by Megan | May 16, 2026 | AAC, aided language input, aided language stimulation, blog, books, continuing education, core vocabulary, emergent literacy, fringe vocabulary, modeling, Sensory, tips, training
The Heart-Sinking Moment of Book Refusal
If you know, you know. And if you don’t know yet, chances are there will be a time when you do. Not all shared reading experiences will be positive, no matter how much you prep. You may set up the perfect environment, have an amazing book, all the sensory supports in place, and a ready and waiting AAC system, and the learner may push the book away, close it immediately, and/or leave the environment completely.
Before you start feeling like you have failed or that they “just don’t like reading”, I want you to pause, take a deep breath, and remember this. All of this refusal and rejection is a good thing! Refusal and protesting are forms of communication. When the learner says “no” to a book, they are practicing a very important communicative function – protesting – as well as their autonomy.
Keeping this in mind, remember that shared reading is all about connection, and how we respond to these moments of protest will determine whether we build a power struggle or a foundation of trust.
Honor the “No” First (Building Safety)
The first and most important thing we can do as communication partners when learners refuse a book is to honor their “no”. If they push the book away or walk away, and we force them to come back and look at it, we are teaching them that their communication doesn’t matter. We need to build safety in communication so that they understand that no matter what they say, it will be heard and acknowledged, and the fastest way to do that is to honor their “no”.
We can honor their “no” through explicitly acknowledging and naming their refusal, both verbally and on their AAC device, using an authentic, validating tone free of disappointment or scolding. For example:
- “No”
- “Don’t want.”
- “Stop”
- “Put away”
- “Different book”
- A gestalt that the child may use verbally or through other media programmed into their AAC system.
After acknowledging and naming their refusal, it is also important to follow through with the action that is paired with the modeling. If you are modeling “put away” or “different book”, put the book away or grab a different book. When you physically close the book after they communicate ‘all done,’ you are proving to them that their voice has real power
Investigate the “Why” behind the Refusal
After you have explicitly named and acknowledged their “no”, it is time to put on your detective hat and look for possible reasons that they may have refused the book and/or the shared reading interaction as a whole. As you try to determine a possible cause, think through the lenses that we have discussed in previous weeks, during our discussion of shared reading:
- Is it a sensory mismatch?
- Too bright, too loud, or the wrong seating?
- Do they need a fidget or sensory item to keep their hands busy?
- Are the illustrations in the book too overwhelming?
- Is it a connection issue?
- Is it fatigue?
- Did they just spend all day masking at school?
- Have they been working hard in a different therapy session?
- Did they sleep well?
Keeping these things in mind may help find a way to adjust the environment, approach to shared reading, and/or the time of day that you attempt to engage in shared reading. However, keep in mind that there is a real possibility that you may never know why a learner refuses a book or shared reading experience. The most important thing is to honor their “no”, no matter what that looks like, and to keep trying to build a connection through shared reading, even if it doesn’t look like you thought it would.
Alternative Paths to Literacy (When the book is closed)
The great news is that literacy is all around us, which means that even if the learner refuses the physical book, we still have loads of opportunities to offer literacy and build connections. For example:
- Read the room: Model core words using environmental print, cereal boxes, or toy labels.
- Switch to storytelling: Close the book and verbally tell a story using props or silly voices, modeling on the device without the pressure of the physical pages.
- Change the media: Try an audiobook, a video version of a story, a read-aloud on YouTube, or looking at photos together.
Scripts to Try
Even when we know that refusal and protesting during shared reading is ok and should be expected, it can sometimes be hard to think of how to acknowledge and affirm their “no” in the moment. Here are some examples of phrases you can use or modify to fit your needs:
- “I see you closing the book. You’re telling me all done.”
- “You pushed it away. Let’s find something different.”
- “We can try later.”
- “You moved away, I think you are telling me ‘I don’t want to read’.”
Don’t forget that honoring an AAC user’s “no” is just as important as celebrating their “yes,” and providing opportunities for autonomy and honoring their boundaries is a huge part of neurodiversity-affirming care. My e-book is a great resource of ideas for setting up low-pressure, respectful literacy environments, if you are looking for more information on this topic.
Before you go, share in the comments: “How does your learner usually let you know they are done with a book or that they don’t want to read?”
by Megan | May 11, 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
We Finished the Book… Now What?
Stop!
Don’t put the book away yet!
You have finished your shared reading activity, but that is just the beginning! The connection that is created during shared reading can be used as a springboard for follow-up activities that turn a single story into a week-long learning experience.
