How Long Will It Take?
"Implementing augmentative communication consumes an enormous amount of time and energy from therapists, teachers, parents
and the child. This is especially true if it is an addition to the curriculum instead of an integral part of it."
(BURKHART L. 1990, page 11)
"The implications are that, if the children=s long-standing communication deficits are to be overcome, they will need to be involved
in training for much longer than just 12 hours a week, and schools will need to make a far greater commitment to using the
augmentative communication systems, not only in formal sessions but throughout the school day."
(UDWIN O. & YULE W. 1991 page 160)
"The final element that we need when working on communication .... is time. Many opportunities for the child to take control are
sadly missed if they are not given the chance to operate at their own level and in their own time scale. For some children it may
literally take minutes for them to process what has been asked of them and to create a response." (KNIGHT C. 1992 page 26)
"One of the most common barriers in language training is that the teaching can be extremely time-consuming. Some people with
communication disorders may take years to learn even seemingly simple skills." (VON TETZCHNER S. & MARTINSEN H. 1992)
"It is easier to get an assessment and recommendations about appropriate equipment than it is to find the support and training
that must be part of any plan to provide augmentative communication. Providing effective augmentative communication demands
much time, sustained interest, and talent on the part of both facilitator and augmented communicator. The time commitment is
both intensive and extensive, perhaps requiring many hours each week for several months." (STUMP R. 1993)
How long it will take a person to learn to use a new system is like asking AHow long is a piece of string?@ There is no simple answer. Perhaps we should reply to the question with yet another question:
To what goal?
For, there are many goals that may be set within the individual’s timetable of tuition and study. Semantics, syntax, pragmatic skills, as well as counselling the individual and the significant other’s involved for this endeavour, all have parts to play. Whatever the goal set, it must be stressed, the path travelled will take both time and effort. Tuition in AAC cannot be ascribed to half an hour per week with a itinerant speech professional. No matter how gifted the speech professional this practice is doomed to failure. Nothing is gained without effort. A commitment to the effort is required by every significant other concerned.
and the child. This is especially true if it is an addition to the curriculum instead of an integral part of it."
(BURKHART L. 1990, page 11)
"The implications are that, if the children=s long-standing communication deficits are to be overcome, they will need to be involved
in training for much longer than just 12 hours a week, and schools will need to make a far greater commitment to using the
augmentative communication systems, not only in formal sessions but throughout the school day."
(UDWIN O. & YULE W. 1991 page 160)
"The final element that we need when working on communication .... is time. Many opportunities for the child to take control are
sadly missed if they are not given the chance to operate at their own level and in their own time scale. For some children it may
literally take minutes for them to process what has been asked of them and to create a response." (KNIGHT C. 1992 page 26)
"One of the most common barriers in language training is that the teaching can be extremely time-consuming. Some people with
communication disorders may take years to learn even seemingly simple skills." (VON TETZCHNER S. & MARTINSEN H. 1992)
"It is easier to get an assessment and recommendations about appropriate equipment than it is to find the support and training
that must be part of any plan to provide augmentative communication. Providing effective augmentative communication demands
much time, sustained interest, and talent on the part of both facilitator and augmented communicator. The time commitment is
both intensive and extensive, perhaps requiring many hours each week for several months." (STUMP R. 1993)
How long it will take a person to learn to use a new system is like asking AHow long is a piece of string?@ There is no simple answer. Perhaps we should reply to the question with yet another question:
To what goal?
For, there are many goals that may be set within the individual’s timetable of tuition and study. Semantics, syntax, pragmatic skills, as well as counselling the individual and the significant other’s involved for this endeavour, all have parts to play. Whatever the goal set, it must be stressed, the path travelled will take both time and effort. Tuition in AAC cannot be ascribed to half an hour per week with a itinerant speech professional. No matter how gifted the speech professional this practice is doomed to failure. Nothing is gained without effort. A commitment to the effort is required by every significant other concerned.
TIME 2 - Task & Discussion Sheet
To make the point about the time and effort involved an analogy is made with a child learning to play the piano (see below). Ask the staff to work through the tasks one by one. Then use their notes as a source of information for the subsequent discussion. What does it tell us about learning a new AAC system? Is there a difference between learning to play the piano and learning to communicate? A PICK analysis may help to make things clearer to all staff if they feel that there is no comparison between the two.
Sammy=s parents decide to buy their son/daughter Sammy a piano. Sammy is musically illiterate but mum and dad have a vision that one day Sammy will be a concert pianist. They take a trip to their building society and draw out all their savings. They visit the local music store and pick the best grand piano their money will buy. It is delivered the next day. Arriving home from school Sammy is blindfolded and guided into the living room. The piano is presented.
What will Sammy do?
Express great surprise. Sit down at the keyboard and hit the keys randomly making a great noise.
How long will Sammy do this?
