7c. Family and Carer Involvement – Plan for Progression

Updated by Global Symbols with UNICEF ECARO

progression

The idea of progression for children who use AAC is not an easy one as children develop at such different rates. It is important to work with families and carers to think about:

  • Making sure the AAC solution is ready for the child to develop their language beyond the here and now
  • Monitoring progress as a child improves through language activities
  • Using logs to keep a record of improvements, or otherwise to help support the child to become a competent AAC user.

We need to plan to encourage the best communication skills possible, using multiple means with a large vocabulary, increasingly more core words, modelling and considering the AAC user's competencies as well as creating an AAC-friendly home environment and classroom. But some queries need to be discussed:

  • Who do you think is responsible for creating this positive AAC environment?
  • How would you go about making sure this is a collaborative process?
  • Which is the most influential document that plots the progression of a child over time?
  • What strategies can you develop to ensure what is written down is implemented?

Use the free resources linked from the Global Symbols Plan for Progression training pages to help gather some of the answers to the questions.

See Also