An introduction to AAC for staff, teachers and SLPs working in a variety of special education settings.

1. A Recipe for AAC
in the Classroom
“Begin with the End in Mind” Stephen Covey

2. Who are we?
Rebecca Conrow MA CCC-SLP
*Early Intervention Speech- Language
Pathologist
*Over 10 yrs. of experience in
medical and educational settings
helping people of all ages with
complex communication needs find
their voices.
*Areas of special interest include:
AAC, feeding/nutrition, ASD
Victoria Simon Berg MA CCC-SLP
*Early Intervention Speech-Language
Pathologist
*For more than 30 years Victoria has
worked with families and young children
in home, school and clinic environments
to address significant communication
delays and disorders.
*Areas of special interest include: ASD,
childhood motor speech disorders,
Hanen parent trainings, AAC

3. Take Away:
● Knowledge of AAC assessment and
tool selection process
● Familiarity with a range of AAC options
● Ability to state at least 3 examples of students
initiating communication using AAC
● Understanding the difference between visual
aids/supports and AAC
● Recognition that there is no prerequisite for AAC

4. Learning the Lingo

5. Words to Know
*AAC
*Low vs. High Tech
*VOCA; SGD
*Dynamic vs Static Display
*Switch (access and/ communication)
*SETT process

6. Words to Know ...
*Feature Match
*Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
* Symbolic representation
* Aided Language Stimulations
* Core vs Fringe vocabulary
*Object, TOBI, Photo, Picture, Sign,
Word

7. What are we going to bake? What
are the ingredients we need, the
materials and the steps to bake it?
How do we know what we want the
students to be able to do?
-GOALS
-CLASSROOM CURRICULUM
-STATE STANDARDS
-DEVELOPMENTAL NORMS
-TYPICAL PEER ACTIVITIES

8. Communication
Tasks

9. Universal Design for Learning

10. Engineering Environments
Dig in the back of your pantry...Search your classroom lots
of work has been done in this area at SBCEO
Carol Goossen’s, Sharon Sapp Crain
and Pamela S. Elder coined this term
in the early 1990’s.
It means embedding
augmentative communication
into the classroom in a way
that ensures that students
have access to opportunities
for communication.

11. What does UDL mean for preschool
Universal design for learning is not a single approach
that will accommodate everyone; rather, it refers to
providing multiple approaches to
learning in order to meet the needs of diverse
learners. Information is provided to children in a variety
of ways so the learning needs of all of the children are
To that end, the California preschool learning foundations incorporate a concept
known as universal design for learning.Developed by the
Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST), universal design
The California
preschool learning
foundations are guides
to support preschool programs in
their efforts to foster the learning
and development of all young
children in California, including
children who have disabilities.
for learning is based on the understanding that
children learn in different ways (CAST 2007).
met. Children are allowed to use
alternative methods to show
what they know or what they
are feeling. Children also are given
choices for activities so that
learning is based on children’s
interests.
In some cases, children with disabilities will need
to use alternate methods for
showing their development.
It is important that preschool programs provide
opportunities to follow different pathways to
learning in the preschool foundations in order to
make them helpful for all of California’s children.
The examples given in the preschool learning
foundations have been worded in such a way as
to incorporate multiple means of receiving and
expressing. This has been accomplished by the
inclusion of a variety of examples for each
Teachers should read each foundation and the
foundation and the use of words that
are inclusive rather than
exclusive, as follows:
accompanying examples, then consider
the means by which a child
with a disability might best
acquire information and
demonstrate competence in
these areas. A child’s special education teacher,
parents, or related service provider may be
contacted for consultation and suggestions.
The terms “identifies” and “indicates or points to” are often used to represent
multiple means of indicating objects, people, or
events in the environment. Examples include, among other means of
indicating, the use of gestures, eye-pointing, nodding, or responding “yes” or
“no” when another points to or touches an object.
http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cd/re/psfoundationsvol1intro.asp
The terms “communicates” and “responds” are
often used rather than the term “says.”
“Communicates” and
“responds” are inclusive of
any language and any form
of communication, including
speaking, sign language, finger spelling, pictures,
electronic communication devices, eye-pointing,
gesturing, and so forth.

