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Building AAC Capacity to Foster Communication Inclusion

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Building AAC Capacity to Foster Communication Inclusion

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We expand the AAC user's message. For example, if the AAC user says "more", you can model back "WANT - MORE" on the AAC system.

We restate the AAC user's message. We show different ways of saying messages. eg. If the AAC users says "My turn", we could say "Oh! you are telling me you want a go", while pointing to "YOU" and "GO" on the AAC system.

6. Accept all forms of communication

Good communication partners accept that AAC users communicate using different ways, not just their communication device. AAC users may use a combination of vocalizations, words, word approximations, pointing to pictures or photos or objects, sign language, natural gestures, body language, and facial expressions, as well as their AAC system.

Often, AAC users will choose the fastest and most efficient means of communication available to them in the moment. Every method of communication has its place. Each one should be valued, respected and responded to.

An AAC user can choose when to use their AAC system. In some situations, they might choose to communicate in another way. They may say some words using their AAC system (e.g. "I want that"), while pointing to the desired object. They may point to a picture on their visual schedule (e.g. "library"), while pointing to the door. They are asking about when they are going to the library. Maybe they use their AAC to say something when their communication partner doesn't understand their unclear speech. There are so many combinations and solutions that can make communication successful.

Remember, AAC is not a test. Most people don't like to unnecessarily repeat themselves. AAC users are no different. Often an AAC user will give their message to us, using any means they have available to them. If we have understood them, then it is unfair to then expect them to say it again using their AAC system.

Here is an example: A child verbally attempts to say "more" and then points to the bottle of bubbles. They have clearly communicated that they want more bubbles. What do you do?

A. Push their AAC system in front of them and say "And now say it on your talker!", expecting them to generate the same message - " more bubbles ", but this time on their AAC system, or...

B. Do you use it as an opportunity to model and expand their language? You pick up their AAC system and say " Oh! You are telling me that ... you want more bubbles", while pressing "WANT MORE BUBBLES" on the AAC system. Or even model more language in a comment like "BUBBLES are such FUN", or " Let's BLOW them UP high", or " You GET the BUBBLES! ".

Of course, choice B is the best choice! Use every attempt at communication as a chance model language. And respect every mode of communication. It all plays a part in becoming an effective communicator.

Start building communication partner skills

Make small but powerful steps toward being a better communication partner. Think about how you model, prompt, respond and allow for all forms of communication.

Watch our "Communication partner skills" video on demand for an easy step by step introduction to the crucial strategies that communication partners can use to support AAC users.

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Communication partner skills for AAC learners - AssistiveWare

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What is a communication partner? This article explains why the people around the AAC user are important, and gives advice on how to best support and interact with AAC users.

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Suggestions: Talking with and about children with disabilities

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Suggestions: Talking with and about children with disabilities

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Talking with and about Children with Special Needs – eXtension Alliance for Better Child Care

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36 Location Universal Core Communication Board (Symbol Stix)

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36 Location Universal Core Communication Board (Symbol Stix)

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PRC-Saltillo TouchChat Flipbook/ board options

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PRC-Saltillo TouchChat Flipbook/ board options

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A low-tech option is a great tool as a back-up to the dedicated solution, use for modeling or during water activities. These low-tech printable options are available to support some of the WordPower ™ files. Pre-made downloadable options are offered for the WordPower42 Basic, 60 Basic, 60 and the 108 location files. Note the 108 location option will include a full page flip to verbs. WordPower48 Español Básico recently joined the WordPower low-tech family. The flipbook downloads include instructions to make the flipbooks for these great low-tech options. These options are designed with flips to the access more vocabulary within various categories, similar to the way you would navigate the vocabulary on a NovaChat® or ChatFusion™.

*Please note that printers may have variations that cause downloaded pages do not line up perfectly. It is recommended to print, laminate, cut and check the alignment of the flips before you punch holes. Adjust by cutting or aligning flips before punching holes.

You will find personal manual communication board options and poster size options. The manual communication boards can be printed on standard or legal size paper. The poster size options allow you to customize the size. We have tried printing at 34.5 by 53 inches with success. In addition to the 88 location Core Words Poster, you will find an option to download the individual core words (grouped 4 on a page) to create pull-offs to the poster or build the poster through individual buttons.

If you want to create your own customized low -tech option, check out the video tutorial providing you with a how-to demonstration. The ChatEditor software is used to customize the low tech options. Create a low-tech option using the customized NovaChat or ChatFusion file.

Virtual Background

Flip Options

Personal Manual Communication Boards

Cantonese Translation
Russian Translation
Japanese Translation
Traditional Chinese Translation
Poster

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Download and print PDF books of the core word pages from our TD Snap app. These communication books are a great introduction to language for symbol-supported communicators before they get their device. Or keep them on hand as a simple solution to be used in the car, at the playground, near the pool, or anywhere else it might be inconvenient to use a device.

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Download and print PDF books of the core word pages from our TD Snap app. These communication books are a great introduction to language for symbol-supported communicators before they get their device. Or keep them on hand as a simple solution to be used in the car, at the playground, near the pool, or anywhere else it might be inconvenient to use a device.

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PRC-Saltillo LAMP WFL Communication Boards

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PRC-Saltillo LAMP WFL Communication Boards

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It looks like you have Javascript disabled in your browser settings. Javascript must be allowed in order for the website to function properly.
If you are unsure how to do this, try Googling "How to enable javascript in (your browser)."

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Check out what's new on AAC Language Lab

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AssistiveWare Proloquo2Go Core Word Boards

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AssistiveWare Proloquo2Go Core Word Boards

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Print multiple copies and place them in different areas of the house and/or school. Make one available in every room. Keep one in the car and one in a backpack. Take some to different places you go

Hang the boards in easy to access locations

Attach boards to hip packs and lanyards so you can wear your words

Share copies with all team members

Send the files to print shops to have poster-sized boards made

Use with students/children that do not yet have their own AAC system

Use in messy or wet situations, where an iPad might get damaged

Use in outdoor locations, where sunlight on the iPad makes it hard to see

Model on these communication boards, when the AAC user doesn't want you to use their AAC

Use when your AAC device is flat or broken or unavailable

What other creative ways can you display and use communication boards?

