Core Words Skills Checklist
Which are the best core words to start implementing with your student first?
There’s no single right answer to this question because so much depends on the student. The first step is to determine where your student is right now—which words they understand and which words if any, they can express.
By using the Core Word Skills Checklist, you can identify the core vocabulary words understood and expressed by the student (using any form of AAC support) as observed through daily engagement.
For example, if during a meal, you ask, “More?” and the student immediately opens their mouth (or maybe immediately clamps their mouth shut and turns their head away), there is a good chance that they already understand the core word “more.” If you tell a child to “get up” (without physical gestures) and they raise their arms or stand up, odds are pretty good that they understand the meaning of this word too. The next step would be to provide a visual representation for each so they can express “more” or “up” in different contexts. Provide lots of opportunities to practice that communication!
We encourage you to share the checklist with parents, caregivers, clinicians, and educators who work directly with the student in all environments. Ask each to observe their own interactions with the child and check-off the words they appear to understand (indicating the level of support needed for each word).
These words are typically the best options when starting out because you are applying an image to a concept they already know. Begin using the image-word cards ALONG WITH THE SPOKEN WORDS when modeling. This teaches the child that this card conveys a specific message to you!
Using the checklist as an ongoing data collection tool will provide you with guidance for ongoing core word implementation as your student begins to master new words.
This form was developed for the Tennessee Talks Project using the First 50 Words vocabulary list for toddlers as identified by Gail Van Tatenhove.
Download the Core Word Skills Checklist below:
CORE WORD SKILLS CHECKLIST (PDF)
If you would like to download and edit the checklist to meet your own needs, we’ve also provided a Word doc version.
