Att hålla TAKK vid liv

Abstract

AbstractWithin the Swedish education program for preschool teachers, the Swedish National Agency for Education advocates for higher forms of didactics. Arguably this means that there should be different methods used by the teachers to teach the preschool children,and one of those could be the Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). Research has shown that AAC could facilitate language development for all children and not only for children that are in need of a complementary tool for communication. This study aims to determine the difference between the theoretical take on the use of AAC in preschools versus the current practical use among teachers uses in Swedish preschools. Furthermore, we want to examine if what cases AAC is used and beneficial for children that don't have any special need for an alternative communication tool. We interviewed preschool teachers for the practical use of the AAC and also special-care teachers with a more theoretical background. We found similar results to prior research that AAC is beneficial in the preschools to develop the social presence of the children, but also what obstacles the preschool teachers encounter in the use of AAC. These obstacles revolve around the lack of time the preschool teachers experience in keeping their knowledge updated but also in what situations the tool ought to be used. As per the knowledge, they have the tool is merely used with children that have the specific need, while the earlier studies show that its beneficial for the entire group.