All students regardless of what their abilities are need content in their AAC systems that support the following:

Social Conversations  A collection of phrases that can be retrieved easily and provide efficient methods for students to have a conversation, participate in a discussion, provide feedback to the listener, meet personal needs, and establish relationships. The collection of phrases should easily allow students to carry on a multiple-turn conversation.  Almost every device now has a selection of phrases the AAC User can use. 

The Tango communication device provides one of the largest selections of core phrases that a student can use and customize. A sample of a conversational–based display from the PopTalk! area of the Tango provides a variety of different messages sets, such as; positive and negative comments, conversation starters and maintainers, emotions, manners, comfort etc.  Each message set has12 messages. These messages are in a pop up window so you can use them while generating sentences or communicating in a variety of situations that are not context-dependent, so AAC users have access to them anytime, anywhere.  Below is the Hi and Bye PopTalk!  As you can see the message set here provides the User with the tools to have a quick multiple-turn conversation for either meeting new people or saying hello to friends.

Here is a link to a light tech beginning communication kit that incorporates a literacy flip book, a conversation flip book (similar to PopTalk!) and linguistic or curriculum flip book.

Literacy Skills – A selection of core words or key words that are on the student’s AAC system that are selected to be taught for their strong literacy and communicative base.  These words are based on frequency lists.  Top most frequent words that are typically used in conversations, cross referenced with words that appear on early lists for teaching students to read and write.

Click here  to access lists for Preschool and School age Conversational words from University of Nebraska Dept. of Special Ed & Communication Disorders

Click here for Fry’s first 100 words for early readers           

Linguistic Skills- Students learn how to use the core words and vocabulary lists that exist on their devices to build sentences and generate ideas.  Students may first learn these skills within the context of a typical therapy situation or participate in classroom discussions and activities by finding words on their device that describe or relate to a topic.

Click here to check out the Teach Me AAC Overview that describes this model.  And sign up for a free Webinar and view some sample interactive lessons

More to come… some ideas for implementation in specific instruction areas…