Augmentative Communication Integration

All students with disabilities have Individualized Education Plan (IEP) that helps guide them through the process of meeting their goals.  Creating an IEP can be a very difficult task, however it is an important aspect for students with special needs.  One important component of the program development process is the evaluation of augmentative communication; this must be carefully considered for all nonspeaking students (Dell, Newton, Petroff, 2012).

In order to evaluate and integrate augmentative communication into a students IEP, the teacher needs to take into consideration how the student will be using the device/system throughout the day, in both instructional and non-instructional class periods (2012).  "The IEP must include clear statements reflecting the student's communication needs across environments and descriptions of how the specific features of the system will be used by the student" (Dell, Newotn, Petroff, 2012).  Teachers can also integrate a students augmentative communication into their IEP by creating a list of augmentative communication services that will be provided by related service personnel such as a speech/language pathologist or an occupational therapy, as well as providing information on the individuals who are responsible for maintenance and operations of the device.

Below is an example of an augmentative communication board.

References:

Dell, A.G., Newton, D.A., Petroff, J.G. (2012).  Assistive Technology in the Classroom; Enhancing the School Experiences of Students with Disabilities. 2nd Edition.