By Marci Revelli, MS, CCC-SLP; NWACS Board Member

reading time: 2 minutes

The views expressed in this post are that of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of NWACS. No endorsement by NWACS is implied regarding any device, manufacturer, resource, or strategy mentioned.

Webinar Title: Starting Sooner: AAC Skills for Success in the Real World

Webinar Presenters: Deanna Morrow, Micaela Smith and Heather Prenovost

I stumbled on this webinar when searching for information to support our NWACS 2023 theme AAC Across the Lifespan. August focuses on AAC and Adolescence. This includes the topic of transitioning to adulthood. I loved this webinar so much I reached out to the presenters to ask if we can re-publish their video (they said yes)! Please take the time to watch this.

The two presenters are a special education teacher and a principal at a Transition Program (ages 18-21 years) located in the Midwest of the United States. The information they present is so practical. They start the presentation by describing students who arrive at their program without very basic but very important skills. This led them to ask:

• What skills are critical for success?

• When should you start practicing?

• How much practice is needed?

They cover the areas of:

Safety and Self-Advocacy

Stating name and other personal identification

Advocating for use of communication device

Asking for help

Asking for a break

Advocating for self-regulation

Asking for more time

Saying no, I don’t want that, I don’t like that, stop that

Patient to provider communication skills like:

• speaking for oneself

• sharing feelings

• medical conditions

• symptoms and how long they have been feeling that way

Talk about bodies and body parts

Teaching consent

Wellness and Sexuality

Teaching public transit skills

Teaching travel awareness earlier, like:

• We parked in front of the door next to the café.

• Where is our car?

• It is blue.

• The store is past the big tree.

Carrying an emergency information card

Saying “no thank you” to be polite with others who might want to engage with the student

Community and Travel

They describe a variety of low-tech and high-tech systems and strategies. These support students to achieve these skills. They also advocate for having both high-tech and low-tech available, like:

• a back-up if the device runs out of batteries

• in situations where a device won’t be loud enough

• if the AAC user needs something faster such as text or picture symbols on their wheelchair tray

They offer helpful suggestions such as:

• starting sooner to build tolerance for carrying the device on a strap

• pre-programming statements at the ready because being in the community can be fast-paced

They strongly support teaching these skills with the involvement of the:

• student

• parents

• whole school team

I hope you enjoy this video as much as I did. Please write a comment, let me know what you think!