On the first day for a long time until the novelty wears thin. On the second day for a shorter time ....
What will Sammy=s parents have to do?
They will need to engage a tutor to provide lessons.
How often?
At the very minimum an hour once a week. If they expect Sammy to become a concert pianist then more often.
What else should they do?
Encourage Sammy to practise.
How often?
Every day
For how long?
Half an hour to an hour at least.
How long do professional (musicians, sports players, etc) have to practise?
Hours every day.
Suppose every time uncle Fred came round he criticised Sammy for playing wrong notes every now and again.
Sammy would be self-conscious in his presence and probably not play when he was around.
Suppose every time aunty Freda arrived she criticised Sammy for only playing American tunes or for the piano being slightly out of tune.
Sammy would be self-conscious in her presence and probably not play when she was around.
Will Sammy begin to play tunes overnight?
No! Although perhaps Sammy will learn to parrot a tune by rote in a few days.
How long will it take Sammy to become a concert pianist?
A long time even if Sammy is naturally gifted at music. Maybe Sammy will never be a concert pianist although Sammy may
continue slowly to improve with training and support.
Let=s change the beginning to this story. Sammy=s parents have no savings but believe Sammy to be musically gifted so they fund-raise for the money for the piano. Neighbours, friends, indeed the whole community is involved in raising thousands of pounds/dollars. Everyone works hard. The media is involved. Everyone tells Sammy how wonderful it will be when the piano arrives and how brilliant the music will be. How clever Sammy is. Charley Dikkens, owner of the Great Expectations Restaurant, throws a free party when the money is raised. Sammy gets a piano. A week goes by. The media make contact with Sammy=s parents; they want to film the beautiful music to show to the people of Hopeville. Sammy=s parents state that Sammy is not too well at the moment and will require a little more time to practise. A month goes by, then two months. People are heard to mutter under their breath, ATen thousand we spent on that darn piano and not a note.@ The press discover from Nora Nosey (Sammy=s neighbour) that Sammy is refusing to play. They demand a statement from Sammy=s parents. They say that the music they have chosen is not to Sammy=s taste and it will be alright once they change from Chopin to Mozart. Later they say that the piano itself is at fault because the piano strings keep breaking. Neighbour Nora Nosey goes on record to say that Sammy was always a lazy little so-and-so who lacked motivation. The following week it is announced that Doctor Speshelnead has examined Sammy and found that Sammy is suffering from a rare disease - Music Inept Syndrome with Total Absence of Kinaesthetic Experience (more commonly known by the acronym MISTAKE). He states,
ASammy=s MISTAKE is a rare congenital condition affecting the right musical hemisphere of the cerebrum. A person with such
a condition can hardly be expected to produce any sort of musical sense.@
Sammy=s piano is given to the Hopeville Amateur Music Society for others to use.
What did all the hype do for Sammy?
It raised Sammy=s expectations.
What is wrong with that?
Nothing - if the expectations are realistic.
The beginning of the story changes again. The good people of Hopeville raise the money for the piano. However that is all they raise. Nobody considers the cost of piano lessons. Sammy needs many such lessons especially when the MISTAKE is discovered. Specialist lessons cost extra. Sammy=s parents are not wealthy. Sammy=s school could give the lessons but staff report that they are too busy with the demands of the curriculum. The demands of the curriculum are indeed high. Sammy does not get the number of lessons needed. Sammy does not play well. The staff say she is unmotivated and lazy. They criticise her poor playing. They keep her away from the piano. Doctor Speshelnead says it is the MISTAKE that is the problem and suggests transferring her to a school which specialises in MISTAKES. They are thought to have a magical solution .....
There is yet an additional twist to this tale. Sammy's piano tutors believe that a full keyboard will be too much for Sam to cope with. They remove all but 8 keys in an effort to make it easier. Sam finds s/he can only play very simple tunes! (See JACKENDOFF R. 1993 chapter 13). The tutors comment that Sammy only plays simple tunes because of the MISTAKE.
Sammy=s parents decide to buy their son/daughter Sammy a piano. Sammy is musically illiterate but mum and dad have a vision that one day Sammy will be a concert pianist. They take a trip to their building society and draw out all their savings. They visit the local music store and pick the best grand piano their money will buy. It is delivered the next day. Arriving home from school Sammy is blindfolded and guided into the living room. The piano is presented.
What will Sammy do?
Express great surprise. Sit down at the keyboard and hit the keys randomly making a great noise.
How long will Sammy do this?
On the first day for a long time until the novelty wears thin. On the second day for a shorter time ....
What will Sammy=s parents have to do?
They will need to engage a tutor to provide lessons.
How often?
At the very minimum an hour once a week. If they expect Sammy to become a concert pianist then more often.
What else should they do?
Encourage Sammy to practise.
How often?
Every day
For how long?
