Communication Continuum 2 Trivia Quiz

Answer: Yes

A person who uses real objects (the actual object which they want) to communicate would be considered to be in the Intentional level of the Communication Continuum.
This is because they are using the object to communicate that they want that object, not as a symbol.
An example of someone in the Intentional level of the Communication Continuum would be a child who reached for a piece of apple when offered a piece of apple and a piece of orange.

In this level individuals are able to make choices if they have the objects in front of them. However they are not able to request new objects as they are not in their field of vision (or whatever other sense the individual has.)

Answer: Yes

An individual who is in the Intentional level of the Communication Continuum level is able to make choices if they have the resources in their field of sense (this can be vision, hearing, smell or touch.)

They cannot however request other materials as this requires the use of symbols as the object is not accessible to the individual at the time when they are requesting it.

Answer: 6-10 months of age

From the research I can find, Intentional communication starts at roughly 8-10 months of age.

This could be through reaching for an object when presented with it, such as a toy or piece of food, to get the communication partner to give it to them.

This was what I found in the article about normal language development on the YAACK website. This is a website which covers alternative and augmentative communication strategies for young children.

Answer: Evelyn points at the teddy and then looks at her mother to let her know she wants it

Evelyn is in the Intentional Communication stage because she is able to put an intent behind what she is doing, to get something done. In this case she wants her mother to get the bear for her. She does this by first pointing to the bear and then looking at her mother to let her know that she wants her to do something.

John is in the Pre-intentional Communication stage as he simply stares at something until someone realises that is what he wants. In this case he knows what he wants (the truck) but does not know how to get someone to get it for him as he has not figured out yet that his actions can be used to manipulate his environment, which is the main reason for communication.

This is why we use communication, to ask for things as simple as food, or as complex as a job or a course we want to do at University or school.

Stephanie is, as you will have already figured out if you took part 1 of this quiz, in the Intentional-symbolic Communication stage as she is using a symbol (toy car) to tell her carer she wants to go for a drive.

Answer: 2

It's two, because the individual, to be in the Intentional Communication stage, needs to be able to 'tell' his communication partner what he is communicating about. This is done by directing attention at an object and then at the partner, and vice versa.

Answer: Yes

Characteristics of Intentional Communication

-eye contact while gesturing and vocalizing.
-alternating gaze between object and partner.
-consistent gestures and ritualization of gestures.
-using the same gesture and vocalization combination for one particular object, event or situation.
-persistent if communicative attempts aren't noticed.
-can modify attempts to be noticed.

Answer: Yes

This is one advantage of being able to communicate with an intent. The action for refusing something may be as simple as turning your head away, closing your mouth or spitting the food out. It is still communication, though.

Answer: Yes, but the object needs to be available to the individual first

It can be used for requests but not the type of requests where a person is asking for an item which is not accessible to him. For instance he wants the red car which is in the cupboard, which he cannot get as the cupboard is locked and he doesn't know the whereabouts of the key.

It can however be used to request something like a game. This could be done, for instance, by holding a ball in front of the partner. This can then develop into a game of "catch" or "roll the ball" - the extent of the game will generally depend on the individual's motor skills, perception skills and understanding of the game.

Eg. When working at a school for children with physical disabilities, I played a game with one of the girls where I would roll the ball across the tray on her wheelchair; she would then sometimes roll it back. This girl didn't have much understanding of the game and had very low vision which impacted on the game. It should be said here that she would be considered to be in the early stages of the Intentional Communication stage and the game was initiated by me, but it is still a good example.

Answer: Yes

There is a method called the Van Dijk method which involves putting objects which have been used in what are called 'calender boxes' or 'anticipation shelves' as a way to get people used to a routine.

http://aac.unl.edu/yaack/d2a.html#d2a0b

Answer: Yes

You can, actually, (there is a system called eye-gaze communication) and there are people out there who only have voluntary control over their eyes.

The whole point with communicating intentionally is to get an intended message to a specific person. For instance, an "I'm hungry" message to your carer. This may be done by looking at the fridge and then looking at your carer. The message is you want something from the fridge because you are hungry. What the carer has to then do is open the fridge and show you what is available to eat. You can then look at the item you want and get him/her to get it out for you.