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AssistiveWare's Core word boards - AssistiveWare

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Print out our core word boards. Start using them to support AAC users today!

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US Dept of Ed - Jan 2024 Myths & Facts surrounding Assistive Tech Devices and Services 

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US Dept of Ed - Jan 2024 Myths & Facts surrounding Assistive Tech Devices and Services 

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Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

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Statute

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a law, or statute, authorizing:

1. formula grants to states

2. discretionary grants to state educational agencies, institutions of higher education, and other nonprofit organizations

Search IDEA Statute

Sections of the IDEA Statute

The IDEA statute includes four parts:

Part A. General Provisions

Part A outlines IDEA's general provisions, including the purpose of IDEA and the definitions used throughout the statute.

Part B. Assistance for All Children with Disabilities

Part B includes provisions related to formula grants that assist states in providing a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment for children with disabilities ages three through 21.

Part C. Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities

Part C includes provisions related to formula grants that assist states in providing early intervention services for infants and toddlers birth through age two and their families.

Part D. National Activities to Improve Education of Children with Disabilities

Part D includes provisions related to discretionary grants to support state personnel development, technical assistance and dissemination, technology, and parent-training and information centers.

Complete IDEA Statute

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Statute and Regulations - Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

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The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a law, or statute, authorizing: formula grants to states discretionary grants to state educational agencies, institutions of higher education, and other nonprofit organizations The IDEA statute includes four parts: Part A outlines IDEA's general provisions, including the purpose of IDEA and the definitions used throughout the statute.

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Genevieve, a new teacher in the toddler room at Caring Connections early childhood center, is excited to meet her coworkers and the children in her classroom. Genevieve's first day is fun, yet exhausting, and she loves interacting with the children. Over the next several weeks, Genevieve spends time getting to know the children and their families. She enjoys learning about each child's personality and their favorite activities.

Alex is a 2-year-old in Genevieve's class. Alex currently receives early intervention services due to concerns with his communication and social and emotional development. Alex's family has shared his Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) with Joy, the director of Caring Connections, and Genevieve has reviewed it. Still, she has several questions, including how to help Alex play with his peers and communicate when he is upset. Dani, a speech-language pathologist, works with Alex every Thursday at the center, and Maura is an occupational therapist who sees Alex at home on Monday evenings. Genevieve knows that Alex's family has a social worker as part of the team, but she doesn't know when they meet.

Genevieve wants to support Alex's participation in the classroom. She wants to work with the specialists, but she isn't sure where to begin. She talks with Joy, and they decide to ask Alex's parents, Audrey and Xavier, if they can schedule a meeting.

Today's inclusive early childhood settings provide robust programs for all early learners, including those with disabilities or developmental delays, such as in the areas of motor, communication, or social and emotional development. Yet often, the families of these early learners worry that their children's needs may not be met in an inclusive setting. Based on our combined 80-plus years as early interventionists, early childhood special educators, social workers, preschool teachers, professional development providers, and researchers, this article will provide an overview of early intervention services in a variety of settings. These strategies are intended to support novice teachers, preservice teachers, and any educator who seeks foundational, research-supported practices for working with infants and toddlers who have a delay or disability. Following Genevieve, Alex, and others from the opening vignette, we will weave strategies for fostering collaboration in inclusive early childhood settings by focusing on a child with delays in the social-emotional and communication domains.

An Overview of Early Intervention and Team Members

Early intervention is a federally supported program for families who have a child under 36 months of age with a developmental delay or disability (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 2004). Early intervention may not always look the same across states, but there are some common characteristics:

A service coordinator is responsible for ensuring that each eligible child receives all the services listed on their Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP).

The IFSP includes the child's developmental levels, family-identified outcomes, the services for which the child is eligible that will assist with meeting those outcomes, and the service providers who will support the family.

Early interventionists form a team to support the family in meeting IFSP outcomes. (See "Who is on My Team, and What Do They Do?" below for information about potential team members.)

In some states, one team member is assigned as the primary person to work with a family, with guidance and contributions from other team members. In other states, multiple team members work with the child and family on a regular basis. Regardless of the service model, early interventionists work around a child's daily and weekly routines, both at home and in the community. They partner with the family and with community entities to support the family in meeting IFSP outcomes (Pletcher & Younggren 2013). For example, an IFSP outcome could include being able to express wants and needs verbally or by using an alternative communication system, or it could include being able to participate in mealtime routines with the family. Each IFSP will list child- and family-specific strategies to help meet the outcomes; strategies will not be the same for different families even if the overarching outcome is similar.

Inclusive Settings for Young Children

Inclusive settings are those that include children with and without disabilities. Children with developmental delays or disabilities participate in many inclusive community activities, such as early learning programs, park district programs, and library story times. The defining features of inclusive programs for young children include access to community settings, full and active participation in the activities within those environments, and administrative supports necessary for participation (DEC/NAEYC 2009). Strong and consistent collaboration among educators, early interventionists, and family members is necessary for high-quality inclusion (NPDCI 2009). Therefore, effective strategies for teaming and collaboration are essential.

While early childhood educators have the willingness to support young children with disabilities, they and their programs may not have the knowledge, past experiences, or sufficient means to individualize instruction (Yu 2019). For example, although this trend is changing to include more extensive coursework, in the past, educator preparation programs may have included just one or two courses in special education, often at an introductory level (Rakap et al. 2017). Having access to consultation and other resources helps educators view inclusion more positively, and it also creates positive experiences for the child (Knoche et al. 2006; Huang & Diamond 2009; Muccio et al. 2014). Opportunities for collaboration among professionals within the field are as necessary as the collaboration between those professionals and the family.

For example, to ensure that Alex fully engages in Genevieve's classroom, ongoing and individualized assistance is essential. This will be provided by Alex's family, his early intervention team, and Genevieve. Additionally, as the center director, Joy can offer the time and resources for Genevieve to participate in professional development and to plan, consult, and reflect with other members of Alex's team.

