Supporting AAC Use for Preschoolers With Complex Communication Needs

Abstract

L ucy is a four-year-old in MissMiriam's preschool class. She is an extroverted child who loves engaging in play and wants to draw her peers into her favorite activities. She especially likes to work with Play-Doh and pretend play with her toy dog, Lola. Lucy is diagnosed with Down syndrome and uses fewer than 10 words verbally. After a thorough evaluation with a multidisciplinary team including a Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) and Lucy's family, Lucy has been provided with an AAC system. Miss Miriam was given support to learn how to use the AAC system. Now, Miss Miriam wants to know how she can help Lucy develop stronger communication skills through the use of AAC in the classroom.

Teaming to Design Tangible Symbol Communication Systems for Children With Multiple Disabilities

“…The purpose of this article is to describe procedures for a team approach to implementing a tangible symbol communication system (TSCS) to support communication skill development of young children with MSD, building on previously published resources describing implementation of AAC in Young Exceptional Children (e.g., Sun et al, 2022). Based on the pioneering work of Rowland and Schweigert (1990, 2000) to define and articulate a process for teaching tangible symbols and the evidence-based practice of systematic instruction (Browder et al, 2014), we suggest that implementation of a TSCS is a process that includes (a) assessment of child communication level, (b) identification of learning outcomes, (c) system design and construction, (d) teaching strategies, (e) progress monitoring, and (f) planning for the future.…”