Practical Access Podcast

S:2 E:3: Increasing and Improving Communication Skills

May 04, 2020 Season 2 Episode 3
Practical Access Podcast
S:2 E:3: Increasing and Improving Communication Skills
Show Notes Transcript

Drs. Rebecca Hines and Lisa Dieker, UCF Faculty members, share their thoughts on the importance of ensuring strong communication skill by and not for children and students with disabilities. In this episode they discuss the importance of communication at whatever level an individual is capable to create a stronger future. They highlight technology to consider to increase communication and how this skill is critical to both independence and employability.  Remember questions can be shared on Twitter @accesspractical.  Follow us on itunes or iheart podcasts. 

spk_0:   0:04
welcome to practical access, timely city care.

spk_1:   0:07
And I'm Rebecca Hines and this episode we'll be talking about communication. Oh,

spk_0:   0:14
yeah, you can be oh, so last last

spk_1:   0:20
episode Lisa we were talking about employment employability, and I actually mentioned communication. Then  I mentioned how much of what we communicate is nonverbal. So I thought I would jump off where I started with that last conversation in just thinking about this idea of non verbal communication and how How do we make sure that all of our kids better understand how all these nuances impact a message? So some of  you guys might have seen the commercials this past year, prompting the state farm remember which insurance company. But they used the exact same script,  and they do it. They deliver it one way to have a positive meaning that the girl walks out and sees the card says, I can't believe this is my car. And then they used the exact same words for another guy who walks out and says, I can't believe this in my car because something bad happened. The car and then it goes on and on from there. But it was a really good example of this idea that that the words don't convey nearly as much as the tone of voice and the delivery, etcetera. And I don't think the kids are often, aware of those things. So you might remember Lisa, one of our one of our former students. Christine Deaf did a lot with mirrors with kids with autism so they could see how they look when they're doing different things. And I think I think that's a good, really simple thing. To do with a lot of kids is to get to coach them up on How does it look when you're saying this and I'm not saying that's for your teenagers were gonna roller that don't use that against them, You know they'll use it against them, But I think it's a good way with little kids in particular, to get them to start thinking about how they look when they're talking to other people.

spk_0:   2:15
Yeah, you know what? I'm gonna go with the tech app along that line because I equally agree you in that concept, and there's an app called FX me, Ah, a F F D x me. It's a free app and much like the mood ring we were talking about earlier, you know your mood. This one can tell you what your facial expression is saying. And I still recall this young man who was on the spectrum who could code in seven languages and he can't looking at this app when I brought it up and I said, What are you doing? And he said, I'm trying to make myself look happy. He said, I feel really happy right now because we're doing all this tech stuff, but I'm trying to make myself look that way, and I think that's true for a lot of us. You know, I used to left as a teacher from the students would say, Mrs Dieker, you know how we knew when you're really mad and I'm like, No, but if you tell me, I'll be using that in the future And they said, when you stop smiling so you could raise your voice. But if you were still smiling, we knew we had reached the threshold with Theo. And so I think those are the secrets teachers find out as parents we know when we can give our kids the look and they know it. But I often think in return, many students of displays don't know how to give back either the happy look sad look, a stern look could be I mean, to stop bothering me. Look, because again, I think kids are often bullied, sometimes taken advantage of. And so that's one app I would consider. But I agree with you. It's the nonverbal piece that often gets many students, period. But many students with disabilities in situations they can't quite figure out how they got there because their words say one thing, but their body is saying something else.

spk_1:   3:50
When I taught kids with severe emotional disturbance, this was a particularly important lesson for them. Was this idea of What are you? What are you saying? What are you saying? What are you saying with your words? What you saying without your words? Some of the things that that I have used in the past that I recommend anybody who's trying to focus on different elements of communication? I I used simple things like finding interesting videos that were simple and and light like gender differences in body language because you know what I taught adolescence. You know what's interesting to them to think about analyzing themselves, a gender differences. What is it communicated? They enjoyed watching something light and say, Oh, yeah, you do that. You do that, you know, And just it was all about kind of raising the awareness. And similarly, I would use things that, like an image that I have a chart that would show you if you if your eyes are looking up, If your eyes are looking down what it means the brain is doing, You know, now you're remembering this or now you're thinking about that. So anything when it comes to adolescents, anything that they can tie to themselves or try with themselves just as again, It's just a general awareness raising was the entry point into exploring some of those nonverbal types of communication. And I found those kinds of things to be really lighthearted and not a formal lesson, but just kind of an awareness in a fun way of looking at what we do, and also making them aware of the fact that as communicators, we mirror often what the other person's doing. So I'm sitting across from you and your arms are crossed, and you're not smart. It's gonna make me and actually tend to do that. So if we can teach kids just because somebody's sitting there with their arms crossed and not smiling, doesn't you can't smile and be the one who initiates the smile from the other person. So just some simple things for the non verbal parts.

