Site of the Month: Miami Dade County PreKindergarten Program for Children with Disabilities

These days, there are so many wonderful websites for resources and AAC-related information that sometimes it is hard to remember where to look. When I decided to feature some of my favorite sites, I wanted to start with a site that has been helping SLPs, teachers, and families for a long time. The website for preschool special education program at Miami Dade County Public Schools has been a ‘go-to’ resources for many years. The AT team, which serves over 200 preK classrooms, has evolved over the years, but what has not changed is their commitment to helping children learn to communicate.

If you work with little ones, you may want to spend some time exploring their site. Here are some of the AAC-related highlights to get you started.

Implementing AAC in the Preschool Classroom

1. Using the daily routine as a framework
2. Motivating messages
3. Modeling  AAC
4. Using cues and wait time
   
5. Using a prompt hierarchy
6. Building empowerment, initiative and ownership
7. Providing f eedback
8. Using Sabotage
9. Keeping materials accessible
10. Symbol systems

Boardmaker Downloads

1. Activity Specific
2. Language Activities
3. Behavioral and Social
4. Lunch/Snack
5. BELL Shared Reading
6. Nursery Rhymes
7. BELL Phonological Awareness
8. Planning and Recall
9. Boardmaker PLUS Activities
10. Prop Box Play
11. Cheap talk 8 Activities
12. Recipes
13. Cheap talk 8 Daily Routine
14. Schedules and Routines
15. Cheap talk 8 Songs and Stories
16. Signs and Posters
17. Choice boards
18. Songboards
19. Fieldtrips
20. Spanish boards
21. Flipchart
22. Story Symbols
23. Home and Family
24. Tech Speak Overlays
25. Interactive Storybooks
26. Toy Bin Boards

Using Different AAC Tools

1. Picture communication boards
2. Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)
3. Single message SGD
4. Sequenced messaged SGD
5. Multi message SGD (with levels)
6. Dynamic screen SGD