5 Ways to Use Sequenced Message SGDs and Apps

We’ve been having fun with sequenced message communicators and apps this summer. Yes, they’ve been around for a long time, but that doesn’t mean we use them to capacity. You just can’t beat those simple technologies for flexibility and ease of use. Here are some of the things we’ve been trying out.

1. Say hello: Record a variety of age appropriate greetings so that each time the AAC learner uses it, they greet their peers in different ways (e.g., Teen: “What’s up? Hey, how’s it going? Lookin’ good! Nice to see ya! Hey, what’s goin’ on?”).

2. Get the group’s attention: Allow AAC learners to help get their classmates’ attention (e.g., “Listen up, everyone! Mrs. Martinez has something to say”. “Hey, room 113-Mrs. M is ready for us to move on.” “Eyes forward, room 113.”).

3. Give instructions: Record steps to an activity so that the AAC learner can give instructions to the group (e.g., First, get out your markers and scissors. Color all the triangles blue and the circles red. Then cut along the lines. Get a glue stick and paste the shapes on your journal page.”)

4. Interrupt: If learners are going to interrupt, at least they can do it appropriately. Consider recording messages like ‘excuse me,’ ‘sorry to bother you,’ or ‘can I interrupt?’

5. Bid for a conversational turn: Conversations often move so quickly that people who use AAC don’t have as much time as they need to share their thoughts or opinions. It’s not a perfect solution, but one way to get help them participate in those discussions is by recording some messages that they can use quickly to get attention appropriately and buy some time to convey a more thoughtful message (e.g., “That’s interesting.” “I have a thought on that.” “I have something to say.” “Can I tell you what I was thinking?”).