ‘ASSIST – Assistive Technologies’ Foundation & AAC2024 Opening
Ramiz Behbudov, Deputy Representative of UNICEF in Bulgaria
Blagovesta Borcheva, State Expert, Inclusive Education Directorate, Ministry of Education and Science, Bulgaria
Marin Baichev, Head of the Integration of People with Disabilities Department, Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, Bulgaria
Kameliya Nikolova, Secretary General, State Agency for Child Protection, Bulgaria
Milen Nakov, chairperson of the National Association of Professionals Working in CSES, Bulgaria
prof. Stephen von Tetzchner, Professor Emeritus at the University of Oslo, Norway
Yonit Hagoel-Karnieli, President of ISAAC (International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication)
prof. Pedro Encarnação, President of AAATE (Association for the Advancement of the Assistive Technology in Europe)
Plenary Talk
prof. Stephen von Tetzchner
Groups of individuals who may need AAC
Video is available only to conference participants for a limited time.
Adele May, PhD
Person-centred AAC interventions for people with dementia: Exploring professionals’ views
Professionals’ views are valuable as aligned with evidence-based practice that integrates current research evidence, professional expertise and client perspectives. This presentation will focus on a study exploring professionals’ viewpoints on components of a person-centered AAC intervention for those with dementia. Using Q-methodology, professionals with relevant experience (n=61) were recruited to rank and sort a set of 37 statements electronically on a grid from least agree to most agree. Statements were associated with the elements of person-centered care; an electronic life story conversational aid; AAC outcomes; and an AAC outcome measure for people with dementia. By-person varimax rotation was used for factor analysis. Professionals were mainly speech-language therapists (n=25) with specialization in AAC (n=19). Three viewpoints emerged: (i) people with dementia should be supported in authoring their own life story content, (ii) conversational partners should use person-centered language style with AAC strategies, (iii) developing social connection with people with dementia are important interaction goals. This presentation will highlight considerations for crafting future person-centered AAC interventions for people with dementia.
Fast Facts: Dementia and AAC (e-book)
Yonit Hagoel-Karnieli & Yedida Levine-Sternberg
The Communication Guide for Hospitalized Patients
Many hospitalized patients have substantial difficulty communicating with those around them. Temporary or permanent loss or impairment of communication is difficult on the patient and on the family. It hinders recovery and creates a great deal of frustration for all involved. We created a tool that provides basic guidance designed to enable communication with the hospitalized patient in a variety of ways. These tools make immediate communication possible. It is actually an online guide that can be accessed via the Center’s website. The Guide is built in the form of a flowchart and uses simple “yes and no” questions to direct the user towards a simple solution that can be downloaded. Use of the Guide does not entail registration or entering of personal information, and it is free of charge. In the presentation we will explain the sequence in which the main elements of the Guide was created, show the tools and demonstrate how to use the Guide.
Video is available only to conference participants for a limited time.
Netta Ben Zeev
AAC boards for the use of lawyers of the Legal Aid in Israel
Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) boards are usually created by a SLP, which is her specialty. Symbol boards are built by combining appropriate symbols from an international list of symbols into a unique board for a particular person. Here, for the first time in Israel, a kit of communication boards was built for Legal Aid lawyers to use in civil proceedings in the representation of people with disabilities, who have difficulty expressing themselves in speech or organizing the message. The boards were adapted to the professional legal vocabulary, and to the work of the lawyers. In addition, a number of unique symbols were developed for this purpose. The boards will help a person to conduct a civil legal process, and will allow the lawyers and the court to communicate better with that person and to promote the legal process. The kit includes a series of boards for various civil procedures, with adjustments according to the types of procedures, for representation in situations of communication challenges. The project was developed by an expert team, as a project of the Legal Aid with the support of the Ministry of Justice. The boards will be at the service of the lawyers in the Legal Aid, in meeting with clients with disabilities and in the courts.
Judy Wine, EdD
Strategies to Develop Communicative Interaction with Childern with Rett Syndrome
Lorenzo Desideri, PhD
Advancing Outcome Assessment in AT/AAC: Challenges, Trends, and the Role of the FIATS-AAC
Evaluating the effects of AT/AAC interventions is a fundamental yet often neglected aspect of any service delivery process. This contribution aims to highlight recent trends in outcome assessment, underscoring the challenges and opportunities this activity presents for service providers and their users. Special attention will be given to assessing the effects of AAC interventions, with a presentation of the Family Impact of Assistive Technology Scale for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (FIATS-AAC).
References: • https://rehab.jmir.org/2023/1/e51124 • https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-40858-8_49-1
Plenary Talk
prof. Juan Bornman
Identifying beginning communication attempts in persons in a minimally conscious state: Implications for health care practitioners
Identifying beginning communication attempts in persons in a minimally conscious state: Implications for health care practitioners // Individuals in a minimally conscious state (MCS+) are characterized by fluctuating alertness and varying degrees of self-awareness and environmental recognition. They may sporadically follow simple, one-step commands and exhibit inconsistent responses to yes/no questions. Their use of objects can be functional yet incongruous, vocalizations may be irregular, and their intentional communication skills can vary widely. These inconsistencies make it difficult for health care practitioners to recognize and interpret early neuro-behavioural signs indicative of alertness, awareness, and communication attempts, leading to potential misinterpretations or overlooked cues. In this presentation, based on the research of Kuyler et al. (2022; 2023), I will discuss two studies: a scoping review on unaided communication methods (Kuyler et al., 2022) and a synchronous online interview with primary caregivers of individuals in an MCS+ state (Kuyler et al., 2023). I will highlight key early communication signs that healthcare practitioners should recognize. By equipping practitioners with the skills to observe and interpret these early behaviours, we can facilitate appropriate responses and strengthen initial communication attempts in this vulnerable population.
Kuyler, A., Johnson, E. & Bornman, J. (2022). Unaided communication behaviours displayed by adults with severe cerebrovascular accidents and little to no functional speech: A scoping review. International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders, 57(2), 403- 421 https://doi.org/10.1111/1460-6984.12691
Kuyler, A., Johnson, E. & Bornman, J. (2023). Multimodal communication reported by familiar caregivers to build communication capacity in persons who are minimally conscious. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 25(4), 523-539. https://doi.org/10.1080/17549507.2022.2096926
Video is available only to conference participants.