In one program I consulted in there were several students who were physically disabled and included in the typical classroom. It seemed as though they were constantly juggling therapy time and support equipment. Often the two did not match up! The idea of Integrating Academic, Communication and Motor Programs for Students with Significant Disabilities comes [...]
In one program that I worked with, the school system or AT support team was very clever about using online trainings with device companies and or information to train staff. In another school system where I worked it was mandatory for an assistant to work with a student; in fact, they were able to receive [...]
In the most successful classrooms for students who use AAC devices (light- or high-tech) and / or use of assistive technology that I have consulted in, teachers or therapists support the use of communication devices with “Smart Charts”. Smart charts can be as extensive as explicit scripts on what to do with the system, to [...]
Let’s talk about another scenario to help support students. (Previous posts on this topic: Creating Novel Opportunities to Encourage Communication and When Communicating there are no Right Answers) This time let’s discuss Bridger who is included in a 4th grade classroom. Bridger uses an AAC system for expressive language and is receptively thought to be [...]
One of my biggest pet peeves with regard to communication in special education classrooms is that the only communication time is the morning meeting. This is a time where the children talk about the weather and the about calendar. In order for our AAC students to learn how to make friends, develop social relationships and [...]
I remember a time when I was in consulting position. I was playing with a student and using his AAC system during an evaluation. I would take a turn and the student would model what I did. We continued in this method for about twenty minutes. I considered the session a success and it showed [...]
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 [...]
Too often in therapy or educational programs designed for children who use AAC systems the skills (linguistic, literacy and social) are taught in isolation rather than in an integrated manner. Learning in isolation fragments communication and often one or more component of communication is underserved. In some instances portions of the device may even be [...]
I would like to introduce the concept of teaching augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) through an Integrated Model of Communication Instruction. Inspired by Janice Light’s early concept of communication competence for AAC users and Karen Erickson’s work on integrating language and literacy instruction for AAC users I combined their ideas to emphasize teaching AAC through [...]
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