The expectations were defined as: students of all ages should have access to their AAC systems in all school environments. The goal is for each student to feel that their words matter. Honor the communication; no matter the form. Additionally, we knew that if we were to have AAC in all environments, staff in those environments would need to be trained. Training opportunities have occurred consistently since 2013 for teachers, teaching as- sistants and therapists. Guest speakers and device representa- tives are brought in at the beginning of the school year for large group professional development. Personalized and follow-up training, specific to age level and student needs, are provided by the district’s AT Facilitators and SLP’s who are passionate about AAC implementation. Training for regular education staff occurs during monthly early release days, and at times, as an alternative to staff meetings. Our success is due to the dedication the build- ing principals and other administrators have placed on these trainings. Principals are and continue to be flexible in allowing teachers to attend trainings so student success can be ensured throughout the school day. Training for specials teachers including art, music, PE and li- brary also occur on a yearly basis. Over a five-year period, the school district prioritized the training of these art, music, PE and library teachers. Staff trainings were offered followed by in class
supports for students with disabilities while attending specials classes. This is an integral piece to the success students have while in these classrooms. Teachers now know how to support the communication of their students, which has decreased be- haviors and increased the learning experience and social rela- tionships in the classrooms. Having these support staff mem- bers on board has generated such a collaborative environment in which both teachers and students are supporting each other, creating natural supports for everyone. (See image 3) Within the school environment, instruction in AAC is based on developmental language norms, the environment and ed- ucational tasks and expectations for each individual child. At the preschool level, the focus is more play-based and promotes early communication development. (See image 4) As students move to elementary age, this focus is expanded into specific academic areas such as reading, writing and math and is also used as a tool for behavioral management. In middle school, the focus is shifted to activities of daily living by incorporating tasks such as making phone calls, placing orders, emailing daily com- munication notes and attending school social functions. At the high school level, the focus really becomes on employment and independent living skills. In developing these priorities by each age level, we needed to provide teachers with the appropriate tools necessary to ensure student success. Our specialized programs are provided with one classroom iPad to be used as a backup if students forget their device or for Aided Language Stimulation. This provides the opportunity to have various AAC apps and vocabularies available for our staff to learn and use. Saltillo’s TouchChat with WordPower and Chat Editor are our most widely used tools and resources. In addition to using these products as stand-alone AAC systems, we have created materials such as adapted books, posters, flip books, navigation sequence prompts and cues for modeling target vo- cabulary. Chat Editor has made a huge impact in our classrooms
Image 4: Visuals attached to AAC devices to support teaching and modeling of self regulation phrases.
Image 3: Using AAC during art activities.
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