Support for Teachers and Peers
It’s November! Hopefully the initial rush and chaos of back-to-school is over, and kids (and school teams) are settling into the school year. That means it’s the perfect time to provide a little more information and support to general education teachers and peers about AAC. Kids tend to have questions about why some of their classmates communicate differently. Some AAC users might have the time and energy to make a presentation or an “about me” sheet to share with their classmates. Others may prefer to be less in the spotlight.
Here are some general resources for introducing AAC to different school aged groups. Note: Please know the author of this post does not endorse all of the views expressed in these books. There is still a large issue with ableist perspectives and tokenism in popular media. Continue to think critically about portrayals of disabled and/or neurodivergent people by non-disabled bodies and neurotypical brains.
Books for younger kids (preschool – early elementary)
Autistic main characters:
Something to Say about My Communication Device
by Eden Molineux, MS, CCC-SLP
Illustrated by Nathalie Beauvois
Me and My AAC
by Tabitha Cabrera
Illustrated by Michael Barnett
*Written by an Autistic person
A Day with No Words
by Tiffany Hammond
Illustrated by Kate Cosgrove
Unspecified:
Lucas the Lion Loves The Tiny Talker
by Ryan Rollen and Brittani Rollen
Illustrated by Alvina Kwong
I Talk in Different Ways
by Amanda Hartmann
Illustrated by Nanhee Ha
Cerebral Palsy:
How Katie Got a Voice (and a cool new nickname)
by Patricia L. Mervine, MA, CCC-SLP
Illustrated by Ian Acker
*Written by someone with cerebral palsy
Looking Through My Eyes: Preschool Edition
by Lydia Dawley
Illustrated by Jennifer Hyles
Books for older kids (Late elementary – early middle school)
Cerebral Palsy:
Out of My Mind
by Sharon M. Draper
A Voice of Her Own
by Sarah Yong and Lois Yong
*Written by someone with cerebral palsy
Looking Through My Eyes (ages 7-11)
by Lydia Dawley
Illustrated by Jennifer Hyles
Middle school to high school
*Written by an Autistic Person
What I Mean When I Say I’m Autistic
by Annie Kotowicz
*featuring an Autistic person
This is Not About Me (movie)
For teachers, how to support peers in communicating with AAC users:
- Building Peer Relationships for Beginning Communicators in Inclusive Primary Settings
- 54 Tips and Tricks for Implementing Alternative and Augmentative Communication in the Classroom (scroll down to AAC Training and Implementation Resources and click on the link labeled Top Tips for Implementing AAC in Classroom; it opens to a PDF)
What other resources are great for helping teach peers about AAC? Share in the comments!
Connected Resource
For more books featuring AAC, check out
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