Supporting Augmentative Communication Systems at Home and in the Community

Students using augmentative communication systems at school must also use these systems at home and in their community to reinforce the skills practiced at school. Additionally, it is important for students to generalize the skills learned at school to other places.  Teachers must make sure that the augmentative communication systems are used appropriately at home and in the students community. Families must receive training for these devices and should be instructed on how to program new vocabulary into the system to address typical communication patterns outside of school.  Family dynamics and culture should be considered when implementing the communication process in the students home.  Prior to selecting an appropriate communication system for a student, the family's familiarity with technology and willingness to learn must be taken into account. Typically, community members have less exposure to communication systems and may be less motivated to learn these systems than family members. To help community members develop a comfort level with communication systems, teachers can plan community outings for which questions can be pre-programmed to enable the student to practice interacting with unfamiliar people.  

Dell, A., Newton, D., & Petroff, J. (2012). Assistive technology in the classroom. Boston:

      MA:  Pearson.