Elements of Effective Communication and Collaboration

Early childhood educators in both center- and home-based settings can team with early interventionists. Indeed, participating as a team member on a child's IFSP is a vital step toward effective collaboration. For a child with a disability to succeed in an inclusive classroom, continual communication and regular meetings are critical. When all the members of a team-including the family-work together, individualized services are consistent across multiple settings. Children who receive supports in multiple settings have interconnected opportunities to practice and make progress on skills that enhance their engagement in everyday routines and learning experiences (McWilliam 2011). Each member of the team plays a role in collaboration and communication so that a child experiences appropriate adaptations and strategies for positive learning and growth to occur (Murata & Tan 2009; Vakil et al. 2009; Hart Barnett & O'shaugnessy 2015).

Strategies for Effective Communication and Collaboration

Because of the number of individuals on an IFSP team, efficient communication can seem overwhelming or difficult to achieve. Five key strategies can overcome these challenges and foster effective communication, which can in turn lead to fruitful collaboration. These factors are: defining roles, exchanging information across settings after gaining consent, utilizing communication logs, scheduling meetings, and gathering and using data.

Defining Roles

Genevieve knows that Alex and his family are supported by several professionals, but she is not sure about each person's unique role and focus with Alex. Genevieve is particularly confused with outcomes related to Alex's social and emotional development. She would like clarification on the strategies that Maura suggests and how these are similar to or different from the information Tyra, the social worker, is sharing with Alex's family. Also, Genevieve is unsure of what interaction Sonia, the service coordinator, has with the rest of the team. As Genevieve reviews Alex's IFSP, she makes notes of questions that she will ask Audrey and Xavier when she has the opportunity to discuss the plan and people involved.

Everyone working on a team has a role, but this may not be readily evident. Some roles are clear, such as the speech-language pathologist who is responsible for providing strategies, activities, and materials to promote language and communication. Other roles, such as social work or occupational therapy, may be unclear, so establishing responsibilities in the initial stages of an IFSP prevents confusion and ensures that follow-through occurs in all areas.

Exchanging information

When Genevieve first meets with Alex's family, she asks them to complete the necessary consent forms for her center. She also asks the family to sign consents with all of Alex's early interventionists so she can discuss Alex's goals and progress with everyone on the team. She shares with the family information about the daily class schedule and ideas that she has to help Alex feel part of the classroom. She mentions that there may occasionally be classroom visitors and asks for input from Alex's parents on how to make sure Alex is comfortable with new people. Genevieve also informs Audrey and Xavier that Joy is very supportive and has provided her with information and resources. Additionally, she plans to take a short class on inclusion and hopes to learn more about supporting children with developmental delays.

Once she obtains consent and has the appropriate contact information, she asks each team member questions, such as their preferred means of communication, the frequency with which they would like to communicate, and the best times of day to communicate via phone, email, or in person. During these conversations, Genevieve also inquires about service delivery and gathers more information related to Alex's development. She'll use this information to plan activities in the classroom.

Because Genevieve is relatively unfamiliar with the IFSP process, she asks questions related to it. Genevieve notices that a particular strategy listed on the IFSP-providing Alex a quiet space with no distractions-will not work in the classroom setting, so she invites Maura, the occupational therapist, to observe. Together, they brainstorm alternative strategies and ideas. These include having soothing and familiar objects available for Alex and rearranging the classroom so he has a space he can safely go to when he is overwhelmed. Both Genevieve and Maura feel like this visit in the classroom created an opportunity for more meaningful collaboration to occur, and Alex's parents are excited to learn about the conversation between the two. They support the strategies identified through this collaboration.

Effective communication depends upon having consent to share information among members of the IFSP team and other important adults in the child's daily life. Early interventionists and educators must receive consent from the child's legal guardian for this to happen. It is important to understand which consent forms are necessary within an organization, and also to learn what consent forms are needed from other providers on the team. Many times, a release of information needs to be completed for all team members who plan to communicate. If parental consent to share information is difficult to obtain, team members should listen to the family's concerns and have an open conversation about why consent to exchanging this information will help the child. Often, concerns are alleviated by explaining who will have access to what types of information and how it will be used. Parents should know that they can revoke consent at any time.

Once consent forms have been signed, team members should identify the best way to communicate with each other. (See "Conversation Starters for Professionals and Families" above for some sample conversation starters to use when gathering information from families and other team members.) With that information, each team member can regularly call, text, or email each other. They also can observe how the child learns and interacts with others in a variety of settings. Because each team member is working toward the same goals and outcomes-but providing different services to reach these goals-all team members can seek understanding about service delivery and the child's needs, strengths, interests, and other assets shown in different contexts or settings.

Using Communication Logs

Alex has a large team, and Genevieve finds herself communicating with many different people. She recalls that Alex's parents expressed a preference for communication to be on paper. It allows them to write information more easily, rather than having to remember to log into a website with a digital notebook. So Genevieve uses a paper notebook to begin a communication log. After each conversation with a team member, she documents the date, time, and person she spoke with, along with a brief summary of the discussion. The communication log is stored in Alex's backpack in his cubby.

Genevieve herself comes to rely on the communication log as a reference for her notes and ongoing planning. Other team members use it to catch up on what has happened during the day at the center. Tyra (the social worker) usually sees Alex and his family at home but she occasionally visits Caring Connections to assist Alex there. When she does, she communicates face-to-face with Genevieve as well as in the notebook. Alex's parents also contribute to the conversation by writing in the log so that the other team members know what is working well at home and in community settings. Joy helps in these efforts by providing Genevieve time during the day to write in the notebook and read what others wrote.

Because teams include multiple members, a clear and agreed-upon communication strategy encourages all team members to contribute and stay informed. It also ensures that the sole responsibility for sharing information does not rest on just one person, particularly the parent. This communication system can be physical (a spiral notebook) or digital (a shared document on a password-protected account). The primary considerations are ease of use and privacy. (See "Sample Communication Log" below for an example of a communication log used with multiple team members.)

Scheduling Regular Meetings with All Team Members

Alex's family or any team member may request an IFSP meeting to discuss concerns. These may include, but are not limited to, a drastic change in Alex's behavior or functioning, a need to revise IFSP outcomes, a lack of communication with specific providers, or ineffective collaboration among all providers. After Genevieve's first IFSP meeting with Alex's team, she feels that she understands the early intervention process better, including why the specific outcomes were chosen for him. She is also able to meet and ask questions of the social worker, Tyra, and service coordinator, Sonia. Genevieve is excited to share her observations of Alex's language, emotional, and social skills in the classroom, such as when he attempted to comfort a peer who fell on the playground. The other team members appreciate her input.

