How to Choose the Best Vocabulary for AAC Users

Watch the YouTube version of this post here.

When we’re teaching vocabulary to children with complex communication needs, we need to be highly strategic about the words we’re choosing. I’m going to break down exactly how I figure out what words to start targeting for children using AAC. 

First, we need to determine what the child’s current spontaneous language looks like. 

When I say spontaneous, I mean a child has a thought in their head and they communicate it without any support from adults. And the child could be communicating any modality -- verbal speech, sign language or through AAC. 

Track a child’s spontaneous language for a week to figure out exactly what they are communicating independently and in what context. We want to build off of the communication a child is already showing us. 

The next step is determining what types of words a child is using: what nouns, core words or phrases are they using? What are the toys, foods and activities they’re most motivated by?  

The last step is to figure out how a child is communicating nonverbally. 

This could be making eye contact, smiling, crying, reaching or pushing something away. These are all situations where a child already has intent to communicate a message; they just don’t have the words to convey what they want or need. These are the best opportunities to model language on an AAC system. 

For example, if your child is constantly pushing away foods they don’t want, it's a perfect opportunity to model “NO” on their device. 

When we start getting more strategic about the words we’re teaching AAC users, they can make faster progress because we’re building off of their strengths and choosing vocabulary that’s relevant and meaningful to them. If you need more guidance, I’ve created the AAC Vocabulary Bundle, which is a tool to use with your child’s communication partners to select the appropriate vocabulary.

If you enjoyed this post, check out my Vocabulary Strategy video on my YouTube channel.

Would love to know what you think...

Leave a comment below or you can reach out to me on Instagram @rachelmadelslp - I’d love to hear from you!