Knowledge Hub

A practical guide to support clinicians through the clinical reasoning process to set achievable functional goals in teaching and establishing communication skills in early communicators. It helps clinicians to understand what they are observing and then provide appropriate communication strategies at each level.

Enabling communication for early communicators

Knowledge Hub

A practical guide to support clinicians through the clinical reasoning process to set achievable functional goals in teaching and establishing communication skills in early communicators. It helps clinicians to understand what they are observing and then provide appropriate communication strategies at each level.

Synopsis of resource

This material is a PowerPoint presentation which demonstrates the adaptation and use of the CCC (Communication Competency Checklist) resource for use with emergent non-verbal communicators. It clearly presents where the CCC fits within the assessment frameworks used when classifying types of cerebral palsy, and intervention process when working for communication goals for AAC.

It provides clear definitions and observable signs to look for in early emerging communication skills, with practical ideas for appropriate AAC to implement for children to practice at each level of emerging communication.

Key learning outcome

  • Introduction to the Communication Competency Checklist (triple C, CCC), to supports clinical reasoning when adapting to use with emergent non-verbal communicators.
  • Identifying functional goals to facilitate functional communication for emergent communicators.
  • Communication strategies to support functional communication and progress communication skill development.
Image of Kath Benfer

Author

Dr Kath Benfer’s post-doctoral work focuses on community-based early detection and intervention for infants at high risk of cerebral palsy in low-resource countries (India and Bangladesh).  Her PhD explored oropharyngeal dysphagia, gross motor function, growth and nutrition in preschool children with cerebral palsy, in both Australia and Bangladesh. Dr Benfer has over 12 years of experience as a speech pathologist within paediatric disability. Kath has worked in Bangladesh for over 2 years both as a volunteer teaching on the country’s first Bachelor of Speech Therapy degree, as well as conducting research in this context.

Click here to download the slides in PDF format

Click here to download PowerPoint slides

(open slides in Powerpoint to see information included in the notes section)