While communication among the family, early learning program, and early intervention providers should occur on a regular basis, convening a formal IFSP meeting offers the time and space for everyone to meet together. During an initial IFSP meeting, introductions are vital, and this is an ideal time to decide on preferred methods of communication, as highlighted earlier. Meetings to review and revise the IFSP goals and outcomes are typically held every six months, but they can be requested at any other time (IDEA 2004). The IFSP meeting is where family-centered functional outcomes are determined; therefore, all team members should be present and asked for input during this meeting. With parental consent, early childhood educators can be present at the IFSP meeting. They have essential information regarding the child's skills, strengths, and areas of concern in the classroom and with peers. If an outcome listed on the IFSP is no longer appropriate, a meeting can be convened to revise the IFSP.

Gathering and Using Data

Initially, Genevieve is concerned with the amount of time it will take her to collect data related to Alex's outcomes. She wants to find ways to authentically collect data within her setting. For example, Alex has outcomes related to participating in parallel play during structured and unstructured play time in familiar settings. He also has outcomes related to identifying basic emotions (happy, sad, angry, etc.) when looking at books or playing.

Genevieve and Tyra work together to create a data sheet for the target behaviors so that any adult in the classroom can easily and quickly fill it out. With these sheets available, Genevieve has data by the end of each day on Alex's play, social, emotional, and communication behaviors related to his outcomes.

Within the home setting, Tyra works with Alex's family to further support their development of positive, nurturing, and responsive parenting practices to help increase Alex's emotion regulation. The family is also encouraged to openly validate Alex's experiences and label his emotions throughout the day. During each session, Tyra, Audrey, and Xavier discuss the priority for the week and how they will keep data. Some weeks, Audrey and Xavier write a brief note at the end of each day related to how Alex responded to stressful or new situations. Other weeks, they keep track of how many times Alex was able to identify emotions in books that they read each day. Audrey and Xavier share this information with the rest of the team in the communication notebook.

Because each team member collects and shares data about Alex's outcomes, this information can be used to compare his behaviors across settings and to help inform service delivery.

Family-identified outcomes are a key component of the IFSP document. As such, everyone on a child's team works toward meeting these specified goals, and collecting data across settings is critical. Such information helps to guide service delivery, to demonstrate that the child is making progress toward their IFSP goals and outcomes, and to determine how a child is responding to interventions. Educators readily acknowledge the importance of data, but even for those with years of experience, the process of data collection can be difficult: There may be insufficient time to collect it. Recording sheets and systems may not be appropriate for the child's goals or easy to use. Team members may collect data inconsistently with each other. (Browley & Stormont 2014; Zweig et al. 2015; Ruble et al. 2018).

Owing to the many different ways to take data, each team member should communicate early on about effective ways to gather data for their settings and purposes. Within an early childhood setting, educators can use anecdotal notes, running records, rating scales, or frequency counts (Classen & Cheatham 2015; Bates et al. 2019; Love et al. 2019). Teams should decide on the best mechanism for collecting and sharing data that will be easy, useful, and lead to information about progress toward identified outcomes. (See "Sample Data Collection Sheet" above for an example of a data recording sheet created for use in an early learning setting.)

All Team Members Have a Voice

Many effective strategies can be used when educating and caring for infants and toddlers with delays or disabilities in a variety of inclusive settings. Optimal teaming relies on shared responsibility among early interventionists, early childhood educators, administrators, and families. All team members should reach out to one another in order to appropriately support the child across daily routines and activities. (See "Resources for Professionals and Families" below for a list of resources.) All team members have a voice; when in doubt, reach out!

As Genevieve's year draws to a close, she marvels at the progress Alex has made. His communication skills are improving; he routinely engages in parallel play; he has even started identifying specific emotions and interacting more regularly with one or two particular friends from class. Alex's team continues gathering data and meeting regularly. His family remains an involved, integral part of his team.

Genevieve recalls how uncertain she was when the year began. As a new teacher, she doubted her classroom expertise and underestimated the value her voice and observations would have amid a much more experienced group of professionals. Now, she sees the integral role she played in Alex's progress. Thanks to the team's collaboration and the ongoing and consistent communication among all of its members, she ends the year knowing that she is armed with tools and support that will guide her in shaping the lives and outcomes of future students.

Resources for Professionals and Families

Policy and Position Statements

Videos and Training Materials

References

Bates, C.C., S.M. Schenck, & H.J. Hoover. 2019. "Anecdotal Records: Practical Strategies for Taking Meaningful Notes." Young Children 74 (3) 14-19.

Browley, S., & M.A. Stormont. 2014. "Investigating Reported Data Practices in Early Childhood: An Exploratory Study." Journal of Positive Behavior Intervention 16:102-111.

Classen, A., & G.A. Cheatham. 2015. "Systematic Monitoring of Young Children's Social-Emotional Competence and Challenging Behaviors." Young Exceptional Children 18(2): 29-47.

DEC (Division for Early Childhood), & NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children). 2009. Early Childhood Inclusion: A Joint Position Statement of the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Position statement.Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute.

Hart Barnett, J.E., & O'shaughnessy, K. 2015. "Enhancing Collaboration Between Occupational Therapists and Early Childhood Educators Working with Children on the Autism Spectrum." Early Childhood Education Journal 43: 467-472.

Huang, H., & K.E. Diamond. 2009. "Early Childhood Teachers' Ideas about Including Children with Disabilities in Programmes Designed for Typically Developing Children." International Journal of Disability, Development and Education 56: 169-182.

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. 2004. 20 U.S.C. § 1400.

Knoche, L., C.A. Peterson, C.P. Edwards, & H. Jeon. 2006. "Child Care for Children With and Without Disabilities: The Provider, Observer, and Parent Perspectives." Early Childhood Research Quarterly 21: 93-109.

Love, H. R., E. Horn, & Z. An. 2019. "Teaching Observational Data Collection to Early Childhood Preservice Educators." Teacher Education and Special Education 42: 297-319.

McWilliam, R.A. 2011. "The Top 10 Mistakes in Early Intervention in Natural Environments - and the Solutions." ZERO TO THREE 31 (4):11-16.

