Episode 48: Roundtable: Writing Effective IEPs and Goals for Students Who Use AAC

Join the TWT team this week for a roundtable discussion about writing Individualized Education Plan (IEP) goals for students with complex communication needs (CCN). Topics discussed in this roundtable include:

• Why augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices should be used in early intervention and not just as an ‘intervention of last resort” for students with CCN.

• Using the accommodations section to detail what the student needs as part of his or her free appropriate public education.

• Adding minutes for coaching the circle of support about AAC on the IEP as a “related service” instead of a “direct service”

• Why listing a specific system or app in the IEP can cause problems, and how those problems can be avoided by describing, rather than naming, the system.

• Why accessories for AAC devices (keyguard, switches) should be included in the IEP.

• Why new training goals may be important when there is a major change in the circle of support.

• Why being specific about what you are going to measure in a goal is critical when you are measuring it later.

• The need to go beyond requesting when writing goals - include commenting protesting, asking questions, etc.

• AAC therapy is language therapy - in many cases you don’t even need to mention the system or app when writing a language goal

• Who should be responsible for an AAC-related goal on the IEP?

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