Augmentative and Alternative Communication, otherwise known as AAC, is a term to describe the various methods in communication that aid individuals who are limited in their language abilities. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association states, "AAC includes all the ways we share our ideas and feelings without talking" (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, n.d.). For more information about AAC check out the sites below:
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Students that have complex language or visual needs can benefit from AAC in the classroom to develop reading and writing skills. By implementing the necessary tools for students with disabilities, children's developing literacy skills provide them access to the language, opportunities to engage, and critical thinking skills in their classroom and beyond. Barrier games:![]() Barrier games are a great interactive strategy that engages students in speech, language, and listening intervention. Students sit across with a 'barrier' placed in front of them and share information that one player has to set up the scene the same way as the other designated player (almost like Battleships!). These scenes are the literacy curriculum that the class is discussing and can be told in a storytelling/narrative way to support active listening skills. Barrier games can be used in pairs or for small groups for educators to reinforce new vocabulary words or to check for understanding in a specific topic. Sentence starters: Sentence starters make it easier for students to develop sentences by giving them one or a few words to get them started on their writing. Students can explore how writing works and to construct their writing in an organized manner, especially for students with disabilities. Sentence starters can be used in a variety of methods that build on student's language that gives students with disabilities an opportunity to communicate their ideas.
A students' engagement is crucial in building a community in the classroom. At a young age, children begin to build social connections in their environments with others. Using AAC for students with disabilities that have limited communication skills gives opportunities to participate socially with their peers. From "no-tech" to "high tech," AAC provides engagement for students inside and outside of the classroom. Communication boards: For children with limited expressive language abilities, communication boards offer a wide range of options that students can choose from to interact in their environment. The board allows students to point or gaze to the various pictures, words, and symbols laid out in front of them to combine and create sentences. They are not just limited to "no tech" boards, but also includes "high tech" boards that students can choose from hundreds of options from a digital device. In short, communication boards help students with disabilities visualize and understand the language in a creative way. Additional sites you can explore:
Students learning conceptual knowledge is essential in mathematics. All students need strategies to be successful in math, especially students with disabilities. Using both abstract and concrete thinking, students must have the necessities for understanding math concepts. Through Augmentative and Alternate Communication technologies, students can build on their academic and communicative skills in the classroom. Talking calculators:![]() This low-tech AAC device allows students to participate in math with enlarged text and voice-over integrated into the calculator. The device comes in many different styles and forms that accommodate student needs. For students who are blind, hard of hearing, or deaf, talking calculators have easy push buttons and a volume adjustment to control the sound of the display. Each button that the person presses, the calculator will speak back to the individual the number or symbol selected. Through this, a student can use the calculator independently substituting paper-and-pencil work or students can work in small groups to solve mathematical problems listening to the calculator for desired answers to solutions. The small tool permits students with disabilities to transport it in and out of the classroom to work on various math computations. For this reason, talking calculators can work in many environments for students with disabilities. |
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