Michelle, an autism support teacher, demonstrates a weekly routine for non-speaking students using core words. Students practice on AAC devices like Proloquo2Go, then write the word on a taped easel, with modeling and visual supports throughout.
Today I'm going to show you my core word of the week activities and how I support my non-speaking students using AAC devices and visuals in my self-contained classroom. Let's go! I'm Michelle with The Autism Helper. I'm a primary self-contained autism support teacher, and this is my classroom. Every week I introduce the students to a new core word during our morning meeting activities, and these are done whole group so that all students get a chance to practice their core words. I will model for the students a photo and using a sentence: "The baby wants ice cream." "The boy wants a car." "She wants cookies." And "The baby wants her mom." And then I have a video here hyperlinked that the students will watch, and I'll show you how that works. I also love having a student come up to my board and practice being the teacher, and the student will model for the students these words. So let's see what that looks like. Tell us what our pictures are.
It is Angela. It is a shark. It is a house.
It is the fire. Good job! While we're reviewing our core word of the week, I have already gone through my slides and hyperlinked a video here. So all I have to do is click on that and it will open the video up right for us. Students will watch the video and then we'll practice using an AAC device. Video games. I have several classroom iPads in my classroom, and a lot of them have the AAC device app called Proloquo2Go loaded onto them. This is a really important aspect of my classroom is that we model and use the AAC device as often as we can. During my whole group activities and our word of the week, I give my students an opportunity to practice with me using the core word in a sentence. We're gonna practice using the AAC device. We're gonna say, "It is a..." What should we say? Should we say, "Oh, it is an octopus." "It is octopus." Good job. Let's touch. "It is an octopus." "It is octopus." Thank you. Your turn. Let's touch. "It is an octopus." "It is octopus." Thank you. Your turn. Touch for me. It is an octopus.
It is octopus.
Yes, your turn.
It is octopus.
Awesome!
Thank you, Michelle.
You're welcome.
It is octopus.
Yes!
It is octopus.
Amazing!
It is octopus.
Yes. After reviewing the word Reviewing the word on our iPad and watching the video, our students then come over to this little easel and they practice writing the core word of the week. I just use washi tape here to section out my easel. And then I model the first word and students come up and practice writing in each box. And we really focus on letter size and letter formation as well as baseline size during this time. We are going to write word "it." We do a little "i" with a small dot on top and a tall "t." Beautiful! Thank you! Get your marker. We're gonna do small "i" And little dot, tall T. Once we've finished our activities for our core word of the week every day, then we review the rest of the words that we've already gone over. This is—
is! Whoa! Like! What? Is! It's off! Is! Off! Open. Look. Again. Make. Do. Push. Turn. Go. Stop. In.
To.
In.
All. Stop!
By implementing a core word of the week and modeling communication on an AAC device for my students, I have noticed a huge increase in attempts to communicate and willingness to participate using AAC devices. For more tips, tricks, and resources, like and subscribe to The Autism Helper on YouTube and check out our blog at theautismhelper.com.
