Modeling & Using AAC During the Thanksgiving Holiday

Modeling Communication During the Thanksgiving Holiday

The holidays are a joyful (and often busy!) time filled with family, friends, and meaningful moments. With so many opportunities for connection, it’s the perfect time to model communication and use your AAC device. Be sure to keep it nearby and ready to go!

Below are some helpful tips to support modeling and keep AAC accessible throughout the Thanksgiving holiday.

1
Travel with your device

Be sure to keep the device charged and bring it with you to holiday gatherings! Having it available during conversations helps ensure your communicator always has access to their voice.

2
Locate holiday-specific vocabulary

Many AAC systems already include seasonal words such as Thanksgiving, turkey, or pumpkin pie. Use your system’s search function to find and model these words while talking about upcoming holiday plans.

3
Program family traditions

If your family enjoys sharing what they’re grateful for, consider programming this phrase into the AAC device or modeling how to express it. Then, provide an opportunity for your communicator to complete the sentence with their own unique response.

4
Add names of family and friends

Thanksgiving is also about who you spend it with! Make sure to include names of family and friends on the device. This helps your communicator greet others, increases engagement, and may spark interest from relatives who don’t see them often.

5
Prioritize and practice self-advocacy

While the holidays can be fun and full of traditions (and yummy food!), they can also be overwhelming. New environments, loud settings, and lots of people can feel like a lot.

Use the AAC device to model and prepare for upcoming activities. Practice requesting breaks or comfort items, and model emotion words to help express tough feelings when needed.

Family Enjoying A Thanksgiving Meal

Thanksgiving is also filled with lots of delicious foods and family recipes!

If your child enjoys cooking or helping in the kitchen have them help create some of the meals. Here are some ideas of words to model while cooking.

Vocabulary

  • A lot of the communication devices have various vocabulary pre-programmed such as fruits, vegetables, condiments, kitchen utensils etc. Have fun finding the different vocabulary words together!
    • Targeting vocabulary: As you are gathering ingredients you can have the child find the different items on their QuickTalker Freestyle or you can model the word on the device and they can help you find the item in the kitchen
  • Pick a few core words
    • Focus on words such a help, more, all done, like, don’t like, stop, in, open, close. You can focus on just a few core words such as help or more.
    • For example: As you add ingredients you can model the word “more” and then have them add more of an ingredient or model “in” when adding ingredients to the bowl.
  • If you know what kinds of foods will be served you can add them to the device so that this way your child can request what food they want to try next or what they want added to their plate.

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