Follow-up activities help deepen the connections between the reader and the story while promoting generalization of core vocabulary and bringing other themes, concepts, etc., to life. In this post, we will discuss five simple, no-prep activities that focus on engagement over “work” and show you how the learning doesn’t “stop” once the book is finished.
Activity 1: Predictable Chart Writing
Predictable chart writing is a collaborative writing activity where each learner completes the same sentence frame based on a concept or idea from the book that was read during shared reading (e.g., “On Monday, I ate _____”). The repetitiveness of this structure allows for consistent and repeated modeling of core and fringe vocabulary, lets the learner see their spoken words turned into text, and provides practice for emergent writing.
The full concept of predictable chart writing includes additional steps and teaching strategies focused on building print knowledge and sentence-building skills, etc., and you can dive even deeper into it here: https://project-core.com/professional-development-modules/.
While there are multiple steps to completing the full predictable chart writing process, you can start simple, writing your sentence frame on a whiteboard, poster paper, construction paper, or even a digital tablet. The focus should be on deepening the connection between the reader and the story and building their literacy skills through emergent writing and expression.
Activity 2: The “Story Retell” Sensory Bin
In the post “How Sensory Supports Can Make Shared Reading More Accessible and Engaging,” we talked about creating “literacy kits” or “story bins” to keep learners engaged during shared reading and build connections between the learner and the story. Providing learners access to these story bins after shared reading, during a center or open-ended play time, is a great way to encourage them to retell the story in their own way and deepen their connections to the story.
While observing their open-ended play and interactions with these literacy kits, we have additional opportunities to model core and fringe vocabulary that matches what they are doing in play, as well as reference back to the story and what they might be retelling through their play. If you need some reminders on what to model during these activities, this post might be helpful.
Activity 3: Text-to-Self Connections (The Photo Hunt)
Building connections between the text within a story and the lives of readers is a very powerful way to help readers engage with stories and see that the things they read about are all around them. One fun way to do this is to go on a photo scavenger hunt, looking for things that they read about in the story.
For example, if they read about a “big” dog, go on a scavenger hunt for other “big” things, and snap a picture of one when you find it. This brings what could be abstract concepts back to concrete thinking and shows how these concepts appear within the readers’ real lives. A bonus activity could be compiling all the pictures into a book to add to their bookshelves to revisit at a later date.
Activity 4: Digital “Book Trailers” or Recaps
One of my favorite things about being a reader is telling other people about my favorite books and why they should read them. Why not give that same experience to your learners?
There are many ways that you can do this using apps such as Pictello, Canva, Google Slides, or just your camera roll, taking pictures of the learners’ favorite parts of the book and pairing those pictures with the learner sharing about that part of the book in their own words.
This activity builds narrative skills and gives the learners a “product” they can show off to others through their AAC device. (Bonus points if you embed the video into a button on their device for them to show others!)
Activity 5: Character “Check-ins”
Social-emotional learning and teaching descriptive vocabulary lend themselves to acting and experiencing. Often, characters are described by what they look like, what they are doing, or what they are feeling. While illustrations can sometimes show these descriptions and emotions clearly, other times they are more difficult to determine from illustrations alone.
This is where the character “check-ins” can be really helpful, not to mention fun! Learners can act out the emotions that the character is feeling. If the character is “mad”, everyone can make their “mad” face and find “mad” on their AAC system. If they are being “silly”, everyone can show what they think “silly” looks like and find that word on their AAC system as well.
Not only does acting these things out help deepen the connection between the characters and the readers, but it also teaches them how to locate and use these important words in calm and engaging environments so that they will learn to use them in environments when they are feeling “mad” or “silly” themselves.
Which one will you try first?
After reading through these different ideas, I hope that you see how much more learning and fun can be done once you reach the last page of the story. Remember that shared reading is just the beginning of the lesson, and the connection that you create during that routine can be deepened and continued long after you close the book.
If you are looking for some “ready-to-go” literacy kits with interactive extension activities prepped and ready to go without any extra work on your end, check out my sensory-based literacy kits available as full kits with the book included, kits with just the materials, and digital downloads.
Before you go, share in the comments which activity you are excited to try first with your learner(s) as a way to extend and deepen your connection to the story!
by Megan | May 2, 2026 | AAC, aided language input, aided language stimulation, blog, books, continuing education, core vocabulary, emergent literacy, fringe vocabulary, modeling, Sensory, tips, training
“Are We Doing This Wrong?”
We’ve all been there. You have planned and prepped an engaging shared reading lesson and activity, and as soon as you start, you feel like you have failed. The child won’t look at the book, they walk away, they don’t imitate your models on their device, nothing.
