Thoughts on AAC

Among all the thoughtful questions that were asked in the vimeo, the one question that struck me the most was how educators create the space in their lessons so that all students are able to communicate their thoughts and ideas. I remember one exercise my undergraduate elementary education class had to do throughout the semester was first see how long we wait for responses when we would ask questions during our presentation and then actually wait 5-8 seconds for a response. This may not sound like a long time, but I think the longest I waited for a response was 3 seconds before I asked it again or rephrased the original question. It was also uncomfortable, having 5-8 seconds of complete silence, almost as if I had spoken a completely different language! The vimeo put the memory of that exercise into a whole different light – how much time do we allow all our students, especially those who need Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices, to gather and communicate their thoughts? This question leads us to the main take-away from the vimeo, that communication is a process and requires thoughtful planning and balance of student needs/goals and the classroom environment. Collaboration with the family, the student, and other professionals should guide not only the decision-making process, but also the maintenance of the device throughout the year.