{"id":6673,"date":"2023-05-18T12:22:15","date_gmt":"2023-05-18T12:22:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sadilar.org\/sadilar-funded-research-gives-a-voice-to-sepedi-children-with-severe-communication-disabilities\/"},"modified":"2025-06-10T12:03:55","modified_gmt":"2025-06-10T10:03:55","slug":"sadilar-funded-research-gives-a-voice-to-sepedi-children-with-severe-communication-disabilities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sadilar.org\/en\/sadilar-funded-research-gives-a-voice-to-sepedi-children-with-severe-communication-disabilities\/","title":{"rendered":"SADiLaR-funded research gives a voice to Sepedi children with severe communication disabilities"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>18 May 2023<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"googlefontscall\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"pagebuilderckparams\" data-colorpalettefromtemplate=\"\" data-colorpalettefromsettings=\",,,,\" data-styles=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"rowck ckstack3 ckstack2 ckstack1 uick-sortable\" id=\"row_ID1684412269344\" data-gutter=\"2%\" data-nb=\"1\" style=\"position: relative;\">\n<style class=\"ckcolumnwidth\">[data-gutter=\"2%\"][data-nb=\"1\"]:not(.ckadvancedlayout) [data-width=\"100\"] {width:100%;}[data-gutter=\"2%\"][data-nb=\"1\"].ckadvancedlayout [data-width=\"100\"] {width:100%;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"inner animate clearfix\">\n<div class=\"blockck\" id=\"block_ID1684412269344\" data-real-width=\"100%\" data-width=\"100\" style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ckstyle\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"inner animate resizable\">\n<div class=\"innercontent uick-sortable\">\n<div id=\"ID1684412314426\" class=\"cktype\" data-type=\"text\" style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"tab_effects ckprops\" fieldslist=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tab_blocstyles ckprops\" blocbackgroundpositionend=\"100\" blocbackgrounddirection=\"topbottom\" blocbackgroundimageattachment=\"scroll\" blocbackgroundimagerepeat=\"no-repeat\" blocbackgroundimagesize=\"auto\" blocbordertopstyle=\"solid\" blocborderrightstyle=\"solid\" blocborderbottomstyle=\"solid\" blocborderleftstyle=\"solid\" blocbordersstyle=\"solid\" blocshadowinset=\"0\" fieldslist=\"blocbackgroundpositionend,blocbackgrounddirection,blocbackgroundimageattachment,blocbackgroundimagerepeat,blocbackgroundimagesize,blocalignementleft,blocalignementcenter,blocalignementright,blocalignementjustify,blocbordertopstyle,blocborderrightstyle,blocborderbottomstyle,blocborderleftstyle,blocbordersstyle,blocshadowinset\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tab_edition ckprops\" fieldslist=\"\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"ckstyle\">\n<style><\/style>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"cktext inner\" style=\"position: relative;\" spellcheck=\"false\">\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva, sans-serif;\" data-mce-style=\"font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva, sans-serif;\">The implementation of alternative forms of communication for children who are not yet literate \u2013 especially those who have severe communication needs and require picture-based systems to express themselves \u2013 has always been a key research interest for Prof Kerstin T\u00f6nsing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva, sans-serif;\" data-mce-style=\"font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva, sans-serif;\">&#8220;Children who need such systems often have some physical disabilities which make them incapable of using sign language,\u201d says T\u00f6nsing, who is a speech therapist, audiologist, and professor at the University of Pretoria&#8217;s Centre for Augmentative &amp; Alternative Communication. \u201cWe provide them with picture-based systems that represent words which they can point to or activate on a device in order to convey their message,\u201d she explains.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva, sans-serif;\" data-mce-style=\"font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva, sans-serif;\">While this type of intervention has been widely used in the field of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) to help individuals who cannot rely on their natural speech to communicate, and there are numerous picture-based vocabulary packages available for various languages, many of the so-called low-resource languages have been left behind. This is also true for many of the South African languages, including Sepedi.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva, sans-serif;\" data-mce-style=\"font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva, sans-serif;\">\u201cI started getting increasingly concerned that we are doing a lot of intervention in South Africa in English for children whose home language is not English,\u201d T\u00f6nsing recalls. \u201cWe live in a multilingual country and children should be able to express themselves in their home language \u2013 this also applies to children who need a picture-based AAC system to do so. But, what are we doing to foster all of the children\u2019s languages?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva, sans-serif;\" data-mce-style=\"font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva, sans-serif;\">Thanks to research funding from the South African Centre for Digital Language Resources (SADiLaR), this reality is about to change for Sepedi children. T\u00f6nsing and her team have embarked on a project to develop a research- and stakeholder-informed non-electronic AAC system for Sepedi. The aim is to design a comprehensive system with a range of vocabulary items that allow for language development.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva, sans-serif;\" data-mce-style=\"font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva, sans-serif;\"><strong>Mother tongue communication<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva, sans-serif;\" data-mce-style=\"font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva, sans-serif;\">\u201cThe communication of preliterate children from a Sepedi (Sesotho sa Lebowa) language background is severely restricted as there currently is no AAC system available in their mother tongue \u2013 an estimated 80 000 Sepedi children are affected. A picture-based AAC system that allows for expression in Sepedi is therefore an urgent necessity,\u201d T\u00f6nsing comments.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva, sans-serif;\" data-mce-style=\"font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva, sans-serif;\">She is ideally placed to lead this research project as much of her PhD and postdoc research was centered around developing AAC systems that give access to non-English South African languages.