The Art of Storytelling with AAC

Everybody tells stories, and that includes people who use communication systems. To ensure success and the ability to participate we need to make it as easy as possible. So that we can tell stories whenever we want, wherever we want, to whomever we want, and in a really easy way, so we can be successful.

A couple of ways to make storytelling easier include;

1. Decreasing the physical effort that it takes. So maybe just co-construct the story first, and then just hit one button or one switch to go to the next, the next part and the next part.

2. Have favorite phrases and words easily accessible on the home screen.

If it seems too hard to get started think about what's happening for peers at the same age.

• So if you're a three year old, maybe you have fun doing tickling games or high five.

• If you're seven or eight, maybe you’re having fun playing pranks on their friends and telling jokes.

• If you're a teenager, you might be talking about the latest boy band, you might be talking about sports or about girls and boys.

When we're trying to tell stories using an AAC device, we need to work with each other to figure out what you want to say in a way that shows your personality. That's the important part of a story, is telling who we are.