Muccio, L. S., J.K. Kidd, C.S. White, & M.S. Burns. 2014. "Head Start Instructional Professionals' Inclusion Perceptions and Practices." Topics in Early Childhood Special Education 34: 40-48.

Murata, N.M., & C.A. Tan. 2009. "Collaborative Teaching of Motor Skills for Preschoolers with Developmental Delays." Early Childhood Education Journal 36:483-489.

NPDCI (National Professional Development Center on Inclusion). 2009. Research Synthesis Points on Early Childhood Inclusion. Summary. Chapel Hill: NPDCI.

Odom, S.L., J. Vitztum, M. Wolery, J. Lieber, S. Sandall, M.J. Hanson, P. Beckman, I. Schwartz, & E. Horn. 2004. "Preschool Inclusion in the United States: A Review of Research from an Ecological Systems Perspective." Research in Special Educational Needs 4: 17-49.

Pletcher, L.C., & N.O. Younggren. 2013. The Early Intervention Workbook: Essential Practices for Quality Services. Baltimore: Brookes Publishing

Rakap, S., O. Cig, & A. Parlak‐Rakap. 2017. Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs 17 (2).

Ruble, L.A., J.H. McGrew, W.H. Wong, & K.N. Missall. 2018. "Special Education Teachers' Perceptions and Intentions Toward Data Collection." Journal of Early Intervention 40:177-191.

Vakil, S., E. Welton, B. O'Connor, & L.S. Kline. 2009. "Inclusion Means Everyone! The Role of the Early Childhood Educator when Including Young Children with Autism in the Classroom." Early Childhood Education Journal 36: 321-326.

Woods, J.J., & D.P. Lindeman. 2008. "Gathering and Giving Information with Families." Infants & Young Children 21 (4): 272-284.

Yu, S. 2019. "Head Start Teachers' Attitudes and Perceived Competence Toward Inclusion." Journal of Early Intervention 41:30-43.

Zweig, J., C.W. Irwin, J.F. Kook, & J. Cox. 2015. Data Collection and Use in Early Childhood Education Programs: Evidence from the Northeast Region (REL 2015-084). Report. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Regional Educational Laboratory Northeast & Islands. Retrieved from http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs.

Photographs: © Getty Images

Copyright © 2021 by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. See Permissions and Reprints online at NAEYC.org/resources/permissions.

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When in Doubt, Reach Out: Teaming Strategies for Inclusive Early Childhood Settings

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In this article, we will weave strategies for fostering collaboration in inclusive early childhood settings by focusing on a child with delays in the social-emotional and communication domains.

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A Guide to Supporting Special Needs Children in Preschool

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Check out our comprehensive guide for childcare providers on supporting special needs children with tailored approaches for inclusive preschool care.

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Preparing Young Children for the Inclusion of Children with Disabilities into the Classroom

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Here are some tips for making your classroom more inclusive and helping all students be successful!

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An overview of the multi-year, iterative development project to create the Project Core implementation model for teachers and classroom staff.

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IRIS: Inclusion of Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities

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IRIS: Inclusion of Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities

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This module, developed in collaboration with the TIES Center, describes the benefits of including students with significant cognitive disabilities in general education classrooms. It also offers information on how teachers can plan for and teach these students in inclusive classrooms (est. completion time: 2 hours).

TIES Center is supported primarily through a Cooperative Agreement (#H326Y170004) with the Research to Practice Division, Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education.

Work through the sections of this module in the order presented in the STAR graphic above.

Related to this module

Copyright 2023 Vanderbilt University. All rights reserved.

The IRIS Center Peabody College Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN 37203 [email protected] The IRIS Center is funded through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) Grant #H325E220001. The contents of this Website do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. Project Officer, Sarah Allen.

Copyright 2023 Vanderbilt University. All rights reserved.

* For refund and privacy policy information visit our Help & Support page.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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Inclusion of Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities: Supports in the General Education Classroom

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This module, developed in collaboration with the TIES Center, describes the benefits of including students with significant cognitive disabilities in general education classrooms. It also offers information on how teachers can plan for and teach these students in inclusive classrooms (est. completion time: 2 hours).

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CONNECT: Foundations of Inclusion | DEC Explore

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This course is intended to introduce you to the basics of inclusion and the rights and supports for children and teachers in early childhood education, and…

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Maine Roads to Quality: Request for Technical Assistance

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Maine Roads to Quality: Request for Technical Assistance

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5 Tools to Make Aided Language Input Easier

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5 Tools to Make Aided Language Input Easier

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If you've been following our blog, you know that we consider aided language input to be a pivotal skill for any SLP working with a client who uses AAC. You can read more about aided language input on our earlier posts, but the shorthand version is this...
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People learning AAC need to see/hear competent models of their AAC system frequently. As a clinician, you have to 'speak AAC' by using their communication tools or a reasonable facsimile.

The more WE use the communication boards, books, SGDs, and apps, the more the learner will, too. Sometimes, your finger is all you need. But what if you have a poster-sized wall mounted AAC display that you are using to 'talk'? What if the AAC learner needs some help to notice what you are doing? Here are some tools that can help.
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1. Maglite or Laser Pointer (used with safe practice guidelines): These are great tools for extending your reach literally and figuratively. Point and highlight for a great 'no contact' means of drawing attention to symbols and messages that you are saying.

2. Squeakers and Noisemakers: When kids are distracted, sometimes a little sound will get their attention. I sometimes hide a tiny squeaker in the palm of my hand and squeeze it as I am pointing if the learner needs some help staying focused. On a good day, the little squeak is just enough to get us back on track. I sneak them out of toys and novelty items we no longer want and recycle them for this purpose. Experiment with the sound your squeakers make: too loud or the wrong pitch can cause more problems than they solve.

3. Word Wands: Teachers use word wands like these or f ly swatters with holes cut in the middle to help their students focus on a particular letter or word. We've co-opted this idea and have even used it to help little ones just learning to use eye gaze SGDs.
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4. Thematic Pointers: Use pencil toppers, like the ones shown here, to keep things interesting AND give learners an opportunity to choose the pointer for the session. If you're crafty and want to make your own pointers from dowels, here's a DIY video from the folks at ChildCareLand. Need more ideas? Check out this Pinterest Board by Julie Brown.

