What Makes a Book AAC-Friendly?
Are you searching for the “perfect” book for your AAC user? You might be overthinking it. Shared reading isn’t about finding specialized materials—it’s about how you see the books already on your shelf. In this post, I’m breaking down my “Three-Question Filter” to help you choose engaging, core-word-rich books that naturally invite communication. Plus, download my free quick-filter cheat sheet for your next trip to the library or book store!
What to Model During Shared Reading with AAC Users
Not sure what to model during shared reading with AAC users? This post shares simple, practical ideas for modeling core words, fringe words, comments, and natural language in ways that support connection and literacy.
How to Start Shared Reading with AAC Users: A Simple Place to Begin
If you’ve been wanting to start engaging in shared reading with an AAC user but aren't sure where to begin, you are not alone. For many parents, teachers, therapists, and support staff, shared reading can sound both wonderful and overwhelming. You may wonder: What...
Shared Reading with AAC Users: What It Is and Why It Matters
When people think about reading with a child, they often picture sitting close, looking at the pages together, listening quietly, answering questions, and making it through the whole book from beginning to end. But for many AAC users, reading together may not look...
Marianna and the Lesson I Still Carry
It’s 2001, my first year as a speech-language pathologist, and I’m meeting one of the students on my caseload. I can still see her smile, and I remember thinking that she might be the happiest kid I’ve ever met. I was the only SLP assigned to that school, so I knew...
Stop teaching “Letter of the Week” – do this instead!
Don’t teach “letter of the week”! I know that sounds like a bold statement but trust me when I say there is a better way that you can teach letters, the sounds they represent, and alphabetic knowledge, in general. The new way to teach alphabet knowledge skills is...
Repetition with Variety
Sometimes, when you are stuck thinking of something you can do in therapy, to highlight literacy, or simply in play, you may think you have to come up with something new but read on to find out why you don’t and why repeating the same things can be beneficial for all...
My favorite AAC tip!
I want to share my favorite AAC tip with you… This tip is specifically for those who use an iPad as their communication device. If you have worked with anyone, specifically children, who use an iPad, you know that the “home” button can be very distracting, especially...
Top 5 tips for getting staff buy-in for AAC & Emergent Literacy
How do I get staff to buy into modeling AAC and implementing emergent literacy strategies in their classrooms? This is one of the questions that I am most frequently asked when talking to other speech-language pathologists (SLPs). While I agree that getting staff...
Free CEUs!
It’s the busiest time of the year! Wrapping up the year, buying gifts for all you love, finding time to celebrate with all your friends and family, you may feel like you are running around endlessly, the last thing you should have to worry about is making sure you...