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 | Jan 13, 2024 | 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 buy-in to model AAC and emergent literacy can sometimes feel like a challenge – but, it doesn’t have to! Here’s what I have proposed, introduced, and tried in classrooms I support to help motivate and encourage classroom teachers and staff to continue modeling AAC and implement emergent literacy strategies throughout their day:
- Make sure they understand the terminology.
Special education has 1 BILLION (if not more) acronyms and we often use them so regularly that we forget that everyone may need to learn what they all mean. When talking about different techniques and strategies, take the time to make sure that those you are talking to are clear on what you are saying. It does no good if one or more people leave a discussion about strategies to increase communication and literacy (or anything for that matter) wondering what it was that was discussed and what they can, or should do going forward. If you find yourself using acronyms often, it may be helpful to have a “cheat sheet” or “key” to share that reminds everyone what each acronym stands for.
- Reinforce what they are already doing.
No one likes to only hear what they aren’t doing and what they should do. And, I’m sure there are things that the classroom staff are already doing that are great! It is important to emphasize those things that are going well and that are successful – encouraging others and recognizing what they are doing well goes a long way in building rapport in any relationship!
- Show how they could easily add modeling AAC or emergent literacy into their established routines.
Sometimes, when we hear someone suggest that we “add” something to our day, we immediately stop listening and get defensive. All of us are already doing so much, especially in education, that the idea of adding one more thing is crazy. While this is true, and the last thing we want to do is add more to anyone’s plate – this is a great way to remind those we are supporting that language and literacy are not times of the day – they are always happening and are always around us. Taking the time to show staff simple ways that they can model AAC or implement an emergent literacy strategy into their daily routines can go a long way! Adding in these language and literacy moments doesn’t need to be anything long or time-consuming – it can be a quick mention of the letter of the day while reading instructions, a book, or on a walk about campus, or taking the time to point to a core word or two that naturally comes up during instruction, lunch, etc.
- Ask questions and listen to answers.
This might be the most important tip of all! In all collaborative relationships, it is imperative that everyone involved feels comfortable asking questions and knows that their thoughts, ideas, concerns, etc will be listened to. Take the time to ask questions so you can know how to best support each team, team member, classroom, etc. Ask what their concerns are, how they best learn, what they need more help with, how they like to receive feedback, what area(s) they would like to focus on, etc.
Taking the time to ask these questions and listen to the answers that are given will not only help to build the relationship, it will help guide how you can provide support and feedback as well as know how to help every team member set personal goals surrounding AAC modeling and/or emergent literacy implementation.
- Work together to brainstorm and establish personal goals focusing on these areas.
Once you have established that you are all on the same page, what’s going well, and where more support is needed, it’s time to set some goals. Depending upon how you support classrooms, you may set individual goals with each staff member or you may set goals with the team as a whole, or both. The great thing is that these goals can be personalized to fit everyone’s needs and adjusted as needed. When you are setting these goals, think of it just as you would writing goals for your students, making sure they are meaningful, measurable, and achievable. It’s up to you but I also like to discuss a reward that will be received when a goal is met – to me, this makes it extra motivating and meaningful. A reward could be something physical like a snack food, social such as a shout-out in the staff newsletter, or functional in the form of a set of printed and prepped visuals. Whatever they are, rewards should be as personal as the goals and chosen by the person receiving the reward.
While these are my top 5 tips for helping get classroom buy-in and what has helped me, it is a continual learning process, and keep in mind that some things may need to be added, deleted, tweaked, etc depending upon the teams you are supporting. If you are interested in learning more about this topic and getting access to interest surveys you can give to staff, data sheets, resource links, etc – check out my e-book “AAC & Emergent Literacy Challenge”. This ebook is filled with information on how to get started, strategies to make the challenge successful and fun, questionnaires to gather information and guide challenge creation and implementation, data collection sheets, and more!
If you have additional tips or strategies for classroom buy-in and support – drop them in the comments!
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