Confused by AAC? Ten SLP Resources for AAC Beginners
You have a student in one of your classes that just goat a brand new AAC device and you panic because you don’t know what to do.
So you google it, read the device manual and maybe even contact the manufacturer. You figure out how to turn it on, maneuver through the screens and maybe even how to program some new buttons.
But how do you get the student to use it? What do you work on first? How do you get buy in from the adults in the student’s life?
Sound familiar?
That was me a few years ago.
Since then I’ve taken a lot of courses and done quite a bit of research. Honestly, at first it was overwhelming.
If you’re feeling that way don’t worry. I’ve put together ten quick resources to help you get started.
Quick start ideas:
http://beautifulspeechlife.com/2016/06/three-tips-to-aac-like-a-boss/
http://beautifulspeechlife.com/2016/06/used-core-vocabulary-get-results-true-story/
For long term learning and growth follow these excellent blogs:
Follow Susan Berkowitz’ award winning blog: Kidzlearnlanguage
Dr. Carole Zangari’s award winning blog: Praactical AAC
Follow these Pinterest boards for a wealth of ideas:
Susan Berkowitz Pinterest Board
Lauren Ender’s Pinterest Boards
To get familiar with terminology:
KidzlearnLanguageĀ AAC 101
For getting started teaching Core Vocabulary:
http://beautifulspeechlife.com/2017/01/doesnt-need-perfect-eight-ways-put-fun-functional-communication/
These are just a few things to hopefully make navigating all the information a bit less overwhelming.
Remember, you don’t have to do it all at once.
Choose some small strategy you can implement right away and build on it.
Great post!! Thanks so much for your tips. AAC can be confusing š