Modeling

Modeling means using the student’s AAC system yourself while you talk to them. When you say “Let’s go outside,” you touch “go” on the device or the board as you say it. That is natural aided language, also called aided language stimulation, and it is the single most reliable way to teach a system: the student sees the words in use, in real situations, from the people they already talk to.

It works because of how much of it there is. A child learning to speak hears thousands of spoken models before producing a word, and a student learning AAC deserves the same frequency on their AAC system. So the modeling lives in the routines that already exist, at meals, during play, in circle time and lessons, and it comes from as many partners as possible: teachers, family members, and classmates. Keep the language natural and meaningful in context. Modeling that sounds like drilling is just that: testing and not communicating.

Finally, when you model, do so without expectations. You are offering language, not testing for it. When there is no response, assume that it is understood. Students take in far more than they show, and removing the pressure to answer is what lets them choose to engage on their own terms. Patience is not passive. It’s the whole method.