I have often heard teachers, therapists and caregivers say to me that it can be very difficult to implement AAC in the classroom. That’s why it’s great to be able to read the School Newsletter handouts that address the different challenges faced within the educational setting. These newsletters give practical ideas and examples for developing both the AAC user’s communication skills and their ability to participate in the curriculum.

Below is a list of the newsletters that are currently available. Some of my favourites are – “Issue 3 – Encourage social participation for all students”, “Promoting Communicative Competence part 2″ and “Using the V/Vmax in the young child classroom all day long”. Keep in mind that you can apply the principles in these handouts to most speech generating devices!

Click on the links below to see each handout:

• Issue 1 – Make a Plan!
• Issue 2 – Vocabulary Support for the Classroom Curriculum
• Issue 3 – Encourage social participation for all students
• Issue 4 – Support the Classroom Curriculum With Teaching Tools
• Issue 5 – Supporting Students with Autism
• Issue 6 – Promoting Communicative Competence, Part 1
• Issue 7 – Promoting Communicative Competence, Part 2
• Issue 8 – What’s in Your Therapy Bag?
• Issue 9 – Using Electronic Books to Increase Positive Literacy Experiences for Students with Disabilities
• Issue 9b – Making the Least Dangerous Assumption for Students with Complex Communication Needs
• Issue 11 – Take 5: Practical strategies for improving communication partner skills
• Issue 12 – 5 Ways to Use the Calendar Pages in the Classroom
• Issue 13 – Ideas for Supporting Communication During Summer Break
• Issue 14 – Core Word Strategies – One Piece of the Communication Pie
• Issue 15 – 5 Ways to Support Writing for Students Who use AAC
• Issue 16 – Using the V/Vmax in the Young Child Classroom – All Day Long
• Issue 17 – Supporting Play Activities for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

And you can also visit Ideas for successful use in the classroom on our website to see the most up to date list of newsletters which are added to each month.

We’d love you to leave a comment if you have some positive stories or ideas to share on outcomes for implementing AAC in the classroom.