Starting an AAC program in the schools can be hard but not impossible by Christy Flores
Working in the schools can be both wonderful and just plain hard. Even when we have it going on and we feel like we have done everything we can do, sometimes there will be obstacles that we have to overcome to get the job done. Sometimes these obstacles seem out of our control-like finances. As a school SLP we are not generally in charge of the money, although if you are please stay where you are! For example, some districts discourage or just do not allow their SLPs to write AAC evaluation reports for insurance coverage because of the fear that if they are denied the school will have to pay for said device. AAC reports must be written in a way that you ask for a very precise device and accessories: many superintendents and special education directors are not fond of this. They are afraid that the school may have to pay for a several thousand-dollar device. I have come upon this obstacle, but with the help of TNtalks came up with a solution that worked for my district.
VERY IMPORTANT --I know AAC is not one size fits all and that it is best practice to find the device that fits the individual student or client. Unfortunately, we live in a world where at times that can’t happen, and something is better than nothing in the situation of communication.
I worked in a rural district with a very can-do attitude and after thinking of what we could do, we decided on the Coughdrop AAC system. Coughdrop is a company that was formed by the parents of an autistic child. Their customer service is quick, and they really try to customize the system for you and as an app it is around 50 dollars a license. Also, Coughdrop works on the Android tablets that the district already had.
My district employs the 36 location core board and also we have laminated copies on cardstock that are printed straight from the Coughdrop app. Our district went from no tech to having over 20 students with a device. I call that a win. Is it easy and perfect and everyone is communicating everyday? No, but do people try? Mostly. Part of that can-do attitude of the district has also allowed us to run Project-Core inservices with teachers and support staff, and we give out dozens of the paper copies to go home. We show videos and model modelling and use our elbow grease to get it going. I have included a few resources that I find help me in my AAC journey.
https://blog.mycoughdrop.com/5-quick-tips-for-aac/?ref=mailchimpsep2022
