7c. Example - Croatia: Experience during the COVID Pandemic.

Updated by Global Symbols with UNICEF ECARO

online support with 4 children on a sceen

During the mentoring phase, special emphasis was put on the work with parents. However, due to the COVID-19 circumstances, most AAC services shifted to the online support.

  • Professionals from ERF supported professionals who implemented AAC or specifically Cboard with families. The team from ERF created a video focused on language modelling when using communication boards for parents as an example of how to use AAC in everyday situations.
  • Furthermore, professionals were encouraged to motivate families to create video examples of their use of AAC with their children, and many parents welcomed the idea.
  • Parents had the opportunity to stay in touch with the professionals through video calls or e-mail correspondence.
  • The project also provided parents with many AAC activity boards implemented directly into Cboard.
  • The year long experience showed that the communication partners needed to understand AAC and get as many concrete examples as possible.
  • AAC momentum and mentoring need to be maintained to ensure appropriate understanding of AAC systems and services.