How to structure AAC Therapy
You have your AAC device, and you're ready to get started. But just by looking at it, you feel overwhelmed and have no idea where to begin. Take a deep breath, because I'm here to tell you that integrating AAC into your daily routines and activities doesn't have to be daunting. Let's break it down together.
First things first…
Language support is language support and AAC is the TOOL we use to support language
Language strategies and support:
We're going to start with the language strategies we already know and love—things like wait time, attributing meaning, building connection, and expansion. We are then going to pick vocabulary that is most relevant to the individual. As you develop your activities, think about what the individual enjoys. Then pull in the AAC support and use it to enhance your language input and provide them an opportunity for language output.
Setting goals:
While there may be specific goals related to the device itself (operational, strategic, etc.) our ultimate objective is to build language skills. That could be gaining attention, requesting, protesting, or sharing preferences. These are goals we are familiar with and we can use AAC to support them. Even for more advanced language learners, like those working on grammar or storytelling, the core objectives remain the same—we're just adding a support line, like "with their AAC device" or "using communication supports" into the goal.
Example:
Let's say you have a 3-year-old who loves playing in a toy kitchen. Your goals might include building expressive language to gain attention, comment on activities, and self-advocate. During play kitchen time, you can use the AAC device to comment ("hot," "yummy," "gross"), self-advocate ("help open," "get that," "turn on"), and gain attention ("hey look," "Miss Lauren"). You use strategies like wait time, attributing meaning, expanding, and honoring all communication.
It won’t be perfect, sometimes you might miss an opportunity to use AAC, or you might get stuck and can't find the right words. That's all part of the learning process. The interaction might slow down a bit to accommodate the AAC support, but ultimately, communication looks the same.
Take AACtion
Consider what the individual likes to do.
Define your communication goals.
Determine what vocabulary you can share during the session to meet those goals.
Choose a strategy to focus on today.
Answer these four question and you've essentially built a lesson plan. Looking for a handout to walk you through this? I have you covered! Click below to download your free resource.