Crystal Zehm-SLP

04/10/2022

When I talk about how amazing AAC is - I’m often asked, “but who can benefit from this?” And “who needs AAC?” - and it’s hard to give blanket statements because AAC should be decided on an individualized basis - but and I teamed up to give you some ideas for when to seek an AAC eval!

Note: we wanted to give more specifics but it’s hard because every child is different! If a child has less than 50 words at 2.5 years, we recommend considering an AAC eval!

04/10/2022

21/09/2022

21/09/2022

YOUR voice says things that YOU want to say. The same should be true for AAC users. Of course, we have things we want to teach. But...we have to do that teaching in conjunction with ongoing aided language (i.e., modeling) within authentic, connected interactions where there is no expectation placed on the emergent AAC users. They need to see other people use AAC to talk about things they find interesting and important.
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How do you keep it from feeling like work? ⁣

Image description:
Border of image is made up of back-to-school items, such as pencils, pens, rulers, a backpack, and a school bus. Bitmoji giving a thumbs up at the bottom left. A communication book and device surround text. Text reads: AAC Don't make it feel like work. It won't become their voice if it feels like work.

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01/09/2022

01/09/2022

I’ve seen another message from an ABA team who want to write some “TouchChat activities” into their ABA program. 🤦🏼‍♀️

The AAC device should be considered as a tool to access language and communication. We communicate in everything we do - therefore the AAC system should be present and used to communicate about everything that the child engaged with throughout the day.

01/09/2022

Think of the beginning stages of AAC implementation as layering language over actions, gestures, and play - like a delicious layered cake!!

If the child is reaching for something you layer ‘WANT’ over their gesture.

If you are stacking a block, you layer ‘ON’ over your action.

If you hear a noisy truck, you layer ‘LOUD’ over what you observe in the surrounding environment.

NARRATE using the child’s AAC device by pressing single buttons to layer language over everything that you do, see, and experience!

01/09/2022

Love this new free AAC poster from Lauren S. Enders, MA, CCC - SLP on this post on PrAACtical AAC: https://praacticalaac.org/praactical/back-to-school-with-aac-encouraging-supporting-aac-users/. Can also download from Canva: https://www.canva.com/design/DAFKKqDEYYY/fKCb0SWGLaEyBvW5YEm3Rw/view 🤩

01/09/2022

I love using this, especially when the student is spending a lot of time “walking”.

However, be aware of how often your student is out of the classroom. There are times when a movement break is necessary, but walks often occur because the support staff don’t know how to support the student within the context of the classroom.

A successful inclusive model usually requires a lot of coaching and support of Paraeducators and Educational Assistants.

01/09/2022