Användning av Alternativ och Kompletterande Kommunikation i grundsärskolan : Elever på tidig utvecklingsnivå

Sammanfattning: The purpose of this study has been to examine the use of augmentative and alternative communication in special school The study examine which methods and various purpose AAC used by and with the students and what it is that determines what form to use according to educators. The research shows how important communication is for a child's cognitive development and that it is largely a question of competence on how AAC is used in special school. It is a qualitative study based on observations at three different special schools and three interviews with five educators who all work with students having development disabilities in early stages and use AAC in their daily activities. The empirical data has been analyzed from a socio-cultural perspective, focusing on the concepts of artifacts and mediation. The results show that they use both aided and unaided AAC. AAC are used to structure the day visually in schematically pictures, to enhance their speech, to help to show their intention and to help their memory. The result also shows that, according to educators, students' abilities and previous experience is crucial to which form of AAC that they will use. It is also clear that many cases the teachers themselves is the one who analyze the abilities that students have and then choose an AAC method to work with. Another factor that also influences is the financial resources allocated to special school and the teachers 'and assistants' lack of expertise in the field. The result also reveal that a very small portion of AAC use is about how students communicate with AAC, to make their opinions and voices heard in a more independent way. The conclusion is that there are many different forms of AAC in special school. The purpose of the AAC is usually about structuring and make the world more understandable to students. It is generally the student's abilities that determine what form of AAC used, but there are other factors that also affect. Financial resources and lack of expertise are some of these factors. In other words, the special teacher have in their profession an important role in which type of AKK that are used and in which knowledge those who working in special school have of AAC.