Supporting use of AAC for transition-aged youth & adults, and school-aged children
About Us
Augmentative and Alternative Communication
Kentucky Speaks AAC provides resources and information for working with individuals who use AAC or need AAC to communicate effectively. See”Our Projects” for training and resource links designed for educators, speech-language, pathologists, assistive technology specialists, AAC users and their family members to improve communication outcomes.
How We Help
Our Work Supports People who use AAC
Improving Communication Outcomes for AAC Users
Communication Supports for
Children, Youth, & Adults
Training & Resource Links
What We Are Doing
Projects
TAALC Communication Project
TAALC (Teaching Age Appropriate Learning through Communication) Project supports teachers and speech language pathologists to provide communication interventions for students with complex communication needs. Our ECHO® in AAC was an inter-professional practice network where education and related service providers learn together. Our team includes Speech Language Pathologists, General and Special Educators, Occupational Therapists, Physical Therapists, Vision Experts, and Audiologists.
Review details on each TAALC communication strategy under Resources, below.
Kentucky Peer Support Network
Research indicates that peers can support and encourage the use of AAC. For more information about implementing peer support, see the KY Peer Support Network website.
Training & Resources
KY Speaks AAC provides free online learning opportunities and live webinar trainings.
Webinars
TAALC Topics
The TAALC Communication Project provides a professional learning live webinar series for educators Interested in learning about and improving communication outcomes for students with complex communication needs.
Online Learning
Online courses are hosted at the HDI Online Learning Center.
TAALC 101: Listen Up! (4.5 hours)
The TAALC Communication Project provides an independent professional learning series for teachers, speech language pathologists, and instructional assistants. Each module is approximately 20 minutes in length on an important topic in the use of AAC (4.5 ASHA CEUs and continuing education credit certificates available).
TIES 101: Communication Supports in the Inclusive Classroom (1 hour)
The TIES Center & University of Kentucky Human Development Institute are offering this online professional learning series provides evidence-based strategies for supporting AAC users in inclusive classrooms (1.0 ASHA CEU).
Communication 206: Communication Call to Action – Don’t Let them Leave Without It (1 hour)
Join Neave in this 1-hour call to action. No student should leave school without communication. Neave explains why communication is important, and what options are available to students.
Communication 209: Transition-Age Youth & Adults (Professional Learning Certificate – 1.6 hours)
Join Leo as you discuss what AAC is and how to best support transitioning youth who need additional communication supports. This 1.6 hour course is designed for audiences who work with or support teen-age youth & adults who use/should use AAC. It is never too early or late to introduce AAC to persons who are non-speaking & need alternatives.
TAALC 114: PreK-12 Peer-Mediated Strategies for Students with Complex Communication Needs (Professional Learning Certificate – 2 hours)
Peer relationships in school can enhance students’ communication, academic engagement, and learning within and beyond the classroom. Students with complex communication challenges may need extra support to develop peer bonds. Join language arts teacher Marcus and special ed co-teacher Sonja, as they discuss how to implement peer-mediated strategies for non- or minimally speaking students.
NCSC Communication Toolkit
This series of professional development modules focuses on basic elements of supporting communication and language development in students who do not use oral speech and who also may have intellectual disabilities.
SL 101: Simplified Signs for Adults with Spoken Language Concerns
Course Description: Signing can be a vital means of communication for individuals with impairments or communication issues as an adult. Simplified Signs is not the same as American Sign Language, it is a system of manual sign communication for populations who have had limited success mastering spoken or full sign language. Throughout this course, we will review the reasons individuals could benefit from simplified signs, ways to implement simplified signs, and the opportunity to practice using simplified signs.
TAALC 201: Introduction to CORE Vocabulary
This course provides an introduction to Core Vocabulary and how it can be utilized to promote quick and effective communication for AAC users. Participants will learn how to define and distinguish core and fringe vocabulary, explore evidence-based strategies such as aided language modeling, and examine key considerations in arranging and teaching core words.
TAALC 200: Communication Accessible Classroom
Communication accessible classrooms are learning environments where all students, regardless of their communication abilities or disabilities, can fully access and participate in learning. This course provides educators, SLPs, and any professional with information on the benefits of AAC, how to incorporate AAC into the classroom, and strategies for successful AAC use. Course Length: 1.5 hours ASHA CEUs = .15 EILA Credit
What We’ve Done
Resources
TAALC ECHO Collaborative in AAC: Archived Webinars
Short 20-minute learning presentations.
TAALC Communication Strategies
Teaching Academic Age-Appropriate Learning via Communication (TAALC) Strategies
The underlying premise of TAALC is all students can and do communicate, and TAALC presentations are designed to provide training and experience in identifying communicative competence for students with complex communication needs. The TAALC Project is funded by the KY Department of Education.
Select a communication strategy listed below to learn more about how to implement each strategy.
Communication Bill of Rights
All people with a disability of any extent or severity have a basic right to affect, through communication, the conditions of their existence. Beyond this general right, a number of specific communication rights should be ensured in all daily interactions and interventions involving persons who have severe disabilities.