With around 14 years of AAC use since I picked up partner assisted typing at the age of 9, I wish to share some of my hard earned strategies.
Students using AAC like me are visual thinkers, and there are times in a busy environment like classrooms that we will feel overloaded and can’t take in information via language. Visuals are great and when they are presented step by step with straight forward instructions, we do a lot better. That’s why apps and games have such an appeal because they are easy to figure out without too much complex language.
Demonstrations of activities using material are even better. For example, when you go on a plane trip, one of the first things they do is to show you how to put on the life jacket and the oxygen mask. After a couple of demos, I would know how to do this in my sleep.
Lastly, someone checking on our progress is always useful because it’s hard for us to specifically ask for help when we are engaged in doing a task. One of the things we find very hard is attention shift, so when we are so engrossed in making that fantastic Christmas present for Mum and Dad, we don’t always request the help we need to do this better, especially when we get a little stuck.
Thanks and I’ll check in again soon.
Tim