Have You Upgraded to the DAGG-3?

by Camille Stewart, MA, SLP (speech-language pathologist); NWACS board member

reading time: 3 minutes

The views expressed in this post are those 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.

Disclosure: Camille is an employee of Tobii Dynavox

What is the DAGG-3?

The DAGG-3 (Dynamic AAC Goals Grid, Third Edition) is a FREE tool that helps teachers, speech therapists, and caregivers understand how well an AAC user communicates. It also helps set goals to improve communication skills. The DAGG-3 was created by Tobii Dynavox in conjunction with Vicki Clarke, SLP. This updated version includes new features that make it even more helpful for AAC users and their support teams.

Team Aligned Goal Writing with the DAGG-3

People who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) often have a big network of people who are trying to support their communication. This can include caregivers, teachers, therapists, peers, and more! It can be tricky sometimes to help everyone understand where exactly an AAC user's strengths are. Determining a good next step for everyone to support their communication can also be complex. It is common for us to get stuck in requesting. Or we jump to goals that might skip some important incremental steps we should target first. For people who use AAC, having the right tools can make a big difference. That’s why I'm excited about the DAGG-3 (an update to the DAGG-2). It is a tool designed to help all the members of an AAC users' team align in celebrating the progress a client has made and collaborate on good next steps.

What’s New in the DAGG-3?

1. Linked Activities for Goal Support

One of the most exciting updates to the DAGG-3 is the addition of direct links to specific activities that team members can use to target each goal. These activities provide structured ways to practice communication skills, making it easier to implement effective strategies. Whether working on early commenting, protesting, or expanding sentence structure, these linked activities offer step-by-step guidance to help AAC users build their skills in meaningful and engaging ways.

2.  Better Goals

The DAGG-3 has improved goals to help AAC users at all levels—whether they’re just starting to use AAC or are advanced communicators. These goals make learning easier and more effective.

3. Easier to Use

The layout of the DAGG-3 is now simpler and more organized. This makes it easier for teachers and caregivers to see what a student can do and what they need to work on.

4. Based on the Latest Research

The DAGG-3 is designed using the latest studies on AAC and communication. This means students get the best support possible for learning and interacting with others.

How the DAGG-3 Helps AAC Users Succeed

Here are some ways I have seen the DAGG-3 help the people I work with:

• IEP teams have filled it out together so they all understand where the student is at in their communication journey. It helps the entire team see what the achievable next steps are that they can work on in the classroom. This way everyone is on the same page about what to target.

• Private SLPs have filled this out with caregivers as a progress summary. They are able to celebrate the growth the child has made with communication and talk about the next steps to target in therapy and at home. 

• School teams have used this as a tool to share a child's progress with families. It helped them identify and send home specific activities that the family can do to support their child's communication. 

• Private SLPs and school SLPs have used this tool together to collaborate on skills their shared student is demonstrating across settings and next steps they can both support. 

• Early Intervention SLPs have completed this and shared it with families to bring to their first meeting with their school team. The information gave the new team a jump start on getting to know the student. 

• School SLPs have filled this tool out with teachers and paras to help them come up with ways to support the AAC users more in the classroom. 

Try the DAGG-3 Today

If you want to better support the AAC user in your life, the DAGG-3 is a great resource. To learn more or to get a copy, you can download it for free here. Want to get some CEUs at no cost and learn more about how to use this tool? Check out the course Dyanimc AAC Goals Grid 3: Implementation and Overview on Tobii Dynavox's Learning Hub.