Barriers to communication

Most people use spoken language, so those who don’t may find their way of communicating is unrecognised. Young people with speech impairments may find themselves poorly understood, as will those who use body movements and facial expressions to communicate. As a result they experience very low levels of interaction with other children and adults.

AAC can become the form of language for a child who has difficulty with receptive (understood) and expressive (spoken) languages and can help them access education. However, there are several issues to consider. These barriers to effective communication were identified by young people with communication difficulties and their parents:

• When children and young people are treated as if they cannot communicate they sometimes switch off. They may give up trying and feel frustrated. They may then be labelled as having challenging behaviour.
• They may miss opportunities to develop literacy, limiting their access to methods of communication that rely on words.
• Their communication systems may lack key words, including those of importance to young people. For example, about private parts of their bodies or to describe emotions.
• A young person may feel their communication system has been imposed on them and resist using it. Or it may be inappropriate.
• They may only be allowed to use certain equipment at school and not take it away when they leave. Or they may only have access to it in the classroom and not in the playground or dining hall.
• They will need training to use their equipment and keep it up-to-date, as will anyone assisting them.
• They may spend time in situations where no-one understands how they communicate or may move between situations without information being passed on about how they communicate.