spk_0:   5:59
Yeah, and I think for the verbal pieces one that you know, I might find many of the parents in the work that we do with the Down Syndrome Foundation saying is really help their kids is something as simple as Alexa or Google home, where kids has to ask for something And using that voice command, you can't say, you know, Tell me now,  first of all, you got to know the name, so there's a great one. You know, you should always great somebody by the name Becky. What do you think? Say Alexa and then asking Alexa for something specific. Like the weather might likes to. Just came on when I said that, by the way, that's came on twice. You know, What is the weather today in that way. Then students get a chance to practice. Being more independent as well was working on communication. I also think that part of the thing we want to think about his music, and I love to use music as a voice modulator because the other problem we sometimes have, it's okay giving that level five music in the classroom in the home, setting your Alexa to level five and say, That's the voice we're looking for. Or Level three. You know what? You're really angry. Could we get to an Alexa Level three or a Google voice? Look? So I think that's also a way to help kids modulate, because we know that when you whisper get a lot of attention from kids. Ah, when you yell, sometimes you get less attention from kids and so want to think about both his parents communicating. But teaching our young adults our children that sometimes louder doesn't get you as much attention this after. But you can't be so soft. No one can hear your voice, and that's where I think modulation of voice could be a really critical part of communication for both employability and social connections. In with Pierce

spk_1:   7:43
Well, it's funny because I was thinking give mentioned music and then you were talking about getting softer and I was it reminded me of something that I've seen work really well for kids who are reluctant speakers and that is giving them a microphone to play with just to play with. I've seen kids with autism who will not really talk, but when they would pick up a microphone if they would immediately start to produce words. So and I think I mentioned to you in a previous episode, and if I didn't share it Now, a teacher just told me about a student in their class who it has been nonverbal all school year, but in this remote world that we're in right now, that student has been working very hard to produce sounds and words because they want to be a part of this, type of a format and talking in a  Web chat with their friends. So they just needed that little bit of removal from that that personal piece that was hard for them. So I do think that finding ways to play around with those things that a really low stakes. Do they need a did anymore or less? Do they do they need a more authentic opportunities? I know with my nephew who struggles with speech production. We very purposefully would work on his communication by using FaceTime. He loves to FaceTime his family members. So I would send a list of questions to all the family members and say, OK, let's ask Michael these questions and see if he will attempt to verbalize a response and we would keep tracking. You know, how many questions is? Michael tried to verbally respond though, and we found that we could easily actually increase his word count per response by just being really focused on. And that's what teachers could do even in his class. It became a reward friend to FaceTime us. So we we would still work on his his speech even when he was doing that, so his his attempts to communicate were documented, and sometimes that is a starting point. Well,

spk_0:   10:02
I think you you hit what I think is missed, important is is both increased the number of words, whether it's through a device or through verbal on par that with the Sox kill piece of the non verbal behaviour. But I think you know of the work that we do would TeachLive and the amateurs. And it's fascinating to me that in some of the research we've done, kids of quadrupled the number of words that were very low responders by just talking to avatars. So I didn't do that at home. Great little tool called Vokey blab arise cartoon animation where maybe, instead of asking the child, always speak to you, asking them to speak to her character. That maybe you've created might be a good place to get them started and being more comfortable, because sometimes that's less threatening than trying to talk to a human. And so again, what we know is watch. Just start communication. It's really easy to get more of it. It's kind of sometimes breaking it loose. Like you said with that particular. So my last thought for communication is just really helping our students understand how to be open with their communication versus when to be closed. You know, when you're asked things that maybe you don't want to be overly forthcoming, such as in a job interview, you know, well, I'm lazy that a work hard. Maybe that's a time just stop in your short statements. We've seen that happen before, whereas when you're in an open situation and having conversation, thinking about having that open body language being very open and what you're doing and slowing conversation but turn taking listening, I think it's just a Zim. Porton is communicating, so that's kind of my less that there.

spk_1:   11:46
And I guess my last thought is again so often go back to the technology piece, and you mentioned Alexa using just your your voice recognition, thanks to get them to try to send a text to a loved one by speaking it into the phone, you'll get a good idea what what your child is is willing to or able to communicate clearly by by how many words can actually be produced in that text. And it's exciting when a kid who doesn't normally have a chance to to do something like that feel successful in sending a little quick text, you know I love you, Grandpa and again it's about that word production. And as you said, once we can start producing some words, then they come much more quickly, but it is. It is getting getting kids to really attempt at one end. We kind of like to go all over the place because we started with a lot of non herbals and now we're getting into the real specifics. But you know, at least, so that's That's our field. You know, we have a wide ranging and we might be working with somebody who has produced no work. Then we might be. We're working with people who are so articulate, but their body language just needs to be brushed up.

spk_0:   12:59
Yeah, and I just do you have to laugh? So and for those who you are listening to our podcast, I wish you could see us. First of all, we never quite looked glamorous up when we do these, but I think the funniest part is we do have this uncanny ability. Though give a look, give a hand gesture and to toss it back and forth. We always had that as a natural skill together, and I think that's what I would really be looking for. Who are the peers who will give your child that opportunity to turn take to have the patience, to listen and to be kind. And I think no matter what we do and we have a lot of fun teasing each other. But we always go for the kind we care. And that's what communication is meant to do, especially in this time that we're living in right now. Our communication needs to be caring kind. We need to teach our kids to not only give that, but expect them to receive that in communication. So we hope you enjoy this episode. And again we're looking for questions so that you don't have to just listen to Becky and I ramble that things that we might want to talk about, So please do send us a tweet @accesspractical  and we thank you for doing this tonight.