Together, we can make engaging and interactive lessons for your self-contained classroom!

Month: April 2020

AAC
5 Tips for Using AAC for Communication in the Classroom
- 5:17 pm
- 1 Comment
- by Rhosemarie
What IS AAC?

AAC stands for Augmentative and Alternative Communication. AAC encompasses all the way someone communicates without talking. There are many AAC methods of communication.

AAC includes no tech or low tech options such as:

drawing

writing

pointing to photos or pictures

High tech options include

A tablet or Ipad with a speech app

A speech generated device such as a button with a pre recorded message.

What are the benefits of AAC devices for communication? AAC gives students the opportunity to communicate their thoughts, ideas, wants and needs.

Here are my tips for using AAC for communication to help support and grow student communication in the classroom.

1. Make AAC devices easily accessible

I know we’ve all heard the saying, “out of sight out of mind”. The easiest way to ensure AAC devices are being used in the classroom is to keep them in sight! Make sure they are visible and within reach to all students and staff in the classroom. In my Classroom, all AAC devices are placed on easily accessible shelves and desks within eye sight of staff and students. If a student brings a device to school from home, our first order of business is to take it out of their backpacks and place it on their desk. Making devices easily accessible makes it easier to remember to use it throughout the day.

Have a plan B

Sometimes students arrive to school with a device that is not charged, or they leave their device at home. Consider having extra chargers and low tech options available. In my classroom, we have laminated core word boards ready to use. Core vocabulary make up 80% of words we use in everyday conversation. I like to carry around a core word board and point to words as I say them.

In need of a core word board? I got you covered! Grab free core word boards here in my TPT store.

2. Create routine

If there’s anything our students in special education need the most it’s routine! Take a look at your schedule, and ask yourself what communication opportunities can I implement everyday? Create meaningful and purposeful opportunities for students to practice the same language over and over again. Set small goals and implement AAC into your classroom schedule slowly. This can be as simple as bringing an AAC device out to the bus, and using it to greet students, “good morning!” Or keeping a prerecorded button near the door that says “goodbye” when pushed. Stay consistent with the AAC opportunity and slowly add more opportunities to your daily routine.

Wait, and then wait some more!

Be patient, learning anything new, especially learning a new communication method takes time. Give students the opportunity to use the AAC device without prompting. When you have the urge to prompt count to 10 before modeling again. It may feel awkward, but giving your students wait time may be one of the best things you can do for them.

3. Plan ahead

Just like everything else in our classroom, we see success and growth when we plan for it. Include AAC devices in your lesson planning. Plan what devices to use during a lesson. What visuals need to be be programed and/or printed out? Think about which students need to use a device and be sure to include those devices in the lesson.

During a reading lesson, program the AAC device to read a line from the story so students can help read along. In a math lesson program 2 answer choices and have students choose the correct answer. For a social studies lesson, program the historical event or person and have so students can talk about what they are learning today. There are many opportunities to use AAC devices, just plan it out!

4. Make it fun!

Using language isn’t just for academics or testing, it should also be used to interact and make connection with others. Include AAC during recess, free choice time, lunch, and other extra curricular activities. Program simple phrases onto the AAC device that students can use with their peers such as, “Hi! my name is ____”, “I want to play___”, “How are you doing today?” When students feel included they may feel more encouraged to use their AAC device. It’s a win win for everyone!

Stop, collaborate, & listen!

Many, if not ALL of the fun AAC lesson plans that take place in my classroom are planned by our Speech and Language Pathologist. Collaborate with your SLP to come up with fun and easy ways to implement AAC devices in your classroom. Share your lesson ideas with your SLP and ask for their input on how AAC can be included! Some of the fun lessons we have planned together include- bringing the beach to the classroom, a community based instruction trip to our local grocery store, and a fun scavenger hunt around campus!

5. Model, Model, Model!

Students (and staff) will be more encouraged to use their AAC device if they see you using it too! Maybe the device is new to you, and you’re afraid you’ll “mess up”, but that’s perfectly fine as well. Students need to see you “figure it out” so they don’t get discouraged when trying to navigate their system. It can take 50-100 models of a word or phrase before the student uses it on their device. The more you model, the more students will be exposed to language and the more they will be encouraged to try it for themselves.

For more information on the how’s and why’s of modeling, check out this article by Assistive Ware here

Bonus Tip! Just do it!

It’s never too late to start implementing AAC in your classroom. Whether it’s the beginning, middle or a couple days before summer vacation, start using AAC today! AAC gives students a way to actively participate and stay engaged in learning. On this AAC journey it is important to continue building language and communication. How do you plan to use AAC in your classroom?
Teacher Tips
Tips for Teaching Students with Severe Multiple Disabilities
- 5:17 pm
- 1 Comment
- by Rhosemarie
What are Multiple Disabilities?
Multiple disabilities refer to the presence of two or more disabilities in an individual. The disabilities can be physical, sensory, intellectual, or developmental. Some examples of disabilities that may co-occur in an individual with multiple disabilities include:

Intellectual disability and physical disability: This may include conditions such as cerebral palsy or spina bifida, which can cause mobility impairments, in addition to intellectual disability.

Intellectual disability and sensory impairment: This may include individuals with deafblindness or individuals with intellectual disability and vision impairment or hearing impairment.

