by Megan | Jun 21, 2026 | AAC, aided language input, aided language stimulation, blog, continuing education, tips, training
The Desk vs. The Real World
AAC devices often get left behind when leaving the house, classroom, etc. I get it. It’s one thing to have an established AAC and literacy routine while sitting at a therapy table or on a comfy couch when everyone is calm and regulated. It’s an entirely different story when you step outside and have to balance the device, bags, and keys, all while trying to balance everyone’s emotions and regulation.
However, we need to remember that communication and literacy don’t belong in a bubble and don’t happen only in specific situations or routines. If we leave the AAC device and literacy tools at home, we leave their voice and opportunities for learning behind. I know no one needs another thing to carry, and I’m not going to tell you you need a wagon full of materials to make outings literacy-rich. But a strategically packed “go-bag” could make outings easier for everyone, while providing opportunities for communication and literacy on the go.
What is “Portable Print”? – Integrating Reading into Outings
One of the best things about books is that they are portable and can typically be thrown into a bag without adding much weight or bulk. However, we may not always want to or be able to take a book with us. The good news is you can still integrate reading into your outings without a “traditional” book. In addition to physical books, here are some additional ideas of reading materials you can throw in your “go-bag”:
- A Laminated Mini-Book: Use a keyring to hold small, laminated pages of high-interest topics. This could be pages from a “well-loved” book, or photos of family members and memories in a small photo album that can spark a story.
- Environmental Cheat Sheets: Pack photo cards of local store logos, street signs, and familiar landmarks to encourage print-matching in the environment.
The “Alternative Pencil” on the Move – Integrating Writing into Outings
Writing comes in many different forms. It is no longer just about paper and pencils at a desk. Think creatively about all the different ways we write. We write with a keyboard on our phone, our fingers or a stylus when we are signing on a tablet, not to mention all the different types of writing utensils that are available. In addition to a small notebook and pencil/pen, here are some other writing materials you can throw in your “go-bag”:
AAC Device Prep & Accessibility Shortcuts
We want to make sure that the physical setup of the AAC system doesn’t create a barrier to communication. While having the system with you is the best first step, here are some additional ways you can ensure that you are able to integrate AAC and literacy with ease while you are out and about:
- Strap & Go: Utilize a cross-body strap so the device stays on the body. These types of straps allow you to always keep the device ready for modeling from communication partners or quick initiations by the AAC user.
- The Volume Booster: A small Bluetooth speaker clipped onto a bag, pocket, or device strap is incredibly helpful to ensure that the AAC user’s messages can be heard in loud, public environments.
- Light-Tech Backups: Keeping a printed, laminated backup of the communication system is vital in case a battery dies or your adventures take you somewhere technology shouldn’t go—like a splash pad, pool, or muddy playground.
Let’s pack!
The easiest way to build a community “go bag” and ensure that is is useful and something that you and your AAC user will find helpful is to pick tools that are built for portability. Whatever literacy and AAC supports you choose to add to your “go bag” will ideally be things that are easy for you to grab and go or pack once and keep in the car or by the door so they are always ready.
Before you go, share in the comments, what is one thing you are putting in your community “go bag”?
by Megan | Jun 14, 2026 | AAC, aided language input, aided language stimulation, blog, books, continuing education, modeling, tips, training
The Trap of Traditional “Data”
As therapists and educators, we are conditioned to look for a very specific, quantitative type of data: “X will touch the icon with 80% accuracy across 3 consecutive sessions.”
However, because interactions are hard to quantify in numbers or pluses and minuses, that kind of rigid data collection can make it feel like nothing is happening in shared reading interactions and emergent literacy instruction. Relying solely on quantitative data can lead to burnout and the false assumption that the learner isn’t progressing.
Because growth in shared reading isn’t always linear, and rarely looks like a percentage on a chart, we are redefining what a “literacy win” actually looks like and how to document it in a way that honors the learner.
Shifting the Metric (What to Track Instead)
This will take a mindset shift, but I want you to start thinking less about counting “correct” or “incorrect” button presses, interactions, etc., and instead focus on tracking qualitative indicators for engagement and connection. Here are some examples of qualitative indicators you could track and share as progress:
- Sustained Proximity: Did they stay in the reading space for 3 minutes instead of 1?
- Shared Regulated State: Did they use a sensory support to keep their body calm while listening?
- Multi-Modal Initiations: Did they point to a picture, make a vocalization, smile at a favorite part, or actively protest a page? (Remember: a protest is a massive communication win!)
- Device Exploration: Did they babble or explore keys on their AAC system while looking at the book, even if it wasn’t a “perfect” match to the text?
Low-Stress Documentation Methods
While data collection is important and a great way to show progress, it shouldn’t take you away from the interaction. If you are too busy tallying things on a clipboard, you miss the connection. These examples of low-stress data collection ideas will help you monitor progress and keep you in the moment.”
- The Weekly Reflection Journal: Spend 60 seconds at the end of the week writing down one highlight or surprise from story time.
