I Got an A

Grades are out and low and behold I got an A in this semester’s master’s class on Augmentative and Alternative Communication for individuals with disabilities. For those that don't know I am in a Masters program in Special Education for individuals with severer disabilities. We had an assessment project on AAC and I used one of my favorite students. She is a 6th grader that functions around a 1-3 year old level. She was born with half a brain and is the sweetest students on my cases load. She is able to use 1-3 word utterances and her favorite words these days id “I Love You” my goal was for her was to be able to better communicate with her peers. They are so great with her and she just loves to be around them. She is in my good friend Ukyung’s class and is able to hangout with her peers and socializes without an aide. This is remarkable because most of my students are connected to an adult at all times. One of my goals for her was to walk independently from one class to the other with the use of a hall pass with the teachers picture on it. She can understand photos but not cartoon drawings. So we used real pictures. She did great and was able to be more independent around school. We also had to implement a voice output communication device that would help speak for her. We used a button that taped conversational speech about what she liked to do play jump rope at recess, ride horses at a therapeutic horseback riding program and playing outside in the yard with her Dad. When we would practice these conversations she would just light up with excitement would be ready to go outside and play, who cares about talking let’s do it.

I learned so much and this class is going to help if my daughter is speaking Chinese when we meet. I now know many ways to help us be able to communicate to each other with the use of not just signs, but with pictures and objects. I will also implement a photo schedules to help her learn our family routine like what we do when we get home from school. For example I will take pictures of her playing, eating dinner, taking a bath, getting he pj’s on and going to bed. These types of schedules help kids have a better understanding of their world and what is expected of them. I also love the choice boards, pictures of things they may like to play with gives them more control over there world and teaches them how to ask for things. I may not need all this but if I do I will have all the tools I need to better communicate with her when she is here.