12. Too many cooks...Never!
The team approach AAC … you can’t go it alone
We all have unique roles
and responsibilities
“AAC is a multidisciplinary
field that requires skills that
transcend the typical discipline specific training
received by speech-language pathologists,
physical therapists, occupational therapists, educators, and other
professionals who may serve on the AAC team.” ASHA, 2002.

13. You may have more than one role

14. Ready SETT Go...
The SETT
Joy Zabala
What we know
What we need to know

15. Student (the ingredients he brings)
★ Home environment
★ Demographics (age gender siblings etc)
★ Medical needs
★ Physical abilities
★ Current mode of communication
★ Likes and dislikes
★ Communication Matrix

16. Communication Bill of Rights
1992 (National Joint Committee for the Communication Needs of Persons with
Severe Disabilities)(ASHA)
To be given
real choices
To say no and
reject choices
To ask for what I want
To share my feelings
To be heard and
responded to even if the
answer is no
To have and use my
speech system all the
time
To be taught how to
communicate
To be communicated
with in a sensitive
manner
To be spoken to not
about
To be treated with
respect and dignity
To be a full and equal
member of my community
To ask and know about
my schedule and world
To ask for and get
attention and
interaction

17. “Assume that a child has
intellectual ability, provide
opportunities to be exposed to
learning, assume the child wants
to learn and assert him or herself
in the word”-Dr. Douglas Biklen
Professor: winner of the UNESCO/Emir Jaber al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah Prize to
promote Quality Education for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities.

18. …..Its more than just a nice idea
The question is no longer
who can be included or
who can learn, but
how can we achieve inclusive education.
We begin by presuming competence.
Douglas Biklen Dean of the School of Education
Syracuse University
To not presume competence is to assume
that some individuals
cannot learn,
develop,
or participate in the world.
Presuming competence is nothing
less than a Hippocratic oath (do no
harm) for educators.
It is a framework that says, approach each child
as
wanting to be fully included,
wanting acceptance and appreciation,
wanting to learn,
wanting to be heard,
wanting to contribute.
By presuming competence,
educators place the burden on
themselves
to come up with ever more
creative, innovative ways for
individuals to learn.

19. Environment
another key ingredient
● Primary interaction partners
● Positioning and location of the student
● Equipment/materials/technology supports
available in each classroom environment
● What are current modifications?
● What does student need to see and hear?
● How are instruction and direction delivered
and transitions accomplished?

20. Task
(Baking a cake)
-Gathering ingredients (content), accessing tools/ utensils
-What does the student need to communicate to access
his/her curriculum to participate in the classroom routines
and meet his goals?
- Both receptive and expressive tasks

21. Tools
*Feature match
*App Chart
STEP 1: Based on S-E-T data, enter descriptors or functions needed by the student
across the shaded top row - 1 descriptor per column
STEP 2: Enter promising tools in the shaded left column - 1 tool per row
STEP 3: For each tool, note matches with descriptors and functions to help guide
discussion of devices and services
USE ADDITIONAL SHEETS IF NECESSARY
Descriptors
Tools

22. High vs Low tech
1
-SGD/VOCA
-TOBI and objects
making supports both expressive
and receptive
-visual supports vs. expressive
communication
-Static vs Dynamic
2
3

23. Taste Test
-Trial 3 AAC approaches and
document the results
-Assessment is ongoing as the
student needs communication
expectations change and grow

24. Accessing Tools
-In House resources : SLPs and OT; AT
Committee; AT inventory; low
incidence funds
-Community resources: AT network,
Loaner devices from companies,
grants, service clubs, crowd funding.

25. IEP process and AAC
Assessment: work with your team to
determine formal/ informal and need for
assessment plan
Present levels: communication section
Special factors: when to check yes
considerations checklist
AT Consideration Checklist
Low incidence: Does your student have
access to low incidence equipment

26. Goals
-Write for the TASK not the device
ex. Johnny will use a his super talker with 80% accuracy in
4 out of 5 trials
VS.
When enticed with visual proximity of preferred objects,
foods and activities, Johnny will independently make
requests using his SGD, 4 of 5 trials in at least 5 classroom
contexts as measured by SLP data and observation.

27. There many ways to make dessert
Multi-modality outputs = “Dual Language
Paradigm”
Consider options in different environments for
functional communication:
● PECS AND single message switch
● Words AND Picture Choices AND Go Talk
● High Tech device AND PECS

28. Symbols are a tool to consider and they are not
intuitive….Students must learn to read the “recipe”
The Picture Communication Symbols ©1981-2008 by
Mayer-Johnson LLC. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.
Used with permission.

