I can...be heard!

Everyone deserves to be heard – whether making a formal speech at the ‘wedding of the year” or letting someone know you’re not comfortable.  We learn to speak up for ourselves starting at a young age, with Show & Tell and school presentations. Individuals who use AAC may want extra support and opportunities to practice and use the power of speaking out.

Start early…Effective AAC users often attribute their success in developing functional communication skills to their early opportunities with choice making. Allowing children to make choices (good or poor!) gives them some control over a situation and provides them the chance to learn from the natural consequences of their choices.

Little Bytes:

Tell the world how you communicate! If you use alternative methods to talk, you may need to orient others so they know what to look for and how best to help. Provide a written description of how you communicate and what the listener can do to help.

No-Tech Ideas

·        Post it notes are a quick and easy way to share information, start a conversation and to let personality shine through. Use a few notes to help your child share something important. Start with a clue about the content on the first note: “I did something special at school today. Want to know more…Read on”. The listener can reveal the message note by note.

Light Tech Ideas

·        Make yourself heard by using your light tech device to tell someone what you need done and how. E.g “I need some help.”, “Can you get my communication book?”, “It’s in my backpack.”

 

High Tech Ideas

• Stories can be programmed into a high tech device to be read. The individual using the device can read the story and then lead a discussion about the book. Talk to your ACS clinicians if you need help setting this up.

I Can…be a Star! 

Congratulations to Noah!!!  He is mastering a new language (Minspeak)

by practicing vocabulary on a laptop even before receiving his speech-generating device! Keep up the great work!   

Resources:

• Older emergent writers can go one step further – they can create the story too! Caroline Musselwhite gives step by step suggestions around scaffolding a writing task by asking older students to create big books for preschool children. www.aacintervention.com/tipthre.html#May%202003

• Read some inspiring communication success stories about several individuals with autism, who are using AAC to communicate and develop their language skills. They are in different stages of learning but all are on their way to becoming independent, spontaneous communicators: www.aacandautism.com/real-communication-stories