Comments on: Verbal Communication: More Than the Written Word Spoken Aloud

By: Kati

Kati — Wed, 12 May 2010 08:26:15 +0000

I was given a Lightwriter Sl40 last year and no lessons on how to communicate with AAC device, it has my medical info on and is is used in situations with people who don’t know and can’t understand me.

I mainly use it for pre-stored sentences asking for things, telling people things OT etc when asking how you going on or anything having difficulty with so have to predict possible sentences before appointment, type out reply to replay later otherwise it takes ages cos I still want to be able to speak as quickly and efficiently as everyone else.

I don’t use with family they can work out from few sounds/words combined with signs/gestures, makes it easier for me as typing is also getting more difficult from Ataxia (started in my 30’s).

When I make sentences on Lightwriter they always grammatically correct like typed ones with punctuation in right place etc, as I don’t want people to think I’m bit slow or something if they only getting one word at once. (I already get some people talk to me like a child!)

By: Cheryl

Cheryl — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 11:45:39 +0000

I read Rob’s book about 2 months ago and then started reading his blog. It was amazingly placed in a prominent place in my school library. Saw it and went OMG! And it is an OMG book. I HIGHLY reccomend it. I love the way he writes. The way he mixes brutal honestly & humor in just the right fashion. I can’t get enough of his stuff.

By: Glenda

Glenda — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 04:55:39 +0000

Thanks Eileen! Its time “we” start teaching the professionals. Communication, in any form, is more complex than it appears.

By: Glenda

Glenda — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 04:51:37 +0000

Cheryl,

Thanks for sharing Rob’s blog. I had stumbled across his blog once before and the one post I read stuck in my mind, but I hadn’t retraced my steps to find it again. He is an amazing Dad. I’d love to read his book.

By: Cheryl

Cheryl — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:42:11 +0000

I’d check out http://www.schuylersmonsterblog.com/ Rob would probably have some interesting insights on the subject.

By: Eileen Foster

Eileen Foster — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 10:51:51 +0000

Great insight. Great post!

It’s a bit different, being on the receptive end of conversation, but Hearing Aids/Cochlear Implants are similar.

If you have an assistive device, the hearing professionals that guide you believe it is all you need. It will bridge the gap between your hearing loss and “normal hearing.”

There is so much more to hearing. I don’t know this for sure, because I don’t have perfect hearing, but seems to be regular hearing can modulate sound far more efficiently than an analog or digital device.

I also notice that there are auditory cues in conversation that foster communication. Like, an intake of breath as one prepares to speak. This keeps folks from talking over one another…if you can’t hear it. As one who can’t, I tend to break that convention of courteous speech. Frequently.

On the other hand, being Deaf/HOH I’ve relied on visual communication cues all my life. I was really interested to learn a few years ago that there is a word for something I’ve been watching all my life: “micro-expressions.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microexpression).

There are so many layers to communication, I’m fascinated by it.

Cheers to you for pushing the bounds of “Kate.”