Child Not Speaking? Speech Therapy Demo Session with AAC
Child not speaking?
Let me walk you through how to do a speech therapy session using AAC to help a child communicate.
Want the lesson?
How to Run an AAC Speech Therapy Session for Non-Speaking Children:
- Choose an AAC System or Device to use with the child
- Choose one Core Word to target during the session: A “core word” is a common word that can be used throughout the day in a variety of situations. Words like “go”, “done”, “again”, “help”, etc.
- Find toys that can be used to model the word: For the word “help”, you can use anything that the child might be interested in using but have trouble with, such as a jar with a tight lid, a toy that needs to be turned on, or a wind-up toy
- Model the word: Say the word out loud while you also model the word using the child’s AAC device or system (such as pushing the button, pointing to the picture, or using the sign language sign
- Provide communication temptations: Set up opportunities where the child may need to use that word, such as putting a preferred item into a jar with a tight lid or providing them with a toy that is turned off
- Wait! Wait to see if they will use the word on their own. Count to 30 in your head before responding (unless they’re getting too frustrated)
- Prompt: If they don’t use the word on their own, give prompts like gesturing toward the device or telling them to try pushing the button
- Reward: If they use the word, repeat it back to them and then give them that thing! If they don’t say the word or start to get too frustrated, go ahead and give it to them anyway but model the word again using their AAC device or system.
A Structured Program for Teaching AAC:
Our AAC Curriculum includes everything you need to help a child or teen get started using AAC to communicate. We’ve taken all of the guess work out of it and included everything you need.