- The Photo/Video Log: Snap a quick picture of a shared moment or film a 30-second clip of play-based reading to look back on later.
- The Post-It Note Method: Keep a pad of sticky notes nearby to jot down a breakthrough moment (e.g., “Looked at the bear and smiled today!”) and stick it in a dedicated folder for the learner or on the page in the book.
Celebrating with the Learner
Data collection and progress monitoring are typically seen as just for teachers and therapists; it is important to share progress with our learners, too! They have worked hard and should have the opportunity to take pride in and celebrate their growth! Here are some ways you can celebrate growth with your learners:
- Re-reading favorite customized books or digital “book trailers” they helped make.
- Verbally celebrating their choices and autonomy: “I love reading with you. You chose such a cool book today.”
- Create a video or picture book looking back on all the books that they have read, including some of the moments where you had great connections and interactions.
Reflection on this Shared Reading Series
That’s a wrap! Over the last 12 weeks, we dove deep into what shared reading with AAC users really looks like. We broke out of the rigid “story time box” and threw away the compliance-based rulebooks. We learned to lean into movement as regulation, bring books directly into play, aggressively protect our learners’ autonomy by honoring their “no”, and so much more. As you continue to provide rich, interactive, and engaging shared reading experiences, remember: literacy is not a test, a data point, or a race to hit buttons on a device. It is a lifelong doorway to connection, expression, and joy. Thank you for showing up, unlearning the old rules, and choosing connection first.
If you want a comprehensive guide to keep all of these strategies, planners, and mindset shifts in one easy-to-access place, check out my e-book: Shared Reading with AAC Users: A Neurodiversity Affirming Guide, or any of the Sensory-Based Literacy Kits for lesson plans and sensory extension activities that are ready to go, out of the box!
Before you go, share in the comments: Looking back at where you started, what is one small, beautiful win your learner has had with books recently?
by Megan | Jun 6, 2026 | AAC, aided language input, aided language stimulation, blog, book recommendations, books, continuing education, core vocabulary, emergent literacy, fringe vocabulary, modeling, Sensory, Sensory extension activities, tips, training
The Dignity of Age-Respectful Materials
Have you ever walked into an upper elementary or secondary special education classroom, and seen teenagers being read baby books because of their perceived “cognitive level?” Do you ever wonder if this is a book they would pick out on their own or if they are just reading it because that’s all that’s available to them?
If these baby books are all that is available to them as readers, we need to reflect on why. If we think that they “can’t” read books or engage with concepts that match their chronological age, are we truly presuming potential and using “the least dangerous assumption?”. It doesn’t seem like it.
Here’s the good news, you do not have to sacrifice rich, age-respectful topics to keep text accessible. Today, we are breaking down how to select and navigate shared reading materials for older AAC users.
High-Interest, Low-Readability (Hi-Lo) Books
“Hi-Lo” books are a great way to introduce or share about more complex and age respectful themes (e.g., sports, mysteries, pop culture, peer relationships, etc) using simplified text that supports their current reading level, whatever that might be.
While there are some publishers out there that specialize in creating “hi-lo” books and text, you can also create them yourself through deconstructing books around preferred topics, repurposing the illustrations and simplifying the text, creating your own or have the reader share what they would like the text to say. These could be physical books or digital books created in Canva, Powerpoint, etc.
Nonfiction, Magazines, and Digital Articles
Don’t forget about all the reading opportunities that are available in non fiction books, magazines and/or articles. These types of texts can also be full of high interest materials, making them not only age-respectful but very engaging.
Some examples of nonfiction texts for older readers include statistics from a recent sports game, recipes (bonus that this includes some math concepts as well), articles about recent video game releases or cheat codes, and so much more!
Modifying Age-Appropriate Texts
Don’t forget, you can read a regular chapter book or grade-level novel to an older AAC user by changing how you interact with the text – no adaptations needed. You can read a paragraph, then summarize the main point using age-appropriate language and modeing on their AAC system, or listen to an audiobook and map out concepts, illustrations, etc on an anchor chart. Pulling in the visual and sensory supports through visual timelines, character maps, etc., can help anchor the learning and plot of the story.
The Golden Rule: Ask the Expert (The Learner)
This is the most important strategy of them all! Providing learners with the autonomy to read what they want automatically increases their engagement and interest in reading, whatever the text might be. Learners need to know that the choice is ultimately theirs. They can choose what they do and don’t want to read.
While we have been discussing ensuring that we are providing “age respectful” materials, we also need to provide “interest respectful” materials, and this can be a very delicate balance. Keep in mind that during independent reading, some learners may want to read a book that may not seem “age appropriate”; however, it features one of their specific interests, and therefore motivates them to read and engage with the text. This is a win!
When engaging in independent reading, “age-appropriate” labels for text are merely a guide, not a hard and fast rule. Many adults still enjoy reading young adult books, even though they may not appear “age-appropriate” on the surface. Everyone is entitled to read whatever is of interest to them and gets them excited about reading. True autonomy in reading means having the right to choose what you love without judgment.
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