“While linguistic and operational skills ensure that individuals with complex communication needs have access to the tools necessary to communicate, it is social skills that allow individuals with complex communication needs to use these tools effectively to meet communication goals.”
skills contributing to communicative competence
Social Competence is about figuring out the
who,
what,
when,
where,
why,
and how
of communicating (or not communicating) in the moment. It is about how “suitable” and successful one’s communication attempts are. And also about the parts of communication that support making and keeping relationships. People with complex communication needs often have significant barriers to relationships.
“We need to take seriously the importance of experiencing meaningful contact with another as an intrinsic motivation for the development of communication competence.”
Skills within the social competence area include knowledge, use, and judgement of:
engagement - level of involvement
intention to communicate
and the way one attaches meaning to symbols
participation - active involvement
how well one can do turn-taking behaviors or activities
pragmatics, or conversation skills
starting an interaction
taking turns
staying on topic
code-switching
commenting and asking questions that are not needed (e.g., “Cool!”, “Me too”)
etc.
different communicative functions
requesting attention
requesting information
sharing information
joking/humor
commenting
rejecting
etc.
using polite social forms (e.g., “please”, “thank you”)
questions and comments to show interest, concern, etc. in others (e.g., asking “How are you feeling?" when a caregiver returns from sick leave)
switching between, using different modes of communication
The goal is that the person is able to use their communication tools effectively to meet their communication goals. This includes making and keeping relationships.
Useful resources for Social skills:
Add-on Social Pages for use with Core Vocabularies - free downloads from TALC (Links & Downloads tab)
Social Stories developed by Carol Gray
References:
Alant, E. (2017). Augmentative and Alternative Communication: Engagement and Participation. Plural Publishing.
Janice Light & David McNaughton (2014) Communicative Competence for Individuals who require Augmentative and Alternative Communication: A New Definition for a New Era of Communication?, Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 30:1, 1-18, DOI: 10.3109/07434618.2014.885080
Related posts:
Communicative Competence - for an introduction overview of Communicative Competence, check out this post
Communicative Competence: Operational - for a closer look at the area of operational competence, check out this post
Communicative Competence: Psychosocial - for a closer look at the area of psychosocial competence, check out this post
Communicative Competence: Self-Advocacy - for a closer look at the area of self-advocacy competence, check out this post
Communicative Competence: Linguistic - for a closer look at the area of linguistic competence, check out this post
Communicative Competence: Strategic - for a closer look at the area of strategic competence, check out this post
Communicative Competence: Emotional - for a closer look at the area of emotional competence, check out this post
Wrap-up post of our exploration of communicative competence in AAC