5. Finger Puppets: Like pencil toppers, you can find a lot of inexpensive finger puppets to slip on and use when you are doing aided language input. We love the added bonus of these tools: a ready opportunity for the learner to choose which one you should wear.
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Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking

Tagged With: aided language input

This post was written by Carole Zangari

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5 Tools to Make Aided Language Input Easier

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If you've been following our blog, you know that we consider aided language input to be a pivotal skill for any SLP working with a client who uses AAC. You can read more about aided language input on our earlier posts, but the shorthand version is this...

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Video: Ideas for modeling during literacy

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Video: Ideas for modeling during literacy

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Language learning occurs in steps. As a communication partner, you are crucial to helping your child develop language and communication. You model language f…

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Core Word of the Week Planners

The AssistiveWare Core Word Classroom has planners that can help you give your classrooms the WOW factor! The Core Word of the Week Planners are specifically designed to support teams in modeling a set of core words throughout the day, across all activities. Used in conjunction with the Core Word of the Week Displays - printable displays that show the location of the core words - you can get core words happening with WOW!

Like many of our resources in the AssistiveWare Core Word Classroom, we focus on the 3W's - the words, whys and ways. And while in the Core Word of the Week Planner, the WORD is more obvious, it is still important to use that word to communicate for different reasons (whys) and to combine that word with other words to communicate in different ways.

We currently have 30 different core words (or pairs of words such as here & there, in & out), and have plans to expand to more core words in time. We have an even mix of pronouns, verbs/actions, describing words, questions and prepositions, all of which are highly functional core words. The words are chosen based on the core words used to create the Proloquo2Go Crescendo Core Word vocabulary.

What will you find in a Core Word of the Week Planner?

Each Core Word of the Week Planner consists of the following four categories: - Whys & Ways table - Specific grammar - Extension ideas - Literacy suggestions You can find an explanation of each below. Download the Core Word Planner for "Like"(PDF) as an example of what a Core Word Planner looks like. On the AssistiveWare Core Word Classroom you can find more Core Word Planners.

Whys & Ways Table

This table gives suggestions for ways to model the core words to your students. These ways are split into the different reasons to communicate, or whys. Sentences are in order of increasing length and complexity, to give you ideas you can use with students of different language skill levels.

For example, in the "different" Core Word of the Week Planner, the suggestions in the "Asking for Information" cell start with a simple "what is different?" and end with a six word sentence:

What is different?

Where is the different one?

Who wants a different one?

Why is it different?

How is this different from that?

When can we do something different?

Specific grammar

This section gives you some specific ideas for how you may support the grammatical learning of the core word for those students that are ready, eg. teaching past tense of "go" > "went".

Extension ideas

Extension ideas give you some extra ideas you may like to try to extend language and create more opportunities to model the core word/s throughout the day.

Literacy suggestions

We also have given some brief starting points and suggestions for extending the activity to include a literacy component. The suggestions are not comprehensive and you should use alongside your current comprehensive literacy program.

Getting started with Core of the Week Planners

Explore the Whys & Ways table to help you in planning your modeling. Use copy/paste to grab sentences you want to be sure to use with your students. You can make a cheat sheet for your classroom staff in this way. You can choose between making a single cheat sheet for use with all your students, or a customized sheet for each teacher or aide with whys & ways that target the specific needs of the group of students they will be working with.

Explore the Extension ideas to find suggestions to extend use of the words of the week throughout the day.

Explore the Literacy suggestions and remember that literacy is the ultimate AAC, as it allows you to say anything without waiting for someone to program in the words! Every student can benefit from literacy instruction, regardless of the level of literacy they eventually reach.

Core Word of the Week Displays

These Displays were designed to support a Core Word of the Week approach, by giving you printable and easy to read posters that can be displayed prominently in the classroom and around the school. They could even be shared with parents for use at home!

Page 1 of the WOW Display provides visuals, with both the symbol for the core word, as well as showing where the word can be found on the Proloquo2Go Crescendo core word board. If you are using a different AAC system, you could take a screen capture of your core word screen to create a similar page to this.

Page 2 of the WOW Display, provides sentence examples for using the target core word. These have been organised into 3 main communication functions:

Needs & Wants (eg. like it, like that, not like, I would like to __, etc)

Giving/Getting Information (eg. you like it, what like?, he will like, etc.)

Social Interaction (eg. I like to see you, etc.)

Not sure?

Are you not sure what approach to take for teaching and modeling core words? Do you teach the core words within an activity, or teach a core word of the week? While there is no right or wrong, we will be sharing some things to think about and consider in an upcoming blog. Keep an eye out for it!

Join the AssistiveWare Core Word Classroom now!

Our Core Word of the Week Planners are loaded with ideas, and ready to help you to teach and model core words all day, everyday! Why not join up and try them out today?

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Wonderful (Core) Words of the Week - AssistiveWare

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AssistiveWare's SLPs Amanda and Jennifer look at the Core Word of the Week Planners, one of the resources of the AssistiveWare Core Word Classroom, which help with focused modeling and teaching of a specific core word.

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Free online AAC training: Smartbox Academy

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Free online AAC training: Smartbox Academy

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Free online training in AAC and Grid with Smartbox Academy

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Smartbox Academy includes short courses, to get the most out of Grid AAC.

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Free online AAC training: PRC-Saltillo AAC Learning Journey

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Free online AAC training: PRC-Saltillo AAC Learning Journey

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‘Whether you’re a clinician, educator, family member or caregiver, we’ve got the training and education you need to help your AAC communicators.’

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Free online AAC training: the AAC Learning Center (webcasts, modules)

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Free online AAC training: the AAC Learning Center (webcasts, modules)

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Free AAC online training: Tobii Dynavox Learning Hub

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Free AAC online training: Tobii Dynavox Learning Hub

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TalentLMS - Cloud based, Lean Learning Platform with an Emphasis on Usability and Easy Course Creation

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Free online AAC training: Stepping into AAC

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Free online AAC training: Stepping into AAC

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Angelman Syndrome Foundation

https://angelman.org › resources › stepping-into-aac

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Stepping into AAC - Angelman Syndrome Foundation

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This article will give a brief summary of each of the teaching techniques listed in the figure above.

