The Beginning Communication Package Developed by the Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication at the University of Pretoria

The Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (CAAC), in collaboration with the South African National Department of Health, recently developed The Beginning Communication Package (BCP). This package is aimed at assisting health care workers in helping parents or caregivers of children with severe communication problems. The package uses everyday activities to assist parents to encourage children who are unable to speak to participate by using other communication means, such as graphic symbols as well as communication devices to supplement their existing communication.

In South Africa it is estimated that 5 - 12% of children have severe developmental delays that impact on their ability to communicate with those around them. This difficulty poses significant challenges for both the child and the parent who need to try to find new ways of interacting with each other. Beginning communication embedded within everyday activities thus forms the basis of this package. Everyday activities are the mainstay of child care schedules and are naturally occurring events that provide a context for learning and teaching to occur. They offer a framework for teaching as they are meaningful to the child, require a short sequence, are frequently repeated and also provide opportunities for interaction between the child and caregiver.

Included in the Beginning Communication Package are the following:

- An easy to follow manual that provides health care workers and caregivers with detailed guidelines on how to increase communication efforts of young children by using different ways to supplement their communication attempts.

- A DVD that further explains the manual by demonstrating how parents use the strategies in interaction with their children through engagement in activities.

- Different methods of communication including manual signs, communication boards with graphic symbols as well as voice output communication aids (VOCA).

- Switch adapted toys to facilitate play of children with severe developmental delays.

- Interviewing worksheets, which assist in deriving relevant targets for intervention from parents; as well as checklists, which monitor progress in communication skills.

 The BCP is intended to provide health care workers with a practical tool to assist parents in finding different ways to interact with their young children who find it difficult to communicate using speech. It is focused on facilitating beginning communication between parents and their children in communities and cannot be regarded as a replacement for therapeutic intervention.

If you are interested in knowing more about this package please contact:

Prof Juan Bornman 
+2712 420 2001

BECAUSE NOT BEING ABLE TO SPEAK DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOU HAVE NOTHING TO SAY!