Physical disability and sensory impairment: This may include individuals with mobility impairments and vision impairment or hearing impairment.

Intellectual disability, physical disability, and sensory impairment: This may include individuals with multiple disabilities, such as cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, and vision impairment.

Students with severe multiple disabilities are usually under the supervision of an adult during the school day. They typically have disabilities ranging from severe physical limitations, global developmental delays, or emotional disturbances. Students stay in one classroom for the majority of the school day, and join other classrooms for electives, related services, lunch, and other inclusion opportunities.
Teaching Students with Multiple Disabilities
Teaching students with severe multiple disabilities requires a lot of heart, patience, and perseverance to try and try again. Every student regardless of ability deserves access to age appropriate education. Over the years I searched blogs, Pinterest, attended PD’s and even pursued my masters to find the best way to reach my students with moderate/severe disabilities. Here are my top tips for what works in my classroom:
Presume Competence
Presumed competence emphasizes that every student, even student’s with disabilities CAN learn. Trust that students are learning. Learning may be communicated differently, but, that does not mean that learning is not taking place. Assume that every student can benefit from age appropriate academic instruction, and design adaptations and modifications to support access to academics.
Build a Relationship with Families
Building strong collaborative relationships with families is a MUST. One of the benefits of virtual learning was the strong relationships I built with families. Suddenly I wasn’t the only teacher in their child’s life, and building trust and communication was essential to their child’s success. It is important to have open communication with families especially when students are unable to communicate effectively at home. Collaborating with families not only helped their child succeed in school, it also helped their child make progress at home. I saw strides in student’s motor skills, daily living skills, and communication skills once their families and I worked together to ensure the skills were being worked on in the classroom and at home. Building a strong relationship with families was the foundation to student success.
Use Data to Guide Instruction

“Without data, all we have is an opinion.”
There are various ways to collect data: observation, informal assessments, formal assessments, and student files. Once I collect data, I make adjustments to the way I teach to improve student engagement and participation. This may look like giving students errorless choice, offering students access to assistive technology for active participation, or giving students wait time. Data-driven instruction creates a classroom environment where students feel encouraged and supported to succeed.
Use Evidence Based Practices
Evidence-based practices are teaching strategies or methods that have been scientifically-proven effective. Students with disabilities benefit from this type of instruction in the classroom. Some examples of evidence based practices for special education include: task analysis, social stories, functional communication, Augmentative/Alternative communication (AAC), visual supports, and technology assisted instruction. Evidence based practices is not a one practice fits all. Using a variety of practices in your classroom can help support the needs of your students.
Final Note
If there’s anything you take away from this blog post, I hope it’s this: EVERY student CAN learn. If a student can’t learn the way we teach, we must teach the way they learn. What are your tips for teaching students with severe multiple disabilities? Please leave a comment. I’d love to learn what works for your classroom!
Adaptive Equipment, MOVE Curriculum
Adaptive Equipment for Students with Physical Disabilities
- 5:16 pm
- 1 Comment
- by Rhosemarie
Students on the MOVE!
Our classroom implements the M.O.V.E curriculum to support our students with physical disabilities. M.O.V.E, or Mobility Opportunities Via Education, is an activity based program that supports student’s ability to explore their environment. In this program, students practice transfers, sitting, standing, and walking skills throughout the school day. We use adaptive equipment such as standers, gait trainers, and modified seating for students with physical disabilities.
In this blog post I will share what the M.O.V.E program looks like in our classroom.
Who Participates in M.O.V.E.?
Everyone! Teachers, para educators, and specialists in our program are M.O.V.E trained. We work together with support from our physical therapist and occupational therapist to create a safe environment to learn and develop skills towards independence. Teachers, office and support staff encourage our students to move safely through the campus. All students, irregardless of physical disability in the classroom, participate in the MOVE program.
Purposeful and Meaningful Opportunities
We plan purposeful and meaningful opportunities for students to work on their motor skills daily. Here are some fun ways we’ve implemented the use of adaptive equipment in our classroom!
The adapted tricycle is one of our favorites! On a walking field trip to a local library one of our students rode the tricycle to get there. Not only was it a fun mode of transportation it was also therapeutic. The adapted tricycle improves leg strength, posture, balance and range of motion.
Every now and then we love to stop and smell the roses, or in this case radishes. Our students have the privilege of growing a garden with Ground Education. We take our gait trainers out to the garden and explore the seasonal veggies growing each week. Gait trainers help with proper positioning, weight-bearing and weight-shifting needed for a more natural gait pattern and easier stepping.
Take me out to the ball game! Our SLP helped create this adapted baseball game for our students. One of our students went up to bat in her mobile stander! A mobile stander makes it easier to engage eye-to-eye with peers, and helps strengthen critical motor skills so a user can progress toward independent standing.
While it may just look like an ordinary chair, the adapted activity chair is the most versatile adapted equipment in the classroom. Here it is helping a student participate in active learning during a music lesson. The activity chair also assists students with transfers, feeding, speech therapy, and sensory processing challenges.
Want to learn more about the M.O.V.E curriculum? Check out the MOVE international website Here
Do you implement the MOVE curriculum in your classroom? Share your favorite activities in the comment section below!

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