More detailed information can be found here:

7 Key Literacy Strategies

1. Shared Reading (Emergent)

Shared Reading is used to introduce emergent readers to reading. In shared reading, the focus is on interaction, as we model language, conversation, and how books "work". In the process, we help AAC users learn how to engage with books in an enjoyable and more conventional way.

Ideas for shared reading with emergent learners:

Comment about the story and pictures as you read.

Ask open-ended questions or pause to invite a comment in return.

Model key words using AAC.

Pay attention to the text as well as the pictures. Point to key words in the text while reading, and use your finger to show how you read from left to right.

Find books with repetition, with topics that are high interest.

2. Guided Reading (Conventional)

Guided Reading teaches AAC users to focus on getting particular information from a text. It sets a purpose for the reading, before the reading begins.

Ideas for guided reading with conventional readers:

Picture walk: talk about the pictures before reading the text. Make guesses about what the story is about, who the characters are, etc.

Always read for a purpose. For example: Choose your favorite page. Make predictions about the stories.

Read the same story multiple times, for a different purpose each time.

Find interesting words in the text - What does the word mean? What are some different words that mean the same thing? What is the first sound, the last sound?

After reading the text use sticky labels to cover particular words e.g. core words/ describing words/ verbs. Work with students to figure out the missing words.

Find Tar Heel readers to share with the class, print/share on iPads/interactive whiteboard.

Predictive or inferential questions that can be discussed with each repeated reading include:

What will happen if ____?

What will happen next?

What happened before the story?

How did the characters feel?

What do the characters think?

What other things could the character say?

Why will ____ happen?

Why wouldn't ___ happen?

How do you think ____ happened?

How did that happen?

Think of a different way the story could end

3. Independent Reading (Emergent and Conventional)

All literacy learners need time to select their own books and read independently. For some learners, this may mean flipping through a book to look at the pictures. For others, it may be books on computer or in an iPad app. Learners should have a wide range of books to choose from, and should be allowed to pick their own reading material.

4. Shared Writing (Emergent)

Shared writing is a scaffolded group activity for emergent writers, where we can select the structure of what will be written and then we "think aloud" to model the writing process. Each AAC user contributes a line, using their AAC system.

Predictable chart writing is the most common form of shared writing.

For more information, see Jane Farrall's blog post on Predictable Chart Writing and The Center for Literacy and Disability Studies handout on Predictable Chart Writing.

5. Independent Writing (Emergent and Conventional)

All AAC users should have frequent opportunities every day to write using the alphabet for real purposes. This means not just tracing letters or practicing writing their name on a worksheet, but writing to accomplish a real purpose. Some examples may include: signing into a activity, writing a story, a letter, a poem, a schedule, rewriting or adding to a favorite book. Most students who use AAC have difficulty forming letters with a pencil, and will need some form of alternative pencil to access the alphabet. This can be a keyboard page that is part of their AAC system, or some other alphabet display. For more information on different alternative keyboards visit the instructional resources section of the DLM website.

For more information, see Jane Farrall's blog post on Writing, and Writing Strategies used at Willans Hill School.

Another important strategy for beginning writers, is to give informative feedback for AAC users who are not yet conventional spellers. First, we set the topic for the writing assignment. Let the AAC user access his or her alternative pencil to write about the topic. Then give informative feedback to help the AAC user make connections between the letters he has chosen and the content of the picture. See this video for more information about informative feedback.

In addition to writing with the alphabet, AAC users also need experience writing using the vocabulary in their AAC system. This can allow AAC learners to work on higher-level literacy and language skills such as syntax and verb tenses and using language for communication. Not all writing needs to be done with the alphabet.

Ideas for Independent Writing:

Use Pictello to write your own books using text, photos and videos

Sentence expansion - add describing words in front of nouns in sentences

Text innovation - Make vocabulary changes to the text to make variations to the text, eg. Baa Baa Green sheep

Write text, with the purpose of sending a letter, email, invitation

Write books, with the purpose of sharing with family, friends, other classes at school, etc.

Write lists, to organize class activities, e.g. shopping lists, list of people to invite, books to read, activities for free time, favorite things, etc.

Write treasure hunts

Write riddles; describe items and people have to guess

Change one word in a written sentence - make the sentence have the same meaning, OR an opposite meaning

Write Acrostic poems

Write cartoons - with speech bubbles - write what characters would say to each other

Share writing attempts on class whiteboard to give immediate feedback about the writing

Use graphic organizers to talk about and plan what you want to write before starting

Make word clouds (www.wordclouds.com)

Use word webs to write brainstorming ideas about topics

6. Letter and Sound Awareness

All AAC users benefit from increasing their knowledge of letters and letter sounds. Emergent learners need to develop their knowledge of individual letter names and sounds, and conventional learners need to develop knowledge of syllables, separating words into sounds, and onset and rime.

For more information, see Jane Farrall's blog posts on teaching and learning the alphabet, and working with letters and sounds.

Ideas for Letter and Sound Awareness:

Read and write alphabet books

Vote or make choices with letters - when offering a choice between two options, use Post-It notes with the initial letter of each choice (e.g. "c for cookie or d for donut?")

Play with letters in a variety of fonts and forms (puzzles, cookie cutters, magnets, light up drawing boards...)

Sort pictures or objects according to what sound they start with

Play "I Spy, something starting with __" (use sound or letter name).

Identify different length words from the text/activity, and break the words into syllables. Clap and/or count the "beats" or syllables in each word.

Break words into their sounds. Count the number of sounds in the words.

Find words that rhyme within the text/activity.

7. Spelling - Working with Words

As students become able to identify letters and the sounds they make, it's time to start putting those letters together to spell words.

For more information, see Jane Farrall's blog post on working with letters and sounds.
Ideas for Working with Words:

Word walls and Making words

Choose key words in the text (e.g. characters, high frequency words, core words), and have students identify first and/or last sounds in words

Pick top 5 core words and focus on spelling and letters in these words

Spell sets of word families (rhyming words), see Jane Farrall's blog post on word families.

Take key words from the text/activity and make up as many rhyming words as possible

Build literacy skills

Developing literacy skills is crucial for all learners. AAC users, given time, the right tools and teaching strategies, can also acquire these essential literacy skills. It is important that comprehensive literacy instruction is integrated alongside AAC learning. Together these will build language for the AAC user, to give them powerful and independent communication.