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva, sans-serif;\" data-mce-style=\"font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva, sans-serif;\">\u201cThe project builds on the Master&#8217;s research of Ngwanamashiane Rahab Mothapo, who is now a PHD student and an important collaborator,\u201d T\u00f6nsing continues. \u201cWe established a core vocabulary list, based on the analysis of language samples of Sepedi preschoolers. We then identified graphic symbols from existing symbol libraries, which were validated and extended with stakeholders during in-depth discussions. Some additional symbols are currently being designed to represent some of the Sepedi core words for which we could not find suitable symbols.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva, sans-serif;\" data-mce-style=\"font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva, sans-serif;\"><strong>Human-centered design process<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva, sans-serif;\" data-mce-style=\"font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva, sans-serif;\">According to T\u00f6nsing, they also did a needs analysis and discussed design requirements with the stakeholder group, which comprises speech-language therapists with experience in AAC and providing services in the Sepedi language; parents of children with complex communication needs from a Sepedi background; adult users of AAC systems; and teachers who teach children from a Sepedi background, with severe communication disabilities. The participants are based mainly in the Limpopo Province where Sepedi is spoken.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva, sans-serif;\" data-mce-style=\"font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva, sans-serif;\">All interactions with the focus groups are being transcribed and thematically analysed. The next step is to start a human-centered design process where the first prototype AAC system is shared with stakeholders for valuation. \u201cWe are on the brink of creating the first prototype, which is very exciting. It is an iterative process with stakeholders where we listen to their feedback and redesign until we reach a stage where the system is ready to be used. Even then, the feedback from users will be ongoing,\u201d T\u00f6nsing says.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva, sans-serif;\" data-mce-style=\"font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva, sans-serif;\"><strong>International conference<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva, sans-serif;\" data-mce-style=\"font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva, sans-serif;\">The results of the first phase of the project will be presented by Rahab Mothapo at the Biennial Conference of the International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication in Canc\u00fan, Mexico, from 24 to 27 July 2023. The conference, themed &#8216;Communication beyond borders&#8217;, will be attended by researchers, academics, practitioners and persons using AAC from across the world, and showcase the latest research and lived experiences in the field of AAC.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva, sans-serif;\" data-mce-style=\"font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva, sans-serif;\">\u201cIt is such a privilege to be enabled by SaDiLaR to present research findings of such an important study that cuts through a number of disciplines,\u201d Mothapo comments. \u201cI am looking forward to sharing this information with the extremely diverse audience. This for me, marks a small attempt at making communication accessible to the Sepedi-speaking South African population living with communication impairment.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva, sans-serif;\" data-mce-style=\"font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva, sans-serif;\"><em>Written by Birgit Ottermann<\/p>\n<p> <\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva, sans-serif;\" data-mce-style=\"font-family: 'trebuchet ms', geneva, sans-serif;\"><strong>Image:<\/strong> <em>(Credit: Mr Gustaf Tempelhoff and Prof Kerstin T\u00f6nsing)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ckstyle\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rowck ckstack3 ckstack2 ckstack1 uick-sortable\" id=\"row_ID1684412280317\" data-gutter=\"2%\" data-nb=\"1\" style=\"position: relative;\">\n<style class=\"ckcolumnwidth\">[data-gutter=\"2%\"][data-nb=\"1\"]:not(.ckadvancedlayout) [data-width=\"100\"] {width:100%;}[data-gutter=\"2%\"][data-nb=\"1\"].ckadvancedlayout [data-width=\"100\"] {width:100%;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"inner animate clearfix\">\n<div class=\"blockck\" id=\"block_ID1684412280317\" data-real-width=\"100%\" data-width=\"100\" style=\"position: relative; display: flex;\">\n<div class=\"ckstyle\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"inner animate resizable\">\n<div class=\"innercontent uick-sortable\">\n<div id=\"ID1686577161082\" class=\"cktype\" data-type=\"image\" onshow=\"ckAddDndForImageUpload(jQuery('#ID1686577161082')[0]);\" style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ckstyle\">\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"imageck\">\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"100%\" height=\"auto\" src=\"https:\/\/sadilar.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Sepedi-005.png\" data-src=\"https:\/\/sadilar.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Sepedi-005.png\">\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ckstyle\"><\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>18 May 2023 The implementation of alternative forms of communication for children who are not yet literate \u2013 especially those who have severe communication needs and require picture-based systems to express themselves \u2013 has always been a key research interest for Prof Kerstin T\u00f6nsing. &#8220;Children who need such systems often have some physical disabilities which [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":252,"featured_media":6672,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[733],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sadilar.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6673","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sadilar.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sadilar.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sadilar.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/252"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sadilar.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6673"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sadilar.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6673\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11322,"href":"https:\/\/sadilar.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6673\/revisions\/11322"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sadilar.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6672"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sadilar.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sadilar.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sadilar.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}