Episode 101: Amanda Scheriff - Practical Strategies Supporting Literacy & Language for AAC Users

This week, Rachel and Chris interview Amanda Scheriff, an SLP working with students with complex communication needs at the Labbb Educational Collaborative in Lexington, MA! The Labbb Collaborative is a multi-district collaboration providing special eduction services that promote inclusion and independence. Amanda works with the Labbb’s multiple handicap program and social/emotional program, and she has lots of great practical advice and strategies to share!

Key ideas this week include: 

🔑 The “Symbol It” app is a speech to symbol app that takes speech input and will display the corresponding symbols/text. This can be a great way to avoid using an AAC user’s device to give them commands (“Sit down”). 

🔑 Asking AAC users which greetings, slang, humor, etc they would like on their device is a great way to increase interest in communicating with others, especially peers.

🔑 Amanda uses Carole Zangari’s “Tell Me: AAC in the Preschool Classroom” curriculum with her students as a way to provide structured reading and writing lessons focused on core language & familiar books.