I took the time to plan this lesson, and they aren’t even interested? Maybe I should stop trying shared reading.
WAIT! Before you let that false thought take over, think about this. Who said that kids have to sit still during reading? Why is that something we look for to prove attention? Do you always sit still and “look” like you are paying attention when you are listening? My guess is, especially if you are like me, the answer is “no”.
There are unwritten and unspoken (and unproven) “rules” out there telling us what shared reading “should” look like or what a successful lesson “looks” like, but I’m here to bust these myths, shoulds, and rules. I’m going to bust five of the most common myths about shared reading and help us all focus on what matters most: connection.
The 5 Myths
- Myth #1: The “Sitting Still” Requirement
- Truth: Movement is sensory regulation and often helps neurodivergent learners process information.
- Remember: If they are in the room, they are participating. Focus on the connection instead of the movement. We took a deep dive into why movement is so important in our Sensory Supports guide.
- Myth #2: The “Adapted Book” Necessity
- Truth: AAC devices provide the symbols; books provide the stories.
- Remember: Don’t limit their library to books with icons. All books are fair game for shared reading.
- Myth #3: The “Reading as a Test” Habit
- Truth: Questions create pressure; comments create conversation.
- Remember: Switch from “What’s that?” to “I love that part!” When we focus on creating connection, we decrease pressure and increase engagement. If you aren’t sure what to say instead of a question, check out my post on What to Model During Shared Reading
- Myth #4: The “Prerequisite Skills” Barrier
- Truth: Literacy is a right, not a reward.
- Remember: You don’t get “ready” for reading by waiting; you get ready by reading. Engaging in shared reading builds emergent literacy skills, waiting does not.
- Myth #5: The “Button Press” Metric of Success
- Truth: Multi-modal communication (eyes, smiles, gestures) counts.
- Remember: Success is joint attention, not just a data point on a device. Communication comes in many forms; don’t pigeonhole it into needing to look one specific way.
The Mindset Shift: Engagement > Compliance
Do these myths sound familiar? Do they sound like something you have heard before?
You might be thinking, if these are all myths and there are better ways of doing shared reading, then why are these myths still being shared? That’s a really good question.
Myths are often rooted in “old-school” trains of thought and compliance-based therapy techniques. Things we used to think worked well. However, as we have continued to grow as a field and hopefully as professionals, listening to AAC users and learning from their experiences, we have learned to do better.
When we look at the world through a neurodiversity-affirming lens, our mindset quickly changes, and we see the importance of following the learner’s lead instead of the “rules” of society or a textbook.
Next steps
If these myths have been holding you back, you aren’t alone. After reading this, I encourage you to continue learning and asking questions if something doesn’t feel or seem “right”. Most of all, use these myths as motivation to start doing shared reading in a new way, a way that works and is fun for everyone! If you’re interested, I wrote a guide to help you navigate the ‘real life’ side of shared reading that you can check out here.
Before you go: Which of these myths was the hardest for you to unlearn? Let’s talk in the comments.
by Megan | Apr 20, 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
When “Just Reading” Isn’t Enough
You picked the book, prepped the materials and set up the environment and feel ready to start shared reading with your AAC user. But, when you get started, the learner keeps moving around, wants to stay on the same page, flip through pages quickly and closes the book again and again.
Before you take this as a sign that the learner is “checked out”, not interested or that you need to revamp your entire lesson, take a moment to reflect and think about why they are doing those things. I can guarantee you that they are not doing those things to make the shared reading experience more difficult. They are showing you what they need in order to keep their body calm and regulated and allow themselves to focus on the AAC device and/or story.
When we provide sensory supports for the learner during the shared reading experience, we not only help learners stay calm and regulated, we provide anchors that keep them present in the experience.
Proprioceptive & Vestibular Input (Moving while Reading)
For some learners, movement is a prerequisite for attention—they literally need to move their bodies to process what they hear. If your learner struggles to sit still, try these shifts:
- Adaptive Seating: Offer a bean bag, wiggle cushion, stool, or even a swing during storytime.
- Action Modeling: Incorporate movement into the story itself (e.g., “The bear is jumping! Let’s jump!”).
- Change of Scenery: Move to different parts of the room for different chapters or pages.
Remember: Just because a learner is moving doesn’t mean they aren’t listening. For many, the movement is exactly what allows them to stay tuned in.
Tactile Anchors (The “Touch-and-Feel” Beyond the Book)
Other learners may need or prefer additional tactile stimulation to get and keep them engaged during shared reading. Giving hands something to do often gives the brain more space to focus on language. Here are some ideas to increased tactile input during shared reading:
- Story Bins: Create “literacy kits” with items representing the story, like soft fur for a bear or a small cup for tea time.