29. How to teach a new
language….
Specific protocols
ex. PECS or PODD
Specific Methodologies
ex. Aided Language Stimulation
Language Acquisition through Motor Planning

30. Aided Language
Stimulation
“It is critical for an individual to not only
have symbols, but also to have experience
with those symbols in a symbols rich/print
rich environment.
The typically developing child will have been exposed to oral
language for approximately 4,380 waking hours by the time he
begins speaking at about 18 months of age.
If someone is using a different symbol set and only has exposure to it with the
speech pathologist two times a week, 20-30 minutes each, it will take the
alternate symbol user 84 years to have the same experience with his symbols
that the physically developing child has with the spoken word in 18 months!!!
Jane Korsten author Every Move Counts

31. How do you choose….
Icons:
Objects Photos Symbols
Words
Organization:
Categories Core
Vocabulary:
Core words, Fringe words

32. Power of core language
Characteristic
Core Vocabulary Fringe Vocabulary
Number of words Small number of words Very large number of words
Frequency of use High frequency Low frequency
Applicability across
environments
Applicable to all environments Applicable to limited environments
Applicability across topics Applicable to all topics Applicable to limited topics
Types of words Includes a variety of parts of speech Includes mostly proper names and other nouns
Usefulness in a single message Approximately 80% of the words in a
sample of 100 total words will be core,
but many of the core words will be
used repeatedly, so the number of
different words is small.
Approximately 20% of the words in a sample of 100 total
words will be fringe. The number of different words will be
large, as fringe words are repeated with much lower
frequency than core words.

33. Pantry Staples
Banjee M. Dicarlo, C. % Stricklin S. B. (2003). Core
Vocabulary determinations for toddlers.
The core words on this list
comprise 96.3% of the total
words used by toddlers in the
study

34. Barriers to Implementation
In AAC, The Participation Model (Beukelman & Mirenda,
1988) delineates two main barriers to successful
implementation. There are opportunity and access barriers.
Opportunity barriers to participation are those imposed by
people in the environment of the AAC user, while access
barriers are present based on issues related to the individual
who uses AAC.

35. There is always room for dessert
How to keep a new system going
-everyone in the classroom plays a role
-audit the day and assign roles
-home -school collaboration and communication
-prep activities with vocab lists
and be sure to have appropriate materials avail.
examples

36. You can have your cake and say it too!

37. SlideShare
This presentation is available

38. References
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiBf7urAm1M
● The Participation Model (Beukelman & Mirenda, 1988)
● http://justineprice.wordpress.com/core-vocabulary/
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kjAaBVX8wg
● www.wati.org/content/supports/free/pdf/Ch3-Communication.doc
● http://www.wati.org/content/supports/free/pdf/form/Checklist-Form.pdf
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnsA25kq83k
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kz3uzbiZbPU
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5fKx6XdXFI
● http://www.childrenshospital.org/~/media/Centers%20and%20Services/Pro
grams/A_E/Audiology/PDFofFeatureChart.ashx

39. References cont.
● http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/single-view/
news/douglas_biklen_winner_of_unesco_kuwait_prize_begin_by_presuming_competence/#.VEv4GP
nF91Y
● USA 1992 (National Joint Committee for the Communication Needs of Persons with Severe
Disabilities)(ASHA)
● AAC Strategies for Individuals with Moderate to Severe Disabilities By Susan S. Johnston, Kathleen M
Feeley, & Emily A. Jones Copyright 2012 by Paul A. Brooks Publishing Co , All Rights Reserved
● http://www.communicationmatrix.org
● http://www.joyzabala.com/uploads/CA_Kananaskis__SETT_Horses_Mouth.pd
● Beukelman, David R. and Mirenda, Pat. 2014. Augmentative and Alternative Communication (4th Edition).
Paul H. Brooke's Publishing, Baltimore Md.
● http://www.bridgeschool.org/transition/docs/collab_teaming.pdf
● http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cd/re/psfoundationsvol1intro.asp
● http://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/Special-Education-
Services/Documents/What's%20It%20All%20About%20-
%20Creating%20a%20Communicative%20Environment%20ppt.pdf