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Back To School!

Are you an educator to a student who uses an AAC device?
Are you wondering what you can do to create an inclusive classroom where all forms of communication are
CELEBRATED and HEARD?

Here are some tips to a successful start to the school year that will ensure your students all feel CONNECTED and SEEN and a part of your classroom and school community.

Let’s make sure we are all on the same page: AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) incorporates ALL the ways we communicate beyond speech. This might include sign language, gesturing, using switches / talking buttons, PODD books, an iPad equipped with a communication app or a computer with an eye gaze camera.  Using these tools means your student can EXPRESS THEMSELVES! This is a totally awesome superpower and should be celebrated as such!  Using an AAC tool does NOT mean that your student doesn’t understand what you are saying to them. This is important for everyone in the community to understand. Do not talk about your student who uses an AAC device as if they are not there. Do not speak to them as if they are a younger age than they really are.  Talk to them the way you talk to all the students in the class.  Everyone wants to feel valued and respected, and this will nurture a strong sense of self-worth in every student in your building.  

The first step in setting up your classroom and school to celebrate all types of communication is to ensure there is REPRESENTATION around the building. You can put up large core boards around the building and have laminated core boards available in all the classrooms.  These core boards have important sight words that will be valuable to all students in the building. They also will make communication accessible to EVERYONE.  Someone who is learning English as an additional language may benefit from a visual prompt for the vocabulary they are looking for – they can use the core boards for this.  Someone who has an articulation delay can use a core board to clarify what they are trying to say if their communication partner misunderstands them. AND your AAC user will ALWAYS HAVE THEIR WORDS.  Put yourself in your student’s shoes.  Imagine you’re running outside for a gorgeous September recess with your friends but the second you leave the building you can no longer talk? You can’t ask a friend to play tag or pass you the ball.  You can’t tell the teacher you need a drink of water. We need to always have our words.  Core boards are a great alternative to taking an iPad communication device outside. The glare from the sun and weather conditions often make using this tool outdoors a challenge. But you are prepared….because you have core boards and symbols all over your school!

The next most important thing to consider is WAIT TIME and OPPORTUNITY. It takes longer to compose your message on your AAC device than it does to just speak your words. To give our student who uses AAC a chance to participate, we must give them the space to do so.  Get comfortable with being uncomfortable – we are always rushing to the next activity. Prepare yourself to wait for what seems like too long, and then wait some more….and you will be excited to hear what your student has to share! If you hadn’t given them that wait time, you never would have known all about what makes them who they are – a VALUEABLE and CONTRIBUTING member of your classroom.  If we don’t include our AAC users in our classroom activities, they won’t have opportunities to learn to use their communication device or to connect with their peers.  Learning AAC takes time and a child who isn’t included in the day and is isolated from their classmates doesn’t have the chance to practice EXPRESSING THEMSELVES!  All communication matters and by creating a nurturing and welcoming environment everyone will thrive!

Click below to see Assistiveware's "Set Up Your Classroom For AAC Success"

AAC Everywhere

We want to see AAC EVERYWHERE in our community! Having core boards and AAC visuals in all environments is incredibly powerful for all of our AAC users and raises awareness about augmentative and alternative communication amongst our community.

We love this bulletin board that was created by Jessica Palson, SLP. This beautiful display is both eye catching and functional! Anyone with communication challenges can use the board to interact with those around them by pointing to the words on the board. This fosters important social interaction in the hallways and provides more communication opportunities!  For AAC users, having symbols posted everywhere not only enables communication but also nurtures a sense of belonging.

Jessica also included important reminders for AAC users and those who support them like, "Don't leave AAC in your backpack" and "Stop, do you have your AAC device?"

These visuals raise awareness about augmentative and alternative communication and celebrate our uniqueness and differences. This provides a great opportunity for AAC users and their peers to learn about diversity and inclusion!

For more examples of how to have AAC Everywhere, please scroll down through our Resources page!