Back to School Tips for Augmentative and Alternative Communication

Back to School is a busy time for everyone! It can be especially stressful for families with children who communicate by other means than through speech.

Here are five quick tips to help make it easier for children who use AAC to communicate during those first few weeks back at school:

1. Accessibility: Make sure the communication device is available at all times during school hours (in the classroom, in the gym, in the school yard, on the school bus ride back home...);

2. Competency: If you're not familiar with the AAC device your student is using, plan a time to discuss with the parents so that they can share how to use it and how best to offer models to the student. You can also request support from the speech-language pathologist in your school or in the community.

3. Inclusivity: When planning activities and lessons, consider how you can facilitate the use of AAC - identifying core words that can be used and modelled during those lessons and activities is key!

4. Wait Time: Count to 10 - leave time and space for your student to engage and use their AAC device.

5. Recognize and Reinforce all Communication Attempts : Meaning, don't expect, nor only accept, specific language output. Be open to the way the student chooses to communicate. Place yourself in theirs shoes and imagine what they are trying to communicate when they select symbols. For example, during snack time, the student selects : "Bluey kite outside". Instead of thinking they are selecting random words on their AAC device that make no sense, take the time to think about what they may be trying to communicate. In this example, maybe they are trying to share that they are super excited to go outside for recess after snack time!

If you found these tips useful, be sure to share this blog post with fellow colleagues and parents, and please add any other tips that you find useful!

Follow us at ABC Pediatric Therapies for more speech therapy tips, strategies and information.

Happy back to school to everyone!

Sharon Burgess, M.H.Sc., Speech-Language Pathologist

Reg. CASLPO