Communicative Supports Overview

All children develop communicative competence – meaning that their communication is coherent and understood, reflects social/cultural norms, and may take a variety of forms (e.g. body language, facial expressions, spoken words, signs). Language is central to learning and expressing what has been learned.

Some learners however, require specific communication supports (e.g. Augmentative Alternative Communication AAC) to advance their communication abilities. These learners may have difficulty processing and understanding language, using language to express a variety of intentions, or difficulty communicating within social and cultural norms. Communicating with coherence opens up new opportunities within one’s culture, family, and community. While communication and language development are essential, these students are often segregated into self-contained classes due to their communication status, and often without appropriate the appropriate AAC to support them in the development of communication and language and the development of communication partners. Indeed, communication for these students is inter-personal - requiring the communication partner to understand and use the AAC device as well as the other communication forms used by the learner.

The inclusive class is the place with the most potential for supporting students to use all communicative modes, including AAC devices. There are many opportunities to practice communication with teachers, peers, and related service providers. Peers play an especially important role in supporting AAC users. Peer-mediated supports increase AAC use and social interaction among students with significant cognitive disabilities who use AAC. Encouraging peers to use AAC provides a wonderful opportunity to develop relationships, increase the communicative competence among peers to appropriately support the AAC user.

Resources on Communicative Supports

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  Supporting the AAC User in the Classroom

  How can we effectively include learners with complex communication needs in general education with their classroom peers? What does it look like to support emerging communication skills embedded into school and classroom routines? Cross-disciplinary team (e.g. general education teachers, special education teachers, related service providers, family members) collaboration is key for planning and supporting success. Learn how an Ohio team collaborated to support a student who uses AAC in general education and how they included his voice in the process.

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  TIP #29: Creating Communication Opportunities and Tracking Progress

  Teaching and tracking communication opportunities present some challenges, as communication is not as simple as answering a question correctly or responding to typical assessment strategies. It is unique to the individual and requires informed communication partners (adults, peers, families). The tools in this TIP can help teams identify and capture those opportunities to ensure growth in communication skills.

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  TIP #30: Behavior is Communication

  Behavior is often an attempt to communicate. Behaviors that are challenging often result from communication failure. Reframing what is viewed as an interfering behavior to be a student’s attempt to communicate, provides more positive options for intervening by teaching the student more effective means to communicate their wants and needs. This TIP includes an animated short video that demonstrates this concept.

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  TIP #28: Social Support for AAC Users

  Students with complex communication needs who are using or are beginning to use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) benefit from social support from peers and adults. This TIP describes circles of social support and the many communication strategies that the AAC communicator might use with partners who know them best. It also describes strategies that the AAC communicator may use with less familiar communication partners. Being able to use a variety of strategies helps the student communicate in many types of situations for different purposes.

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  TIP #24: Learners with Cerebral/Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI) and Augmentative Alternative Communication (AAC)

  Students with Cerebral/Cortical Vision Impairment (CVI) may have difficulty processing the images their eyes see, which can affect many areas of basic visual functions. This TIP focuses on students with CVI and how it relates to learners with significant cognitive disabilities who use Alternative and Augmentative Communication or AAC, with a particular focus on inclusive environments.

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  TIP #25: Preparing the AAC User for the Next Grade

  For students who are non-speaking and communicate using Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), it is important to support their communication needs during grade level transitions to ensure that the academic, social, and communication gains continue into the next grade. This TIP provides concrete ideas to plan for successful grade level transitions for ACC Users.

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  Communication Supports for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities: What Parents Need to Know (TIES Center Brief #9)

  This Brief describes how families and other members of Individualized Education Program (IEP) teams can help students get the supports they need to build their communicative competence in inclusive classrooms.

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  TIP #23 Supporting the Communication Needs of Augmentative Alternative Communication (AAC) Users who are also English Learners

  This TIP highlights strategies to assist teams supporting multilingual Augmentative Alternative Communication (AAC) users

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  TIP #17: What is Communicative Competence for and with Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Users?

  This TIP provides information about what competence in communication means for all students, but also the additional competencies required of students who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices.

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  DL #23: Pivoting Between Paraprofessional Support in Inclusive Schools and Distance Learning

  Paraprofessionals are central to the success of educating students with disabilities in general education contexts, especially students with significant cognitive disabilities. Distance learning is pushing the field to consider how paraprofessionals can fulfill their roles in new and creative ways, particularly with the use of technology. Apply the Learning Components framework to clarify paraprofessional roles and how they can be carried out whether instruction is in-school or during distance learning. 

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  TIES Distance Learning #14: Teachers: Understand and Communicate about Emotions to Support Deep Learning

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  TIES Distance Learning #13: Distance Learning is Emotional Work: Tips for Parents and Caregivers

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  TIES Distance Learning #10: Distance Learning and Communication Systems

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  TIES Distance Learning #5: Reflections About Individualizing Supports for Children and Families: Olivia’s Story

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  TIP #3: Getting to Know Students who use AAC

  This TIP describes how educational team members can develop anduse student profiles, communication plans, and daily plans to guide thesuccessful involvement of students with significant communicationneeds in inclusive classroom activities.

