If they do, this information will come in handy!
Including the use of AAC devices in our daily life requires a complete adaptation for the child and the caregivers since it is a “non-conventional” way to communicate. It requires teaching and learning both sides of the story (children and caregivers). Will make a huge difference in your child’s life if all the meaningful adults around them are on board with the plan and become knowledgeable of the advantages of implementing it. Therefore, here are some tips to think about that will make your life (and more importantly your child’s life) way easier when planning on including the AAC device in your life:
Get your child evaluated by high-quality professionals. Usually, the evaluators provided by the DOE are pretty good ones and the service is covered by the city. If you can afford private services I totally recommend you to reach out to Alana Harrison she is one of the specialists working with one of my cases and her support has been LIFE CHANGING!! (you will find her contact information at the end of the page)
After the evaluation, you will know what is the size of the grid (# of icons/words per screen) recommended for your child and the level of language that your child is currently ready to learn.
You will need to select the software. I have worked with Proloquo2Go with different children and so far I can say that it is pretty good.
Include the most meaningful target words that your child has acquired in their receptive language repertoire and keep increasing the number of words progressively as your child gets more exposed to using the device in their daily life.
Make sure to request additional evaluations if you notice that your child achieved higher levels of language development and is ready to move forward to the next level. Also, if you notice that the current format of the AAC device is not as effective as you were expecting. The good news is that there are different options to fit everyone’s needs.
Enjoy the progress that your child is making every day and be compassionate about the challenges they need to go through while achieving every step on their journey.
Alanna Harrison contact information
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