Browsing by Subject "TAIKE"

Children who are unable to express themselves with speech can use various communication aids. Often communication partners support and motivate the child to use an aid in various ways. This study increases understanding of how a speech and language therapist (SLT) can support using a speech generating device (SGD) and turn-taking in play interaction. Play interaction in which someone uses an SGD has been studied little. A typical interaction situation for a child is playing. Play is a natural and motivating context to strengthen and practice a child's communication skills. It is, therefore, relevant to know how to support aided play. When the partner can support and activate the child using the SGD to produce turns in the play interaction, the child using the SGD will get the opportunity to participate play and play can be made as flowing and successful as possible. The data of this thesis consisted of three play situations between an SLT and a school-aged child. The device that the child used for communication was tablet-based TAIKE -communication application. The data was filmed during speech therapy sessions. Conversation analysis was used as the method of the thesis. The next-turn-proof procedure was used for analysis. In addition to next-turn procedure, sequence structure was utilized in the analysis to perceive larger sequential context. In this thesis, the child produces the first and the second position turns with TAIKE as well as collaborative turn sequences with the SPL. The SPL supported the child using the SGD through various partner strategies, including time giving, modelling, sabotage, and verbal and gestural cues. The SLT regulated strategies to guide and support the use of the child's SGD if he did not act as expected by the SLT. The SLT varied strategies from motivating to direct cues and, if necessary, used more strategies sequentially or simultaneously. In this thesis, the child who practices using an SGD was noted to be more active in producing turns with the SGD when the communication partner supports him. In this thesis the natural orientation of conversationalists to alignment activities when interacting is not enough for the child using an SDG. The partner strategies used by the SPL take the play forward, strengthen the interactive roles of the conversationalists and guide to turn preference. The play interaction is an appropriate context to practice producing turns with an SGD and play can be seen as one strategy to support a child to use their device. Partner strategies used in play interaction give a child the opportunity to practice play and means to take the play forward. In their clinical work, speech therapists should consider how partner strategies can be a part of the motivational play and how play can be utilized as a strategy to support using an SGD.