Supporting Reading for a Child who is Non-Verbal

 

I'm going to be talking about AAC and reading and some different things that you might not think about when you are doing those types of activities. 

When you're supporting reading for a nonverbal child, whether they use a high-tech system or a light-tech system, like a paperboard, you want to make sure that they have plenty of the opportunities to contribute to the experience. You want to be able to comment. You want to be able to talk about the people, the places, the things, and maybe the feelings that they have.

Some of the phrases that you might want to put on the device are:

  • "What's that word?”

  • "Turn the page”

  • "Read that again" 

  • "I wasn't expecting that"

  • "I like that”

  • "I don't like that" 

Those are all ways to get the child engaged in reading and engaged in reading with you. 

As your child grows, they'll be using their alternative communication in more and more activities. Reading with your child while supporting communication is a great place to get started.

"As your child grows, they'll be using their alternative communication in more and more activities."