An Educator's Guide to AAC

To support communication and language for K-12 students who use AAC, educators need practical, evidence-based strategies they can readily implement in the classroom. That’s what they’ll find in this authoritative guidebook, an ideal professional development resource for special educators and other service providers working with students who are non- or minimally speaking.

Created by AAC pioneer Howard Shane and speech-language pathologist Leigh Anne White, this is the educator’s definitive guide to understanding AAC and improving outcomes for students who use these tools. Inclusive educators, paraprofessionals, and other service providers will learn best practices for leveraging AAC to boost their students’ expressive and receptive communication and language learning competence, with care and respect for each learner’s individual strengths and differences. With a balance of background information and actionable strategies, this book will prepare educators to nurture language and communication skills—and improve quality of life—for students with significant communication needs.

READERS WILL:

• Review the seven pragmatic functions of communication
• Explore the impact of various disabilities on communication
• Learn principles and practices of communication and language assessment for learners who are non- or minimally speaking
• Get expert guidance on successfully applying educational and therapeutic interventions in the classroom
• Master a three-part framework for using visuals to support students’ comprehension, enhance their language expression, and help them plan and organize learning tasks
• Discover tips and strategies for creating a communication-friendly classroom
• Leverage AI as a time-saving helpmate to create intervention plans and materials, so that educators can focus more on working with students

PRACTICAL MATERIALS: Gather critical information for supporting students with the included photocopiable tools: a General Preferences Inventory, Communication Profile, Spoken Vocabulary Inventory, Autism Language Program Concept Inventory, and more.

Howard Shane, Ph.D., is an associate professor of otolaryngology at Harvard Medical School and the director of the Center for Communication Enhancement and the Autism Language Program at Boston Children's Hospital. He has designed more than a dozen computer applications used widely by persons with disabilities and holds two U.S. patents. Dr. Shane has received Honors of the Association Distinction and is a fellow of the American Speech and Hearing Association. He is the recipient of the Goldenson Award for Innovations in Technology from the United Cerebral Palsy Association and has authored numerous papers and chapters on severe speech impairment, lectured throughout the world on the topic, and produced numerous computer innovations enjoyed by persons with complex communication disorders.

Leigh Anne White, M.Ed., M.S., CCC-SLP, is a speech-language pathologist in the Autism Language Program within the Center for Communication Enhancement at Boston Children’s Hospital. She received a master’s in education with a concentration in human development and psychology from Harvard University and holds a Master of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Boston University. Leigh Anne specializes in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) and conducts comprehensive evaluations and provides individualized speech-language intervention for autistic children. Her clinical approach is rooted in child-led, play-based strategies, and her research interests include utilizing new technology to enhance communication among non- and minimally speaking individuals. Leigh Anne has contributed as a co-author to a book chapter and multiple peer-reviewed journal articles focused on the implementation of AAC and emerging innovations within the field.