AAC Implementation: Where Do I Start?
This post title poses a very good question. If this is something you or someone you know has ever asked - please read a great post by Heidi LoStracco, MS, CCC-SLP on the Speak For Yourself AAC blog. The first few paragraphs are included below. Read the entire article, HERE.
You have a nonverbal child who is depending on you to find him/her a way to communicate. Whether you are a parent or a speech-language pathologist (SLP), that’s a lot of pressure, and the stakes are high. You take the responsibility seriously. You have an Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) app or device. If you’ve decided an app is the best fit, you have an iPad dedicated to the child’s communication. You have a case with amplification. You have the AAC app downloaded. You’ve been following thePrAACtical AAC blogs, Lauren Enders’ Pinterest and Facebook page, and you’ve joined theSpeak for Yourself Users Group . Regardless of the communication system you’re using, these are all good AAC resources.
You have tried other systems and strategies with the child, and they haven’t worked or they’re not enough. You keep telling yourself that this time it has to be different. Communication is the key to access all of the child’s other goals successfully…appropriate behavior, the ability to express cognition, academic progress, peer relationships, and independence. The excitement that comes with starting something new is accompanied by its faithful sidekick…the fear of failure. Kick him to the curb, take a deep breath, and make the decision to get started. Now, what do you do? Where do you start?
I’ve been coming across this question frequently, so I’ve decided to outline some of the first things that we do when we are starting to introduce AAC. We don’t have a system that we follow exactly because everyone is different, but there are some things that we do pretty consistently.
Read the entire article on Speak For Yourself AAC, HERE!
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