Enhanced Natural Gestures: A Self-Administered Program for Teaching Communicative Behaviors to Individuals with Angelman Syndrome

The ultimate goal of this chapter is to provide parents, speech-language pathologists, educators, personal care assistants, and others with a sufficient orientation to Enhanced Natural Gestures (ENGs) to enable them to administer the program on their own. ENGs are intended to serve as one component of a broad augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) system that includes multiple modes of communication. ENGs consist of intentional behaviors that individuals are already using or can be easily taught given their existing cognitive, language, and motor skills. Unlike other gestural systems, including sign languages, ENGs are easily acquired by individuals with AS and readily understood by a broad range of communication partners. ENGs often differ from one individual to the next. Readers are acquainted with the two primary methods for teaching ENGs: Mand-Model with Time Delay (MMT) and Molding-Shaping. These techniques take advantage of naturally arising opportunities for communication that occur at school, home, and other settings.

Keywords: AAC, Alternative, Angelman Syndrome, Augmentative, Communication, Candidacy, Disability, Education, Enhanced, Genetics, Gestures, Handicap, Intellectual, Intervention, Natural, Severe, Sign, Speech, System.