Explicitness 

Tips to build communication partner skills

We are the communication partners - the ones who will guide and support our students to communication success! 

There are many ways to support an AAC (Augmentative and alternative communication) user as a communication partner:

• learning how to model (the speech team is always there to help you)
• make comments, rather than ask questions
• remember processing time is different for everyone: pause and wait (at least 10 seconds)
• consistently respond to AAC users – even if you have to say it’s not available now
• accept all forms of communication (multi-modal)

Key traits of an effective communication partner:

• Presume competence and believe in the AAC user’s ability and potential.
• Be flexible by being ready to adapt and change in response to the environment and the learner’s communication attempts
• Be persistent and never give up on communication.
• Be consistent - using the AAC user’s communication system regularly and reliably.
• Engage and interact with the AAC user - provide real and motivating reasons to communicate.
• Be patient by being ready to allow time for communication to happen.
• AAC should always be available: high (device) and low tech (core, PECS).