Develop a Plan
It is important to develop a plan as the team initiates the trials with an AAC system. Creating an AAC plan provides the team members specific activities, expectations, and instruction for implementation. All members of the team work collaboratively to develop the plan.
The plan should include:
- Roles and responsibilities of team members
- Potential communication goals for the AAC user
- How data will be collected
- Strategies to use with the AAC user
- Defining success for the AAC user
- How to troubleshoot challenges
- Supports/training needed for team members
The roles and responsibilities of all members of the team need to be clearly defined so that all members are aware of their responsibilities. The team should discuss potential communication goals for the AAC user, the settings in which AAC will be used, and what success looks like for the AAC user. A plan for collecting data will be important for the team to make informed decisions regarding the effectiveness of AAC utilized. Another important part of the plan is identifying challenges or "red flags" that the team will need to address and how these challenges will be addressed if they are observed. The plan may include any training needed for team members and how the training will be provided.