Half an hour to an hour at least.
How long do professional (musicians, sports players, etc) have to practise?
Hours every day.
Suppose every time uncle Fred came round he criticised Sammy for playing wrong notes every now and again.
Sammy would be self-conscious in his presence and probably not play when he was around.
Suppose every time aunty Freda arrived she criticised Sammy for only playing American tunes or for the piano being slightly out of tune.
Sammy would be self-conscious in her presence and probably not play when she was around.
Will Sammy begin to play tunes overnight?
No! Although perhaps Sammy will learn to parrot a tune by rote in a few days.
How long will it take Sammy to become a concert pianist?
A long time even if Sammy is naturally gifted at music. Maybe Sammy will never be a concert pianist although Sammy may
continue slowly to improve with training and support.
Let=s change the beginning to this story. Sammy=s parents have no savings but believe Sammy to be musically gifted so they fund-raise for the money for the piano. Neighbours, friends, indeed the whole community is involved in raising thousands of pounds/dollars. Everyone works hard. The media is involved. Everyone tells Sammy how wonderful it will be when the piano arrives and how brilliant the music will be. How clever Sammy is. Charley Dikkens, owner of the Great Expectations Restaurant, throws a free party when the money is raised. Sammy gets a piano. A week goes by. The media make contact with Sammy=s parents; they want to film the beautiful music to show to the people of Hopeville. Sammy=s parents state that Sammy is not too well at the moment and will require a little more time to practise. A month goes by, then two months. People are heard to mutter under their breath, ATen thousand we spent on that darn piano and not a note.@ The press discover from Nora Nosey (Sammy=s neighbour) that Sammy is refusing to play. They demand a statement from Sammy=s parents. They say that the music they have chosen is not to Sammy=s taste and it will be alright once they change from Chopin to Mozart. Later they say that the piano itself is at fault because the piano strings keep breaking. Neighbour Nora Nosey goes on record to say that Sammy was always a lazy little so-and-so who lacked motivation. The following week it is announced that Doctor Speshelnead has examined Sammy and found that Sammy is suffering from a rare disease - Music Inept Syndrome with Total Absence of Kinaesthetic Experience (more commonly known by the acronym MISTAKE). He states,
ASammy=s MISTAKE is a rare congenital condition affecting the right musical hemisphere of the cerebrum. A person with such
a condition can hardly be expected to produce any sort of musical sense.@
Sammy=s piano is given to the Hopeville Amateur Music Society for others to use.
What did all the hype do for Sammy?
It raised Sammy=s expectations.
What is wrong with that?
Nothing - if the expectations are realistic.
The beginning of the story changes again. The good people of Hopeville raise the money for the piano. However that is all they raise. Nobody considers the cost of piano lessons. Sammy needs many such lessons especially when the MISTAKE is discovered. Specialist lessons cost extra. Sammy=s parents are not wealthy. Sammy=s school could give the lessons but staff report that they are too busy with the demands of the curriculum. The demands of the curriculum are indeed high. Sammy does not get the number of lessons needed. Sammy does not play well. The staff say she is unmotivated and lazy. They criticise her poor playing. They keep her away from the piano. Doctor Speshelnead says it is the MISTAKE that is the problem and suggests transferring her to a school which specialises in MISTAKES. They are thought to have a magical solution .....
There is yet an additional twist to this tale. Sammy's piano tutors believe that a full keyboard will be too much for Sam to cope with. They remove all but 8 keys in an effort to make it easier. Sam finds s/he can only play very simple tunes! (See JACKENDOFF R. 1993 chapter 13). The tutors comment that Sammy only plays simple tunes because of the MISTAKE.
TIME 3 - The Magic Solution
The cartoon attempts to make two points. The first is that the provision of an AAC system is not a panacea for all ills. The second is that speech professionals do not have magic wands that they can wave in the wonderland that is the speech professional=s room. There is no magic solution. Any intervention strategy is going to take time, determination, and effort from all the significant others involved.
TIME 4 - Existential Complaint
"Although the advent of AAC systems was met by great expectations, the mere physical presence of these systems did not guarantee the desired communication competency for many individuals." (ELDER P. & GOOSSENS C. 1993 page 33)
"However, access to technology does not ensure that students speaking with AAC are going to receive a free and appropriate public education. Success in school for students using AAC involves more complex and subtle issues than just providing necessary assistive technologies. Assistive technology cannot be provided without supportive training for the student and all parties involved." (VAN TATENHOVE G. & VERTZ S. 1993 page 128)
Too often expectations of AAC system users are pitched too high or too low. There is an image of children being presented with a VOCA for the first time and riding off into the sunset effortlessly communicating with everyone they meet. Would that it were true! The presentation of a system should be seen as a the first step in gaining AAC skills. It is akin to giving someone a piano - they will not become a concert pianist immediately. The system is the key that opens the doorway. Beyond the door there is path to be trod. For some the path is steep and long, for others it is a gentle slope downhill. No system is immediately transparent. Of course, if you have already spent many years learning literacy skills and are presented with a system based on spelling, then it will not be a significant obstacle to generate messages almost immediately. Remember however, the path leading to the doorway was long.
