Enhancing Communication

Enhancing Communication: Regulating Sensory Input and Supporting Ease of Access This presentation will highlight strategies that enable girls and women with Rett syndrome (RTT) to enhance their communication in a relatively short period of time. Regulating sensory input will be described in terms of the sensory stimulation a girl must process and modulate in various environments. Strategies for recognizing when a girl is in a “regulated state” and ready to communicate or participate in an activity will be highlighted. The need to identify a girl’s “best” means of access to technology and its impact on communication will also be demonstrated. The importance of balancing motor demands with cognitive and communication load will be discussed, particularly in relation to evaluating a girl’s access to technology. Additionally, videos of girls who are “self regulated” and interacting with their communication partners using their easiest means of access to simple and sophisticated technology will be shared. —Saturday morning