Customizing AAC Tools with Stepping into AAC (Weeks 6-8)

Have you been following our series on using Stepping Into AAC as an on-ramp to start an AAC journey or reboot one that has stalled out? 

• Post 1 – A PrAACtical Guide to Stepping into AAC
• Post 2 – Starting a Journey with Stepping into AAC
• Post 3 – Building a Foundation with Stepping into AAC (Weeks 2-5)

In today’s post, we step away from some of the foundational concepts and early practices in AAC to take a little detour. Up until now, we’ve focused on using a communication board with generic high-frequency words that align with popular AAC programs such as Proloquo, Wordpower, Project Core, and others. For the next three weeks, we will focus on ways to customize these communication boards to better meet the needs of individual AAC learners.

Week 6 – Adding words that are relevant to your AAC learner

During Week 6, you’ll learn about ways to customize the communication board by adding words that make it more meaningful, interesting, and relevant to your AAC learner. You’ll add fringe vocabulary using a template we created that matches the communication board you selected in Week 1. You have the option of modifying it electronically and printing out the new page(s), or getting crafty and doing it with paper, scissors, and glue. Either way, you’ll have a ‘new-and-improved’ version of the communication tool you can use as you engage with your AAC learner throughout the day. 

Week 7 – Making adjustments to accommodate motor challenges

Does your AAC learner have trouble pointing to the small pictures on their communication boards? This week is all about how to make adjustments to allow them to overcome that barrier and communicate successfully with the AAC tool you have chosen. AAC can be used successfully by used by individuals with motor limitations, even if they are quite significant. Tune into Week 7 as we walk through the options and help you adjust your tools and routines. 

Week 8 – Customizing communication tools to support vision and other access difficulties

During this week, you will explore additional factors that impact a communicator’s ability to access AAC tools. You’ll learn how muscle tone, motor coordination, positioning of the learner and their AAC, core stability, and visual-motor coordination can impact AAC use and how we can better support individuals with these challenges.

Thanks for following along the Stepping into AAC series. Next time, we’ll focus on using AAC in daily life experiences. See you then!