- Themed Fidgets: Provide fidgets that match the book’s theme to keep the learner’s tactile system engaged with the topic.
Sensory Minimalism: Reducing the Noise
While we are thinking about the different things we might need to add to help make shared reading more sensory friendly, there are also some things we might need to decrease. While some learners might seek out visual and auditory input, too much of this type of input can also be overwhelming for some. Knowing our learners and their sensory preferences, allows us to reduce the “sensory noise” so that the AAC voice and the book can be the stars. Here are some actionable ideas you can use to help decrease the auditory and visual distractions:
- Lighting: Use a reading lamp instead of harsh overhead lights.
- Auditory: Minimizing background noise
- Visual: Using a dedicated “reading rug” to define the space.
The “Low-Tech” Sensory Kit
Before you start thinking that you need to go out and buy a bunch of new things to revamp your room, area, etc. take a look around your home or classroom, you probably have a lot of items you can use to support sensory needs during shared reading.
-
- Comfort: Pillows, blankets, cushions
- Movement: rocking chairs, wiggle seats, trampoline, swing
- Tactile: Various textures and/or items that the learner can feel and interact with while reading – bonus if they are related to items within the story.
- Tactile: Preferred fidget items
- Movement: Different areas that you can move to throughout the reading if needed or a specific place that is your “reading area’.
- Lighting: dimmable lights or light from lamps instead of overhead lights
- Auditory: quiet space, headphones
The possibilities are endless!
Once you get started seeing things from a “sensory lens” you will come up with many more ideas that are personalized to your learner than I can list here. You are the expert on your learner. These tools simply help their environment match their needs.
If you are interested in learning even more about sensory supports and how they can make shared reading accessible and engaging and want to see some examples of sensory based literacy kits you can check them out in my store.
Before you go
Share with us in the comments: “What is your learner’s favorite sensory support during storytime?”
by Megan | Apr 13, 2026 | AAC, aided language input, aided language stimulation, blog, book recommendations, books, continuing education, core vocabulary, emergent literacy, fringe vocabulary, modeling, Sensory, tips, training, Uncategorized
The “Perfect Book” Trap
If you’ve ever found yourself looking at a bookshelf filled to the brim, feeling overwhelmed and wondering “Is this one right for shared reading with my AAC user?”, you are not alone.
Since “AAC friendly” isn’t a category that books are organized into, at the library or bookstore, we need to shift our way of thinking when browsing. Choosing a book isn’t about it being “AAC friendly”, it’s about it being engaging, interesting and fun for both you and the AAC user.
My goal for this post is to simplify the process of choosing a book to read with your AAC user and reassure you that there is no “perfect book”. Once you realize that, you can spend less time searching for books and more time reading them. Here are the three pillars I use to find books that naturally invite communication.
1. High Predictability
One of the first things I look for is how much predictability is built into the story. Predictability reduces the “work” a learner has to do to follow the story, which leaves more room in their brain to think about what they want to communicate.
This predictability usually looks like repetitive lines or a rhyme and rhythm that creates a natural pause for the AAC user to chime in. Think of classics like:
- “But the bear snores on…”
- “But he was still hungry.”
- “There was an old lady…”
- “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom”
Pro Tip: If you find a book you love that isn’t predictable, you can make it predictable. Simply choose a repeated comment, request, protest or sound effect to say on every single page. Suddenly, any book becomes accessible!
2. Core Word Capacity (Moving Beyond Nouns)
A common mistake is picking books just for labeling (like “dog,” “cat,” or “truck”). While nouns are great, Core Words (verbs and descriptors) are the words that give a learner power across their whole day.
I look for “Action-Heavy” or “Emotion-Heavy” books. For example:
- Go/Stop: Great for any book about transportation or animals moving.
- In/On/Under: Perfect for lift-the-flap books or “hide and seek” stories.
- Like/Don’t Like: Excellent for stories about picky eaters or characters with strong opinions.
Modeling “go” or “scared” gives your learner a word they can use in a hundred other situations outside of this specific book.
3. Visual Clarity & Sensory Considerations
Finally, consider the visual and sensory “load” of the book. This is highly personalized. Some readers may prefer real photographs, while others find very busy, detailed illustrations distracting.
The Sensory Anchor: If a book has different textures or interactive elements, it is almost always a “sure thing” for me. These elements act as an “
My “Three-Question” Quick Filter
Next time you are at the library or bookstore, use these three questions to find your next great read:
- Does it have a repeating phrase (or can I create one)?
- Can I model at least 3 core words easily and repeatedly?
