What should families know about ABA communication repair? A breakdown occurs when a message is missed, misunderstood, unavailable, or produces the wrong response. Repair can involve repeating, rephrasing, showing, spelling, pointing, switching AAC modes, asking a partner to wait, or finding another person. A useful plan prepares both communicators, keeps backup access ready, and measures whether the intended meaning is eventually understood.
Define the breakdown before the repair
Record what the person tried to communicate, the form used, the partner, context, noise, device access, language, response time, and what showed the message had failed. A partner saying “I do not understand yet” can create a repair opportunity without blaming the communicator.
The CASP public guideline summary supports individualized assessment and planning. It supplies no fixed communication-repair sequence.
Offer several repair routes
Possible repairs include repeating, slowing, selecting a related word, typing, drawing, demonstrating, pointing to a key item, using a stored phrase, moving to a quieter setting, or contacting a familiar partner. Let the person choose routes that fit the message and privacy level.
The ASHA AAC portal describes aided and unaided AAC and supports continual access to tools or devices. Test backups before the primary system fails.
Teach the listener's half
Partners can pause, acknowledge uncertainty, repeat what they understood, offer focused choices without guessing aggressively, reduce questions, find context, and ask whether another person should help. They should protect confidential messages and avoid speaking as though the communicator is absent.
Define a successful repair as shared understanding or an agreed next step. Repeated attempts without progress should trigger another route rather than endless repetition.
Route clinical and health questions correctly
A speech-language pathologist, audiologist, medical professional, occupational therapist, behavior analyst, or other professional may have a relevant role depending on the issue. Qualified clinicians should work within scope and coordinate when needed.
The BACB Ethics Code addresses competence, collaboration, client involvement, consent and assent when applicable, assessment, intervention, documentation, and evaluation for covered behavior analysts.
A fictional repair sample
Dev has eight naturally occurring communication breakdowns across home and a community program. A tested repair option is available in seven. Dev or the partner initiates a repair in six of those seven, and the intended meaning is confirmed in five of six. Repair access is 7 of 8, or 87.5%; confirmed understanding is 5 of 6, or 83.3%.
One private message is deferred until a confidential setting is available. The counts cannot identify which repair route caused success.
Review meaning, effort, and privacy
Track the original message, breakdown evidence, repair routes, partner behavior, time, attempts, final understanding, unresolved items, device failures, and the person's rating of effort. Segment familiar and unfamiliar partners.
A useful communication-repair plan reduces the work required to be understood. When the same breakdown repeats, update vocabulary, access, partner training, environment, or the underlying system.
Sources
Finni resources
