The Ideal Preschool Classroom for AAC Users

I’d like to describe two different models of what a preschool classroom could be, for kids with extensive support needs. This is a long one, but it really matters. 

In the first classroom, which we’ll call “behavior based,” kids follow individual visual schedules throughout their day. During circle time, they listen to songs and are prompted to clap, dance, and sing along. These songs - about the calendar, the weather, letters, numbers - repeat each day. They have snacks and recess, and then it’s time for centers. At each table, paraprofessionals work with two kids at a time. They have token boards for each child, and they take data regularly. The drills last just a few minutes, usually involving naming pictures, or following short directions. Afterwards the child gets to pick toys to play with, and takes a break as the paraprofessional works with their peer. A timer goes off about every fifteen to twenty minutes and the kids rotate through each center. By the end of the year, the kids have learned a routine. Most are able to sit at a table for a few minutes at a time and some can name a small number of pictures. Maybe some have been introduced to individual AAC devices too. 

In the second classroom, which we’ll call “language based,” there is one big group schedule at the front. Circle time starts with all the kids gathering around, and adults checking to see that they have their AAC devices too. The first song has the kids spelling their names. Circle time includes other songs too, and also a few pages of a book of the month, and a core word of the week. This core word of the week is accompanied by an ASL sign, spelling it, and modeling on the teacher’s AAC device. Now we really start to see the differences because as they move to snack time and recess. The paraprofessionals continue modeling that word, plus other previous core words, whenever they naturally come up. At snack, all the kids have AAC devices out, and they’re allowed to explore and touch whatever buttons they like. If they finish snack early, they’re encouraged to go explore the book corner on their own until it’s time to go outside. Then, at recess, the paraprofessionals carry low-tech AAC on shoulder straps, and continue modeling. The kids can also run back inside if they like, to use their own devices. 

When recess ends, there’s another, shorter circle time. Just a few songs, including at least one about letters, and a calming activity. Then it’s time for centers. But this is different: the kids go where they like. Adults wave them over, “Hey, come and try this!” and each center is themed around the same book and core words from circle time. These aren’t drills: they’re art projects, or sensory bins, or themed puzzles. The paraprofessionals are free to fully, playfully engage with the kids throughout, without needing to take daily data. And meanwhile, the kids choose their own ways of learning, and their attention span naturally draws them from one activity to the next. Is it a little chaotic? Yes. But by the end of the year the kids have learned dozens of words, and are using them naturally across the day, and generalizing them at home. They are happy, their sensory and connection needs met, and some of them are reading (!!!), because all of their letters and letter sounds have been reviewed, and all along those core words were also sight words.

You might ask, how will the kids from the “language-based” classroom fare when they move up to Kindergarten? What if the next class has a more behavior-based format? Will they be able to follow a schedule, a routine? Yes, as a matter of fact.

Because the foundation of developmentally responsive, connection-centered, language-based instruction has been set.

These are kids who have experienced school as a safe place, full of new experiences and joy. They don’t necessarily need a token board or an individual visual schedule, but they’d grasp the concept pretty quickly. Besides which, they have self-regulation strategies and language to cope and/or self-advocate if something feels stressful. Adults who are new to them are more likely to see them as competent learners, to treat them as such, and to write more ambitious goals and less restrictive services into their IEPs. 

What about the kids from the “behavior based” classroom? With the way I described it above, it didn’t sound so bad, did it? But unfortunately, they are likely to get stuck in a cycle. Each successive classroom through the grade levels repeats the same songs, the same drills, the same token boards and visual schedules. Each year they learn a few new pictures, a few new words. Maybe they finally learn them to the “mastery” criteria of being compliant enough to name them 10 times each for 5 days straight. If you’ve ever heard Jordyn Zimmerman describe her school experience, you’ll immediately see where this leads. Kids get underestimated in this system, all the time.

Can it be undone after the preschool years? Yes - of course, and I’ll talk about that next month when we get to school-age - but why wait? Why not start with a language, literacy, and play-based classroom from the very start, at preschool?

What we would do at “LUVUSD” –

In my dream school district, that I previously nicknamed “LUVUSD,” we would make every self-contained classroom a language-based classroom. The curricula might vary depending on the support needs of the kids, but every learner would have access to developmentally appropriate language and literacy activities. These three pillars would be in place:

1. Specific Language System First: having universal access to symbolic language from the very beginning is critical, and having a “tier one” system makes this possible.

2. AAC Screening: all students’ should have their potential needs for individual AAC devices thoughtfully considered and incorporated into their IEP as early as possible. If they need further individualization than the “tier one” or “tier two” system, Screening accelerates the process to get it for them. 

3. Language-Based Curriculum: this is a key component, without which the other two can only go so far. What use is an AAC device if it’s not available and modeled all day?

The classrooms would have not just high-tech AAC everywhere, but also low-tech and mid-tech everywhere! SLPs and teachers would collaborate closely, and would intentionally and regularly reach out to families with information, questions, and happy stories to share. Every member of the IEP team would have as much AAC training and coaching as needed to help them feel confident. 

What we MUST work to change:

A better way is possible. And it’s also necessary. I always try to end on an upbeat note, but if you intend to advocate for something new, it’s important to understand what needs to change, and why it’s not working. So first, I need to share some additional resources from autistic adults who have lived experiences in “behavior based” classrooms: 

• Emily Harvey: The Problem with Verbal Behavior *note: link goes to the wayback machine as her site appears to be down; will update later if I can!

• Jordyn Zimmerman’s film - This is Not About Me

It’s not just a dream - 

If you’d like to see videos from the actual, real-life, “language based” classroom which was the inspiration for this post, and hear from the SLP and the SDC teacher who made it possible, here’s the link to our talk at AACcessible last year. 

Walking through resources for our three pillars now...

1. For everything you need to know about Specific Language System First, visit the author, Chris Bugaj, and BONUS - check out this great new research article, just published this month (big thanks to Chris for reaching out to share it with me!).

2. For AAC Screening, all the free resources you could possibly want are available at AACscreening.com.

3. For some language-based curricula for preschool that I have tried and tested myself, in collaboration with master teachers with decades of classroom experience:

   • Tell Me (best for: ESN classrooms, AAC users. Also available in Spanish!)

   • Read it Once Again (best for: mild-moderate classrooms, verbal students)

This is obviously not an exhaustive list - just the ones I’ve seen results from personally. By the way, I don’t get any kickbacks for telling you about them, this is truly just me trying to spread the word about what I've seen that works. If you’d like to hear about what works at school-age, hit the “subscribe” button for next month’s post!