communication support for everyday life situations.pdf
Supporting Communication for Adults with Acute and Chronic Aphasia
edited by Nina Simmons-Mackie, Ph.D., BC-ANCDS Southeastern Louisiana University Julia M. King, Ph.D. University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point and David R. Beukelman, Ph.D. University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Contents
- Supporting Communication: Improving the Experience of Living with Aphasia
Julia M. King, Nina Simmons-Mackie, and David R. Beukelman. ... 1 - Frameworks for Managing Communication Support for People with Aphasia
Nina Simmons-Mackie. ... 11 - Communication Supports
Julia M. King. ... 51 - Supporting Communication with Technology
Julia M. King. ... 73 - Staging Communication Supports Across the Health Care Continuum
Nina Simmons-Mackie. ... 99 - Assess for Success: Evidence for Therapeutic Assessment
Deborah Hersh, Linda Worrall, Robyn O’Halloran, Kyla Brown, Brooke Grohn, and Amy D. Rodriguez. ... 145 - Integrating Communication Supports into Aphasia Intervention in Inpatient and Outpatient Rehabilitation
Kristy S.E. Weissling and Judy Harvey. ... 165 - Integrating Communication Support into Aphasia Group Treatment
Roberta J. Elman and Elizabeth Hoover. ... 189 - Communication Support for Everyday Life Situations
Nina Simmons-Mackie and Julia M. King. ... 221 - Supporting Communication with Partner Training
Jacqueline J. Hinckley, Natalie M. Douglas, Rachel A. Goff, and Erline V. Nakano. ... 245 - Ongoing Management and Maintaining Communication Support
Nancy B. Alarcon. ... 275 - Communication Access, Rights, and Policies
Jennifer Horner. ... 303
About the Editors
Nina Simmons-Mackie, Ph.D., BC-ANCDS
Professor and Scholar in Residence, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Southeastern Louisiana University.
Julia M. King, Ph.D.
Professor, School of Communicative Disorders, University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point.
David R. Beukelman, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders, University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
Communication Support for Everyday Life Situations
Everyday life situations typically involve communication. Whether it is communication with oneself or with other people, the importance of successful communication cannot be underestimated. Engaging in life situations, connecting with other people, and feeling optimistic and hopeful for the future are key components of “living successfully” with aphasia. Daily communication experiences vary and are as unique as each individual.
Successful engagement in everyday situations by people with aphasia often requires communication supports that facilitate communication and participation.
DEFINING EVERYDAY SITUATIONS
Everyday situations are those activities that people perform in the course of daily life, such as chatting on the phone with a friend, ordering at a café, reading the morning newspaper, or managing household finances. The World Health Organization International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (WHO ICF) classifies life situations into nine categories as follows:
- Communication (e.g., speaking, conversing, producing nonverbal messages)
- Interpersonal interactions and relationships (e.g., family, friends, strangers, intimacy)
- Major life areas (e.g., education, employment, managing finances)
- Learning and applying knowledge (e.g., learning to read, learning to use e-mail)
- General tasks and demands (e.g., performing required tasks)
- Mobility (e.g., walking, driving, using transportation, using one’s hands to pick up things)
- Self-care (e.g., washing, dressing, eating, toileting)
- Domestic life (e.g., preparing meals, shopping, doing housework, assisting others)
- Community, social, and civic life (e.g., recreation, religion, political life)
FUNCTIONAL COMMUNICATION AND EVERYDAY SITUATIONS
Many everyday situations require language and communication. For people with aphasia, communication support is an important consideration in facilitating functional communication and participation in everyday situations. Communication support resources and strategies will vary widely depending on the characteristics of the person with aphasia, the target situation or activity, and aspects of the environment.
ASSESSING SUPPORT FOR EVERYDAY SITUATIONS
The characteristics of the person with aphasia, the target situation or activity, and aspects of the environment are traditionally considered during an assessment. In Chapter 6, a novel approach to assessment was presented which recommended using a therapeutic assessment approach when assessing communication support for someone with aphasia.
EVERYDAY SITUATIONS AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Aspects of the environment in which everyday situations occur will markedly impact the opportunities available and the participation level of the person with aphasia. The WHO ICF classifies environmental factors that are likely to have an impact on participation as follows:
- Products and technology
- Natural environment and human-made changes to environment
- Support and relationships
- Attitudes
- Services, systems, and policies
BOX 9.1 Supporting Doris’s Choice of Leisure Activities
Doris and her husband had completed a questionnaire that asked about Doris’s life, listing favorite activities prior to aphasia and favorite activities post-onset. When discussing leisure activities, Doris indicated that she wanted to engage more. Solutions were developed to support her participation through assistive strategies to re-engage with her interests.
TABLE 9.1 Aphasia-friendly environmental accommodations
| Environmental factors |
|---|
| Products and technology |
| Natural environment and human-made changes |
| Support and relationships |
| Attitudes |
| Services, systems, and policies |
BOX 9.2 Kinsey’s Participation in a Cooking Club
Kinsey, a 58-year-old woman with moderately severe aphasia, found it difficult to engage in cooking after her diagnosis. A speech-language pathologist helped her husband set up a cooking club with family that utilized modified recipes and provided social engagement. Kinsey regained confidence and improved her cooking skills through this support.
SUPPORTING EVERYDAY SITUATIONS
Implementing supports for everyday circumstances will depend on each person’s life situation. The life situation categories from the WHO ICF provide a framework for discussion to support participation.
Communication
Communication pervades most everyday situations. Therefore, attention to communication in everyday situations is critical, with various strategies to promote participation and independence.
Conversation
Conversation is crucial for managing social relationships. It is considered one of the essential forms of communication and requires various multimodal strategies for effective engagement. Providing supports for conversation can expand the participation of individuals with aphasia.
Table 9.2. Examples of multimodality strategies for transmitting information
- Natural spoken communication
- Deictic gestures (e.g., pointing to an object, person)
- Writing clues for the listener
- Pictographs, drawings, icons
Communication supports can significantly enhance engagement and success in everyday interactions for individuals with aphasia.