Follow the links below for more strategies to build language and communication:

Go to the AssistiveWare Core Word Classroom. All Core word planners contain a section on how to integrate some literacy instruction within different activities.

Links & References

AssistiveWare Core Word Classroom. (2016). Core Word Planners. [Literacy suggestions within each Core word planner]

Center for Literacy and Disability Studies. [Website]

Center of Literacy and Disability Studies. Dynamic Learning Maps. [Website]

Center of Literacy and Disability Studies. Dynamic Learning Maps Professional Development modules. [Learning modules]

Center of Literacy and Disability Studies. Project Core. [Website]

Center of Literacy and Disability Studies. Tar Heel Reader. [Website]

Edmonton Regional Learning Consortium. (2016). Literacy Instruction for students with significant disabilities. [Website]

Erickson, K. (2017). Comprehensive literacy instruction, interprofessional collaborative practice, and students with severe disabilities. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 26, 193-205. doi: 10.1044/2017_AJSLP-15-0067

Erickson, K. & Koppenhaver, D. (2020) Comprehensive Literacy for All: Teaching Children with Significant Disabilities to Read and Write. Baltimore, MD: Brookes

Farrall, Jane. Literacy, AAC and Assistive Technology. [Website]

Farrall, Jane.(2015). Shared Reading: Focus on Interaction. [Blogpost]

Farrall, Jane. Guided Reading. [Blogpost]

Farrall, Jane. (2015). Self-selected reading for every learner. [Blogpost]

Farrall, Jane. Comprehensive Literacy. [Website]

Koppenhaver & Erickson.(2007). Children with Disabilities: Reading and Writing the Four-Blocks® Way.

Musselwhite, Caroline & Sheldon, Erin. [2015]. Reading as Communication: Selecting books, Angelman Syndrome Foundation. [Video]

Willans Hill Literacy. [YouTube channel]

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Our products support literacy development. This article gives advice and strategies on how to integrate communication alongside literacy for AAC users.

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“I Like” Predictable Chart Writing: Using Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) and Project Core – Speak For Yourself AAC

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If you’ve been following along, we’ve been talking about emergent literacy. This is the third post about using augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) with Speak for Yourself and Project Core. If you’re just jumping in, you may want to start from the first post.

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We are pleased to have a return visit from special educators Lauren Pawlowski and Amy Devin with ideas for supporting AAC learners in the classroom. Amy and Lauren, who work in the public school system in Michigan , taught in resource rooms for years and have been teaching in self‐contained ASD elementary classrooms since 2009. At that time, there were few classrooms who were integrating core language instruction, but they didn't let that stop them. Currently, they use manual communication boards, large instructional core boards, and individual AAC devices with their students. They are passionate literacy teachers and, in today's post, tell us about their approach to shared reading lessons. Their video is chock full of tips to help you make these lessons successful. Enjoy!

Shared Reading: It's Not What They Know, It's What They THINK!

Happy Fall AAC users and facilitators! This month we would like to share some of our tips for stimulating language responses in shared reading. Shared reading is one of our favorite activities to engage our learners in to get a glimpse at what they are thinking about. So many of our learners are excellent labelers. If they have any literacy experience, it commonly looks like this, "Where's the red balloon? Point to the red balloon." These are basic directional commands about a picture. This is NOT the type of interaction we find useful for learners to understand text concepts or even engage in text in a meaningful way. Shared Reading is not a question and answer session for our learners. Our goal is language! What we want to do is help them make connections to the text, increase language, think about how text works, to engage in books and love being read to. We have five simple strategies that we have found to be helpful in guiding our learners through the process of shared reading.

You know your kids. Pick books that you know are high interest to your learners. These should be books with limited text at first. You don't want to lose them in the language before you even start. Different books motivate different learners. Make sure you are using a variety of texts and genres to ensure that you have reached every learner. Put enough of yourself into the reading of the book so that learners are going to WANT to be a part of it. If you are not passionate about reading, your learners won't be either.

In shared reading it is essential to make a comment on every page and invite responses from your learners with each comment. This is very different from guided reading where interrupting the text on every page would inhibit comprehension. Remember our goal of Shared Reading is engagement and language, not Q& A and labeling. One way to get yourself ready is to use sticky notes to decide what you are going to comment about on each page using core "It go up!" "I like." Having this ahead of time ensures that you are using a variety of core words in your comments and that students are seeing good modeling. Beware of using same or similar comments on every page, as many learners pick those phrases up and do not learn how to use language flexibly.

Use core to help scaffold language. When a learner gives you one word, push for two. If a learner says "car!" you can help them expand their MLU (mean length utterance) to "car go" or "car stop." You can use visual space holders for words to show your learners you need another word.

Two of our favorite phrases in our classroom are "Tell me more," followed by "Something different." Tell me more indicates to our learners that we EXPECT more and know that they are capable. Something different lets them know they can't repeat the same word or initial response. They also cannot repeat us, or the person before them with the same comment. We want authentic thought and to know how THEY are connecting to the text.

Your Shared Reading experience may lead you down a rabbit hole you had no intention of visiting. Jump in! Some of our best Shared Reading experiences with our learners were student led. Honor every response. A learner may say "mom" and you may not see a mom in the book, but you can assume competency and attribute meaning to that comment. "Yes, maybe mom packed their lunch." This honors all of their responses and makes every learner successful.

We hope these strategies are helpful in incorporating core into a shared reading model. It can be awkward at first, as you are learning the locations of core words and switching the mind frame of shared reading being a time to make comments and connections. We promise that the more you do shared reading with core, the better you will get; and more importantly, the more competent your learners will get as well. Happy reading!

You can see some of their earlier posts here.

This post was written by Carole Zangari

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PrAACtical Teaching in the ASD Classroom: Shared Reading

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We are pleased to have a return visit from special educators Lauren Pawlowski and Amy Devin with ideas for supporting AAC learners in the classroom. Amy and Lauren, who work in the public school sy...

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Shared reading is a collaborative learning activity that emulates and builds on the bedtime book experiences that many children and parents have together. The focus during shared reading is on the …

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Kate Ahern: Literacy and Learners with CCN Using UFLI - AAC in the Cloud 2023 Conference

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. Part of the conference, AAC in the Cloud 2023 Conference.