

When teaching AAC try to remember all of the different reasons we use language.
It’s not just about asking for things! (Although this can be very motivating for some learners.) We need different types of words – not just things.
Different types of words
I recently heard a statistic from Cathy Binger, that only 20% of a 2 year olds’ utterances are requests.
So what about the other 80%! To be able to communicate fully, 100% of the time, we need describing words, action words, position words, question words, and more.
And we need different language functions – that is, the reasons we communicate.
Asking for what we want is all very well, but once we have that thing, we might want to ask a question about it, tell someone else about it, get someone’s attention or help with it.
The reasons we communicate
Consider the difference between an AAC learner who knows how to ask for playdough, compared to a learner who knows:
Here are just some of the other functions of language we need to teach:
And…
Requesting. But this could be requesting information as well as just things!
Join the Smartbox mailing list for regular updates and news.
You can change your mind at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in the footer of any email you receive from us, or by contacting us at hello@thinksmartbox.com.
We use MailChimp as our marketing email platform. When you join, you acknowledge that the information you provide will be transferred to MailChimp for processing in accordance with their Privacy Policy and Terms.