There is a wealth of information and materials for you on our website, so you may be asking yourself, "Where in the world do I start?" No worries, we've got you! This is the first stop in your training! In this unit we will be answering some primary questions to get you started!
Our specialized training hub dedicated to supporting communication success in Early Intervention in the home and our preschool classrooms
AAC Partner Strategy Kits are engaging posters/handouts, descriptions and short videos explaining and modeling techniques for you to use to help your student be willing, and able to communicate using their AAC system!
5 steps to move from training to talking, give you a clear path for you and your student learner. Learning to communicate is a shared journey between the learner and their partners, and that makes sense! Communication is a shared activity between two people. It is the means for us to make connections, meet our needs, engage socially, participate in shared experiences, and bridge the gap between our experiences and sharing these their partners.
Communication device manufacturers have been doing an increasingly good job providing us with comprehensive communication systems. There are several excellent choices in the AAC application world that give us keyboards, 1000's of "fringe" words in categories and subcategories, topic based and functional prestored messages, and solid core vocabulary displays of our most frequently occurring words. Morphological/syntax supports such as word endings (verb tenses) and cues for word ordering sentences are available on many AAC applications. BUT, is the AAC application, even for a dedicated communication device truly a "out of the box- straight to the user" experience? Definitely not. One of the most important features that a communication device needs is personally relevant, meaningful and motivating words and messages. Every person using AAC needs a way to talk about their family, their favorite leisure activities, favorite places to go, and subjects to discuss. As diligent as an AAC developer may be, they can't know this type of information about every user. THAT is where we come into play!
It is highly important that we assist our families of AAC users in planning, and sometimes programming their AAC systems to include all of these highly relevant messages. When I am called in to troubleshoot an AAC application that has "never worked" for an individual, I VERY often find that there isn't a single personal word or message anywhere in the system; no family photos, no Larabars or Snickers, no Six Flags or McDonalds. At times we can drastically change a person's acceptance and willingness to use their AAC system simply by adding photos of these items. We want to be thoughtful to put these items in places which are easily accessible, both cognitively and physically (not buried too deep but not taking up all the space on the Home page.)
These flyers are a quick introduction to the world of AAC for our families!
There are many Light Tech AAC options we can offer a wide range of communication options for our students. These options are simple, low-tech, and do not require batteries or electronics, making them an easy "first step" to introduce to our families! Let's look at some of the options!
It is highly important that we assist our families of AAC users in planning, and sometimes programming their AAC systems to include all of these highly relevant messages. Let's talk about it!
There are many options for training families. Here are a few to consider!
In an effort to help our students generalize their new communication skills, we have homework packets for you to send home!
We all know our students learn to communicate primarily at home. You can invite parents to complete the Home & Community Schedule Analysis so that school teams can help the family integrate AAC into their home life.