Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) refers to a range of methods and tools that can be used to help people who have difficulty speaking or communicating effectively. (For more, read What is AAC?). But getting started with AAC can feel daunting. If you’re looking to help a child to get started with AAC, here are a few strategies to consider: #1 Identify the child’s communication strengths and needs: It’s important to assess the child’s communication abilities and needs before choosing an AAC system. You should, if at all possible, work with a speech-language pathologist (SLP). SLPs ..read more

Technology and all the wonderful tech tools that are out there to help our students is amazing. But I’m not giving up my printed core boards any time soon.  ??? I love core boards because: They help make an abstract word visible by giving it a symbol and a location Visuals can focus a student’s attention and help them filter out distractions Many kids with disabilities have strong visual skills They help give language visible structure and a visual pattern It gives a visual foundation of frequently used words They work A big board is great for everyone in preschool classrooms, special ed ..read more

During the pandemic I did a lot of walking in my neighborhood. What else was there to do? Every time I walked by this one house on the corner there was such a beautiful fragrance in the air. One day the owner was outside and I asked him about it. He said his wife was magical with plants and had all sorts of jasmine growing in the back yard. ??? So I of course decided I needed some. I went to Lowe’s and bought a nice little jasmine shrub and Brad helped me plant it. I watered it and waited for the flowers and the fragrance. No flowers. No fragrance. And actually very little growth. I kept water ..read more

iPad’s Guided Access feature for an  Augmentative Alternative Communication (AAC) user is an important option. Guided Access limits an iPad to a single app and lets you control which features are available. If you have a young AAC user, most likely you will want him to only use the iPad as a communication device. Especially when he’s first learning how to use AAC. I can’t tell you how many times school staff or parents have let a student use the iPad to play games or watch movies only to have the iPad become associated with only those activities. Then it no longer gets used for communicat ..read more

You know I’m always on the look-out for time-savers and tips to share with you. Because lets’ face it, we SLPs squeeze a lot into one little work day. I mean… just the paperwork alone. Data, billing and IEPS are always gonna be there. But what if I tell you I found a way to take the headache out of present levels, progress monitoring, and daily data? You can streamline it all with SLP Toolkit. This web-based app is the brain child of my two friends Sarah and Lisa. A few years ago, they were both working as school based SLPs right here in Phoenix and thought “there has to be a better way. Wha ..read more

I’ve shared before that we must view our young AAC users as a whole. As SLPs we need to consider each student’s home environment, their culture and all those times at school when we aren’t around to watch and model AAC for them.  AAC use needs to occur everywhere, if the child is going to be successful with it. Which means supporting and working with parents of emerging AAC users. It also means working with colleagues to support students and creating a team environment. As SLPs there is a lot we can do in this space. Including understanding the parents, helping them overcome barriers to a ..read more

One of my strongest beliefs is that all children with complex communication needs should have access to support regardless of their background. As SLPs we have an important role to play in ensuring this. But I know it can feel intimidating at first. Particularly if you’re also navigating AAC for the first time. I recently did an interview with Tamara Anderson from Building Successful Lives on this topic. You can find the interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeVMsp3xv-4 If video isn’t your thing, I’ve summarised why this is important to me and ways to support your students. Why is ge ..read more

AAC core boards combine pictures and words of core vocabulary to support communication. Core vocabulary is vocabulary that is commonly used such as “You”, “I”, “Get”, “Do” and “Where”. Core vocabulary refers a small number of words that make up >70-90% of what we say on a daily basis. While many of the AAC apps have core words built in, there are also low tech options that can be printed out and glued to poster board. In using core boards we point to the words while we’re talking. We say things like “want more?” “you like it”. They are wonderful tools for modeling. We’re giving each child a ..read more

As SLPs we often work with emergent communicators. How we model with them needs to be tailored to their specific needs. Below I share more about what an emergent communicator is and my best tips for using AAC modelling with them.  What is an Emergent Communicator Emergent communicators can use the following modes of communication: facial expressions,  body language,  gestures,  vocalizations, and  other non-symbolic modes of communication. For example: smiling, reaching for what they want, taking your hand to what they want. They make wants known indicated by reaching ..read more

Help your students succeed by reducing cognitive load for your students with special needs while they’re learning a new concept. In this video I am talking about why we need to think about reducing the cognitive load as well as how to do this so we can help our students succeed and feel more confident.  Want to know more about Core Vocabulary and AAC? Join my free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theAACconnection     Pin to watch later ..read more