The Winston Churchill quote sums it up. Provision of a system is only the ‘end of the beginning’. It is likely that more time, effort, and money will be spent in empowering a person to use a system than was spent in the provision of the system itself. Everyone must be made aware of this. Technology is rarely the solution to a problem in itself - it is a means to the solution only if properly implemented.
"However, access to technology does not ensure that students speaking with AAC are going to receive a free and appropriate public education. Success in school for students using AAC involves more complex and subtle issues than just providing necessary assistive technologies. Assistive technology cannot be provided without supportive training for the student and all parties involved." (VAN TATENHOVE G. & VERTZ S. 1993 page 128)
Too often expectations of AAC system users are pitched too high or too low. There is an image of children being presented with a VOCA for the first time and riding off into the sunset effortlessly communicating with everyone they meet. Would that it were true! The presentation of a system should be seen as a the first step in gaining AAC skills. It is akin to giving someone a piano - they will not become a concert pianist immediately. The system is the key that opens the doorway. Beyond the door there is path to be trod. For some the path is steep and long, for others it is a gentle slope downhill. No system is immediately transparent. Of course, if you have already spent many years learning literacy skills and are presented with a system based on spelling, then it will not be a significant obstacle to generate messages almost immediately. Remember however, the path leading to the doorway was long.
The Winston Churchill quote sums it up. Provision of a system is only the ‘end of the beginning’. It is likely that more time, effort, and money will be spent in empowering a person to use a system than was spent in the provision of the system itself. Everyone must be made aware of this. Technology is rarely the solution to a problem in itself - it is a means to the solution only if properly implemented.
TIME 5 - Time Taken To Transparency
The equation is an approximate way of reckoning the time taken by a person to achieve mastery of a system. It shows that, even with the most proficient person and the most ideal conditions, it will take 100 hours of work.
"... experience suggests that it takes most individuals 100 to 200 hours of additional instruction to master the 'language' of the
device=s software, to master its full operation, to learn how to customize it for current and future educational or vocational needs,
to integrate its use into daily life, and to learn how to maintain the equipment - in other words, to become a fluent, competent
communicator." (BRYEN B. N., SLESARANSKY G., BAKER D. B. 1995)
The equation also shows that, for some people, in certain situations, support will need to be lifelong.
The people for whom the process is likely to take years have an additional problem. These are the very people for whom maintenance of a positive and stimulating environment, a sustained didactic effort, and continuation of consistency of approach, is essential and yet, because of the length of time involved, they are the least likely to achieve these things.....
"The protracted teaching time also has other consequences. One indirect consequence is the fact that the people who take the
longest time to learn are also those who are most prone to breaks in continuity." (VON TETZCHNER S. & MARTINSEN H. 1992)
"In this respect, the ecology supporting people with severe disabilities may represent a particular challenge. Kennedy, Horner, and
Newton (1989) reported that there is a tremendous turnover among people interacting with learners with severe disabilities. That is,
few companions remain part of the learner=s social sphere for more than a few months. This means that learners must constantly
be adjusting to different interactive partners who may bring a variety of interactional styles to the interaction."
(REICHLE J. 1991 p. 154)
"... experience suggests that it takes most individuals 100 to 200 hours of additional instruction to master the 'language' of the
device=s software, to master its full operation, to learn how to customize it for current and future educational or vocational needs,
to integrate its use into daily life, and to learn how to maintain the equipment - in other words, to become a fluent, competent
communicator." (BRYEN B. N., SLESARANSKY G., BAKER D. B. 1995)
The equation also shows that, for some people, in certain situations, support will need to be lifelong.
The people for whom the process is likely to take years have an additional problem. These are the very people for whom maintenance of a positive and stimulating environment, a sustained didactic effort, and continuation of consistency of approach, is essential and yet, because of the length of time involved, they are the least likely to achieve these things.....
"The protracted teaching time also has other consequences. One indirect consequence is the fact that the people who take the
longest time to learn are also those who are most prone to breaks in continuity." (VON TETZCHNER S. & MARTINSEN H. 1992)
"In this respect, the ecology supporting people with severe disabilities may represent a particular challenge. Kennedy, Horner, and
Newton (1989) reported that there is a tremendous turnover among people interacting with learners with severe disabilities. That is,
few companions remain part of the learner=s social sphere for more than a few months. This means that learners must constantly
be adjusting to different interactive partners who may bring a variety of interactional styles to the interaction."
(REICHLE J. 1991 p. 154)