Kicking Down Barriers for AAC Use in the Classroom
| Barrier | Solution |
| Device not charged | Establish daily charging routines and chargingstations. |
| Unsure of what to model | Pick one word to model a day or a week. Ask SLP for activity ideas. |
| Student “not using it” | Increasing modeling, reduce pressure to respond,make opportunities fun and meaningful. |
| Limited Vocabulary | Increasing modeling, reduce pressure to respond,make opportunities fun and meaningful. |
| Device difficult for certain places | Use low-tech solutions like core boards or symbol cards.Think about accessories for the device to make it moreportable. |
| Student only requests | Intentionally model other functions of communicationand set up opportunities for other methods |
| Student talks during quiet times | Provide and teach clear expectations. Teach when it isappropriate to “talk” vs when to be quiet |
| Student stims on device | Stimming often serves a purpose. Create stimmingfriendly times/places and try to naturally respond! |
| Overwhelmed by different systems | Focus on shared core words of all devices. |
| Device is too complicated to navigate | Focus on one word at a time. Start with words on thehome page. |
| Fear of “doing it wrong” | Modeling mistakes helps the student learn how torepair those! |
| Using device for other things | Dedicated device means unrestricted access. |
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