Mini AAC Toolkit for Classrooms: Part 3 Preschool Tips

Teaching Tools & Strategies

Mini AAC Toolkit for Classrooms: Part 3 Preschool Tips

Vicki Clarke

November 23, 2024

Mini AAC Toolkit for Classrooms: Part 3 Preschool Tips

Vicki Clarke

November 23, 2024

I had a fun visit with Mrs. Townsend’s preschool classroom, and with her AAC focused SLP, Mrs. Patterson, this week. We have a few very emergent communicators who are just beginning to understand that a 2 dimensional image (text, photo or symbol) MEANS something. Our next step is to immerse these little ones in an environment which uses visual supports to enhance understanding of the adult’s speech, AND to give the students the materials to begin their exploration and learning of expression both with gestures, speech, voice output AND visuals. Here’s how we are collaborating to build the “toolkit” with the teacher, SLP and paraprofessionals in the next few months to optimize communication and symbolic understanding and use in this sweet classroom:

Create small visual support books for morning circle time, one for each adult to use modeling academic target words. We are downsizing our Preschool Learning Pages to half size and spiral binding them for each adult to use to show and say new concepts.
Add word cards and photos to picture symbol daily schedule for accessibility for all students. Some of our children are beginning to read, some are connecting picture symbols to activities and some need photographs to understand what activity is coming next. We will use Boardmaker 7 or LessonPix to make these.
Choose core words and create visual supports for the Book of the Week all year. Mrs. Patterson and Mrs. Townsend present a book a week to their little ones. We use materials from the Tell Me AAC program as a model to follow, finding core word targets and planning for communication and language learning opportunities for each book.
Get TD Snap AAC app on classroom iPad; customize to match daily demands and opportunities. We want to be sure our little ones have access to a robust, flexible AAC system in their classroom. Some students are in the process of having robust systems built for them. Seeing, and hearing their teachers talk the way they talk lets them learn through observation without demand. We will customize the AAC application to match the specific demands and opportunities by doing a schedule analysis of the daily routine activities with the classroom team. TD Snap is free to ASHA certified SLPs or Special Education teachers who teach students with complex communication needs, using a professional license.
Label all cubbies with large font student names. Seeing my own name is a motivating and functional early text for little ones. Seeing their name used daily and functionally is a great way to begin that initial recognition. Associating their written name with their cubby and belongings is a great first start!
Label toy bins with photos of contents and contact paper matching photos to bin cubbies. This is another strategy for students to see the relationship between a 2 dimensional image (photo or symbol) and the object it represents. It also helps the students independently participate in organizing their world, and helping to clean up.
Add communication boards and partner scripts and tips to Small Group “Center” time activities. Center time in this classroom includes playing with puzzles, book reading, playdoh, arts/crafts and cut n’ paste or matching activities. The components of each 1:1 or small group center are each placed in individual bins. We will use contact paper to attach the communication board to the lid of the bin, and the partner scripts to the inside of the lid. We developed our Preschool Daily Routine Centers with AAC: Puzzles, Playdoh and More specifically for this purpose!
Add a Big Core Board to the group activity area. Mrs. Patterson has already used contact paper to attach a TouchChat Big Core Poster to a standing divider to give the teacher, Mrs. Townsend, each access to core words for modeling and instruction during group time. They have ordered packs of translucent neon sticky notes to place over targeted words on the Big Core Board to highlight words/symbols for the students.

We are excited to already see this collaboration going into effect this year! Stick around and we will update as we move from access to implementation!