- Is the topic actually interesting to the learner? (This is the most important rule!)
DOWNLOAD THE QUICK-FILTER CHEAT SHEET HERE
Start browsing confidently!
You are ready to start checking out books with confidence, knowing that engagement matters far more than “perfection.”
If you want to dive even deeper into the “how-to” of shared reading, my e-book, Shared Reading with AAC Users: A Neurodiversity-Affirming Guide, walks you through everything from setup to tracking progress.
One more thing before you go… share in the comments: What is the one book your learner requests over and over?
by Megan | Feb 10, 2021 | AAC, aided language stimulation, core vocabulary, modeling, Sensory, Sensory extension activities, Storybook Sessions
Storybook Sessions: Garrett Morgan
In each Storybook Sessions post, I highlight a book that I have used, or plan to use in therapy as well as associated, extension activities that can be paired with the book to increase vocabulary comprehension, provide opportunities to express yourself verbally, written, creatively, etc., sensory exploration, fine motor practice, gross motor movements, etc. Some extension activities will focus on all of these components while others will focus more specifically on one area.
Garrett Morgan
Author: Megan Stewart
Illustrator: Symbols by Boardmaker 7
Do you ever have an idea for an activity to do, book to read, etc but can’t find exactly what you are looking for? Anyone else, or is it just me?
This happened to me while I was planning for my February sessions. I knew I wanted to highlight a famous black person from history to celebrate Black History Month with my students but while looking for a book to lead my activity/session, I wasn’t able to find what I was looking for. I will say that there are a TON of great kids books featuring and highlighting famous black people, however I waited too long to put these on hold or check out from my library, so I decided to create my own.
My Book Creation Process
I chose to highlight Garrett Morgan, who added the yellow light to the stoplight as we now know it, within my lesson. With a quick Google search to find a picture of him, and learn a little more about him and his inventions, I took that information, opened Boardmaker 7 software and got to work! Using the printable book template, I was able to easily add in pictures, symbols and text that told the story of who Garrett Morgan was, why we need to learn about him, what his invention was (Mr. Morgan did invent items other than the stoplight, (i.e., the gas mask), but I thought this invention was most appropriate to highlight for my PreK students), and how it has affected our world. Here’s a sneak peek of the book:
Now What?
Now that I had the book, I needed to decide on the extension activities to continue our learning after we read the book. I chose activities that focused on color, shape and number recognition & labeling, spatial concepts, fine motor skills, bi-lateral (both sides) hand coordination, sorting, following directions, and gross motor skills.
Creating A Personalized Stoplight
In the first activity, the students create their own stoplight.
First, I cut black construction paper into rectangles and drew 3 circles down the center with a white crayon.
Stoplight template and stickers
Second, I cut color coding stickers from Avery into strips of yellow, green and red.
Each student was given a stoplight template and, after a model from an adult, placed all of the colored stickers onto their stoplight template. Hopefully the students placed the stickers in the right place based on color, but if not, that’s ok too – I am all about fostering independence and creativity and this is not a test!
Student Created Stoplght
Student Created Stoplight
Additional Skills Addressed While Creating the Stoplights
While the students were making their stoplights, we were able to focus in on the topics of:
- Colors
- Shapes
- Location words (prepositions)
- Quantity (numbers, more, less)
Don’t forget all the Core Vocabulary!
And of course we used our core vocabulary communication boards to chat, modeling words, individually and in short phrases, such as:
- Put
- On
- More
- Where
- Help
- Want
- Like
- Not
- Different
- I
- My
- You
- Finished
- Here
- That
- Again
- Next
- See
- All
The Fun Doesn’t Stop There!
After students finish their stoplight you can:
- Help them write their name on their paper and send home to share with families.
- Laminate their stoplight to use in additional extension activities such as sorting by color.
- Use this sorting template to find items that are red, yellow and/or green in their environment.
- Watch some fun “stoplight videos” such as:
- Play “Red Light, Yellow Light, Green Light” to help get the wiggles out. You can use these visuals to further show students if they are to “GO”, “SLOW” or “STOP”.
- Play with cars and other vehicles, using your traffic light to tell the cars to “GO”, “SLOW down” or “STOP”
This Sounds Great! Where Can I Find These Resources?
If you are interested in doing these activities and/or reading the book about Garrett Morgan to your students I have linked them here for you to download:
Garrett Morgan book and activities
Garrett Morgan Printable and activities
If you create stoplights in celebration of Garrett Morgan and his invention, I’d love to see it!
Post pictures in the comments below or tag me (@senseableliteracy) in posts online!
Until next time – Happy Reading!
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