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  TIP #4: Successfully Using Communication Practices in the Inclusive Class

  This TIP provides background on the use of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices for students with significant cognitive disabilities in inclusive classrooms. Key sectionsaddress the research evidence, definitions of key terms related to AAC use, descriptions of AACimplementation in an inclusive classroom, and resources on AAC use.

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  TIP #5: Connecting Core Words, Aided Language Modeling, and Literacy

  This TIP provides information on how to model the use of a student’s Augmentative andAlternative Communication (AAC) device and identify core vocabulary forcommunication and interaction. When combined, these two approaches are useful forincreasing receptive and expressive language skills for students with significant cognitivedisabilities as well as increasing the use of AAC devices.

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  TIP #6: Using the Least Dangerous Assumption in Educational Decisions

  The least dangerous assumption holds that in the absence of conclusive data, educational decisions ought to be based on assumptions that, if incorrect, will have the least dangerous effect on the student outcomes and learning. This multi-media TIP outlines ways to make sound educational decisions for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. This TIP also includes an example, as well as implementation strategies and learning activities.

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  TIP #2: Using Collaborative Teams to Support Students with Significant Communication Needs in Inclusive Classrooms

  This TIP outlines how to employ collaborative teams to support students with significant communication needs in inclusive classrooms. Collaborative teams will require additional planning for general and special education teachers as well as related service providers.

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  TIP #1: How Peers Can Support AAC Use by Students with Significant Communication Needs

  This multi-media TIP describes how educators can encourage peers to use (Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) with students with significant cognitive disabilities who also have complex communication needs. Embedding simple, evidence-based strategies that involve peers will serve to increase success in inclusive settings for these students.

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  Communication Competence in the Inclusive Setting-A Review of the Literature (TIES Center Report #103)

  This report presents findings from a literature review that was conducted to identify evidenced-based approaches to supporting the development of communicative competence for K-8 students in inclusive educational settings. Specifically, the review examined whether communication programming employing augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is being successfully used in inclusive elementary and middle school settings, and what elements of the communication program are most likely to affect students’ communicative competence.

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  Taking the Alternate Assessment Does NOT Mean Education in a Separate Setting! (TIES Center Brief #2)

  This brief discusses the characteristics of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities, least restrictive environment, legal provisions, and next steps for parents.

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  Achievement for All: Henderson K-12 Inclusion School | Impact | Winter 2018/19 Volume 31, Number 2

  The principal of Henderson K-12 Inclusion School explains how Henderson’s school culture, specialized and individualized instruction, and collaboration and problem solving contribute to an inclusive environment that benefits students with and without disabilities.

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  Creating Inclusive Schools: What Does the Research Say? | Impact | Winter 2018/19 Volume 31, Number 2

  Review of the research on inclusion, presenting the essential practices that create inclusive schools as well the benefits of inclusive education.

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  Does All Really Mean All? | Impact | Winter 2018/19 Volume 31, Number 2

  Provides a set of inclusive education indicators that define authentic inclusive education, describes the morning routine of a student in an inclusive setting, and illustrates that all students can be included in general education settings.

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  From Isolation to Inclusion: Anne’s Journey | Impact | Winter 2018/19 Volume 31, Number 2

  The parents of a woman with a significant disability describe her experience attending a segregated early-education program followed by elementary, middle, and high school at her local neighborhood school. They describe her experiences in school and beyond.

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  Inclusion, Friendships, and the Power of Peers | Impact | Winter 2018/19 Volume 31, Number 2

  Describes how peer support arrangements and peer networks can be used to change the social landscape of students with significant cognitive disabilities, while benefiting both students with and without disabilities.

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  Myth vs. Fact: What is True About Including Students with the Most Significant Cognitive Disabilities? | Impact | Winter 2018/19 Volume 31, Number 2

  Discusses the myths and facts about including students with significant cognitive disabilities, and then suggests ways that teachers and students can be supported to overcome the harmful effects of the myths. 

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  Peer Networks Benefit Kentucky Students: The Power of Communication | Impact | Winter 2018/19 Volume 31, Number 2

  Shares how student Jaimar Fish’s communication network was expanded through participation in a peer network, how students formed lasting friendships, and how the Kentucky Peer Support Network Project has benefited students with and without disabilities.

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  Strategies for Supporting AAC Use in Inclusive General Education Classrooms | Impact | Winter 2018/19 Volume 31, Number 2

  Supporting students with complex communication needs is an important part of creating inclusive classrooms. Five strategies are described for using augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) in schools.

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  The Hope of Lessons Learned: Supporting the Inclusion of Students with the Most Significant Cognitive Disabilities Into General Education Classrooms | Impact | Winter 2018/19 Volume 31, Number 2

  Presents ten lessons learned through working toward inclusive education systems, focusing on the systems-level changes that are needed to make inclusion work for students.

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  Wide Open Spaces: Maggie’s Story | Impact | Winter 2018/19 Volume 31, Number 2

  A parent shares how she learned the safest space for her daughter, Maggie, was not in a sheltered classroom, but in a classroom surrounded by typical peers. She also details how Maggie’s friends helped the adults around her understand and better address her needs and desires.

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  TIES 101: Communication Supports in the Inclusive Class

  TIES Communication 101 is a new asynchronous professional learning series created with our partners at the University of Kentucky (UKY). It provides evidence-based strategies for supporting AAC users in inclusive classrooms. One hour of ASHA credit is available for Speech-language pathologists at no charge.