Bilingual AAC Resources for Promote Family Buy-in
It is crucial to capitalize on the home language foundations of our AAC users to facilitate dual language development. We know this leads to access and engagement in ALL environments. By incorporating the home language into intervention planning, family buy-in increases. This is critical to AAC intervention to avoid isolation at home and in cultural communities. Supporting bilingual families can be challenging particularly when there is a provider-client language mismatch. SLPs need to be creative in using available resources to meet the AAC user’s needs. This article includes resources to for SLPs and parents to support bilingual AAC users and their language development journey.
All About Me / Todo Sobre Mí Survey
Translated and adapted from The Bridge School (Hillsborough, CA)
This bilingual Google Forms survey can be completed by parents to help learn about the AAC user’s communication partners, interests, activities, likes, and dislikes. Content gathered from the survey can also be utilized in personalizing the AAC device to promote motivation and engagement with the device and in therapy.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1jTB0O8rFzDpFDa2aHoFC7rDAKZMYjIKU8wiIYpt33ss/copy
Bilingüe AAC Parent Resources
Bilingüe AAC is a group of SLPs who create content relative to Evidence-Based, Culturally Affirming Spanish AAC. They have a wealth of resources for parents including topics such as “How to Begin with AAC”, “Modeling with AAC”, and “Descriptive Teaching.” All resources are in Spanish and English and are free.
https://www.bilingueaac.com/parapadres
PráctiCAAmente Conectados
Each month PrAACtical AAC features a Spanish version of their AAC Link Up, CAA con Links. Organized by Claudia Marimón, these monthly posts also feature AAC work being done in Spanish-speaking countries and offer translations of material that can help families and service providers. You can check out July’s links here:
https://praacticalaac.org/featured-posts/practicaamente-conectados-caa-con-links-julio-2023/
Bilingual Intervention Resources
This padlet includes bilingual intervention materials, ideas for therapy, translation tools, and a Spanish Core list to help monolingual SLPs plan effective therapy sessions to support their bilingual AAC users.
https://padlet.com/ruicccslp/que-pasa-bilingual-intervention-d5h7ps16wzolzc17
Rui Hernandez, MA, CCC-SLP, is a bilingual SLP who is passionate about supporting AAC users across the lifespan. She is a member of ArSHA’s AAC committee and a school-based SLP in Tucson, AZ in the high school setting.
