Do's and Don'ts of AAC
This is what we do: | This is what we don't do: |
| Do use the AAC system to talk | Don't expect the AAC user to communicate without you modelling how |
| Do aim high | Don't demand prerequisite skills |
| Do use a well designed, comprehensive vocabulary e.g. core vocabulary or PODD | Don't provide an AAC system with only a handful of choices |
| Do provide enough wait time | Don't do all the talking |
| Do ask open ended questions | Don't ask questions the AAC user knows you already know the answer to |
| Do focus on key words when modelling | Don't think you need to always model grammatically complete sentences |
| Do respect multi-modal communication | Don't say "And now say it on your talker" |
| Do allow exploration and access to the whole vocabulary | Don't create custom pages for specific activities |
| Do make sure AAC is available all day, every day | Don't limit access to the AAC system |
| Do describe what you want to say using core words | Don't focus on adding lots of vocabulary |
Based on a presentation by Jane Farrall and David Niemeijer, May 2015 AAC's Do's and Don'ts by AssistiveWare PDF | |
Community Resources
AAC Core Words at Home (scroll to the bottom of the page)