Beginning AAC users are most successful when supported by a knowledgeable and skilled team of individuals who are invested in facilitating communication and language learning. In many places, these teams do not currently exist, and the onus for developing them falls to professionals and families with limited time, energy, and resources.
The focus of this presentation is on the use of free resource materials to strengthen the AAC support practices used by clinicians, educators, families, and others. Participants will learn how to use Stepping into AAC, a set of multimedia AAC training materials to facilitate AAC use throughout the day, to develop their confidence with AAC practices, help families integrate AAC into daily life, and assist professionals in utilizing supportive strategies in clinical and educational settings.
Participants will learn how to use hands-on activities, print resources, and video to help teams:
* Develop a solid foundation of AAC concepts and principles,
* Utilize communication boards and/or speech-generating devices (SGDs) throughout the day, and
* Use specific AAC support strategies frequently and with good fidelity.
Participants will first be introduced to the scope and sequence of the resources. The materials are designed to be used over 20 weeks and consist of three types or tiers of resources. Each week focuses on a different theme and introduces new words for team members to use as they learn about and integrate supportive AAC practices.
Tier 1 materials have an emphasis on engagement and action, where participants ‘learn by doing’ and are guided through 5 days of easy hands-on activities. The second tier of materials provides more detailed content on the theme with explanatory and instructional videos. These brief videos include AAC demonstrations and clips from parent interviews. Many of them are supplemented with handouts that reiterate key points in a user-friendly manner. Tier 3 materials consist of 20 AAC-focused newsletters with in-depth information and questions frequently posed by families and providers new to AAC.
While these materials were intended to introduce parents to AAC and guide them through the early months of using new communication tools and strategies, they were designed to be highly versatile and can be used in flexible ways. There are 20 weeks of materials, each with easy-to-digest information and simple hands-on activities to build key AAC knowledge, skills, and habits. The materials are available without cost to either the provider or the AAC families.
Following a brief overview of the Stepping into AAC materials, we will discuss their application in three situations. The first explores the use of these resources to build AAC knowledge, skills, and habits in professionals new to AAC and/or those with limited experience in providing evidence-based AAC services. Secondly, we will discuss strategies for using these materials in directly supporting families of beginning AAC users and provide ideas for overcoming some of the challenges they frequently face. Finally, we will share suggestions for how to utilize these resources for professional development and learning in formal and informal contexts.
The presentation will conclude with information on accessing these free materials and an opportunity for participants to pose questions.
References Supporting this Work
Allen, A.A., Schlosser, R.W., Brock, K.L., Shane, H.C. (2017). The effectiveness of aided augmented input techniques for persons with developmental disabilities: a systematic review.
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (2010). Roles and responsibilities of speech-language pathologists in schools [Professional Issues Statement].
Beukelman, D.R., & Light, P. (2020). Augmentative and alternative communication: Supporting children and adults with complex communication needs (fifth edition). Paul Brookes Publishing Co.
Light, J., & McNaughton, D. (2014). Communicative Competence for Individuals Who Require Augmentative and Alternative Communication: A New Definition for a New Era of Communication?” AAC, 30, 1, 1–18.
Luckins, J.M., & Clarke, M.T. (2021). Can Conversation-Based Intervention Using Speech-Generating Devices Improve Language in Children With Partially Intelligible Speech? Communication Disorders Quarterly, 42, 3, 131-144.
Romski, M., Sevcik, R.A. (1996). Breaking the Speech Barrier: Language Development Through Augmented Means. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.
Romski, M.A., Sevcik, R.A., Adamson, L.B., Bakeman, R.A. (2005). Communication patterns of individuals with moderate or severe cognitive disabilities: interactions with unfamiliar partners. American Journal of Mental Retardation, 110(3), 226-238.
Soto, G., & Clarke, M. T. (2016). Effects of a conversation-based intervention on the linguistic skills of children with motor speech disorders who use augmentative and alternative communication. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 60(7), 1980–1998.
von Tetzchner, S. (2017, February). Making the environment communicatively accessible. Webinar for Alberta CCN Professional Learning Community and Edmonton Regional Learning Consortium.
