Building Therapy Plans for Children with AAC
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What is AAC and why is it important for children with communication challenges?
Are you working with any children who use communication devices to talk to others, whether it's a sign language or some sort of an AAC system or a talker where they push a button and it speaks? There's lots of different ways that our students with communication challenges can get their message across if speech isn't working for them. So on today's episode of the Speech and Language Kids podcast, we're gonna be talking about how to build those therapy plans for children who are using some sort of AAC or augmentative alternative communication. I am speech language pathologist, Kari Clark, and I'll be your host today. And I see right inside the hub, we have several people joining us live. Welcome. Hi, Maria.
Hi, Kim. Hi, JC. Hi, Becca. All right. If you would like to attend one of our live recordings of our podcast, you can join us in the hub for free at hub.speechandlanguagekids.com. Those of you who are in here with me live, hey, Tiffany, hey, Jenna, Jenny, you guys can pop over into the chat and say hello, and you can leave questions as we go along, and I'll take those throughout the recording. Now I did wanna point out, I've had a couple people say that they have missed our lives. They didn't realize they were happening. So the tip I have for you today, don't forget that we do have an app. So we have an app in the Apple App Store and we have an app in Android. It is the Speech and Language Kids Hub. That is the name of the app.
And if you download the app on your mobile phone and then turn on notifications, you will know whenever I go live, which I try to schedule them, but sometimes I just pop on randomly and do fun events too. So turn your notifications on so you don't miss those. Hey guys, welcome. Okay. So today we're talking about AAC. So let's talk a little bit first about what AAC is, and then I'm going to talk to you about how to actually build your therapy sessions and what to do to help a child who is communicating via AAC. Okay, so like I said, AAC is augmentative or alternative communication and it is a method by which children can communicate if spoken speech isn't efficient enough to get their needs and wants met, okay?
So we're talking about children who are not talking at all. We're talking about children who can talk but their speech is very unintelligible and so it's hard for them to be understood. Or sometimes we're even talking about children who can be understood most of the time, but they may have a condition that causes them to fatigue or to have specific times when they can't communicate as well. And maybe that is due to some sort of social anxiety even where they can communicate usually, but when they get overloaded, they need another method with which to communicate. Okay. Now there are a ton of different types of AAC out there because the cool thing about this area is that it's very inclusive. It's, we want everyone to communicate in whatever way works for them.
So there are all these different options of ways children can use these devices, these systems to communicate. So I'm going to give you a list of several just so you know what's out there. We do have other podcasts and resources over at Speech and Language Kids that go more into depth about choosing devices or apps or whatever you're looking for, but this is just going to be an overview so we can get to the therapy, okay? So Types of AAC systems and devices. So gestures and facial expressions are still communication. So sometimes we start there with our kiddos when we are trying to work our way towards some more formalized communication and language. We start with those gestures and those facial expressions.
Another one that they can use their body for is sign language. Let me adjust my mic here.
What are the two golden rules for planning effective AAC therapy?
So we can help children learn sign language to communicate if their mouth is unable to communicate those words. We have picture-based systems, also known as low-tech AAC. These are things like the PECS, picture exchange system, or printed communication boards, which we have some of inside the Hub if you're looking for some of those, with either core words or fringe vocabulary, either one.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is AAC and why is it important for children with communication challenges?
0:00–3:50
2
What are the two golden rules for planning effective AAC therapy?
3:50–7:31
3
How do you start a beginner‑level AAC therapy plan with core vocabulary?
7:31–11:27
4
What strategies expand AAC use beyond basic requests in the intermediate level?
11:27–15:52
5
How can advanced AAC therapy support full classroom participation and self‑advocacy?
15:52–18:59
6
How should therapists support Gestalt Language Processors (GLPs) using AAC?
18:59–22:25
7
What practical solutions address common classroom AAC challenges (e.g., button‑bouncing, stemming)?
22:25–25:29
8
Where can listeners find AAC resources, apps, and next steps after the episode?
25:29–34:24