Mid-Tech AAC Activities: Randomized Messages

Language Arts: 

• Generating creative sentence or story starters/writing prompts. 

• Practicing vocabulary words. 

• Asking comprehension questions randomly. 

• Generating random character names for a story. 

• Selecting random spelling words for practice. 

• Picking random adjectives/adverbs to go into a story.  

Mathematics: 

• Practicing math facts. 

• Selecting random numbers for addition/subtraction problems. 

• Generating random shapes to identify. 

• Practicing random times on a clock. 

• Generating random data points for graphing. 

• Selecting random coins for counting practice. 

• Generating random numbers for place value identification. 

• Picking random fractions to compare. 

Science: 

• Picking random animals to classify. 

• Selecting random science vocabulary to describe using robust AAC. 

• Picking specific topic to learn about (e.g., ecosystem, natural disaster, planet, body part). 

• Programming a robot to go in various directions (e.g., go, stop, turn left, turn right, spin). 

• Telling peers fun facts about curricular topics.  

Social Studies: 

• Generating random historical figures, cultural traditions, historical events to research. 

• Selecting random states to locate on a map. 

• Telling peers fun facts about curricular topics.  

Art: 

• Choosing a color to paint or color with. 

Music: 

• Choosing a song to play. 

• Choosing an instrument to play. 

 Life Skills: 

• Picking people to participate in an activity.  

• Using for games such as Duck, Duck, Goose, Simon Says, Red-light/Green-light. 

• Programming for sharing jokes or funny stories. 

• Using for playing Bingo. 

• Requesting preferred sensory inputs. 

• Assigning classroom jobs. 

• Rolling dice. 

The following devices allow for randomized messaging: 

Randomizer (InclusiveTLC) 

Big Talk Triple Play Sequencer (Enabling Technology) 

Small Talk Sequencer (Enabling Devices) 

When selecting voices for mid-tech AAC devices, consider recording peers whose voices are age and gender appropriate to ensure the AAC user's communication sounds natural and relatable. This approach enhances the user's social interactions and acceptance among their peers. 

These resources are built on the foundational work of Toni Waylor-Bowen, Ph.D., and Jessie Moreau, M.Ed., NBCT, who compiled "101 Ways to Use a Sequential Message AAC Device" in March 2008. It also draws from Barbara Solomonson, SLP, MS CCC-SLP's "101+ Ideas for Using the BIGmack or Other Single Message Communication Devices," and the insights from L. Piche and P. Locke's "45 Ideas for Using a Beginning VOCA" presented at the 1997 CSUN conference.