What to Model Besides “I Want” - AAC Beyond Requesting

Oct 16

“How do I get my child to use their AAC for more than just saying ‘I want’?”

Well, YOU’VE got to SHOW them it can be used for more. And by show them, I mean you’ve got to model more!

A lot of well-intentioned adults get stuck just modeling “I want” on the device. So, if that’s all your child has ever seen the device used for, how would they know AAC can be used to say anything else?!

So, here are some tips on how you can SHOW your child that AAC can be used to say more than “I want”.

Reminder - when we model, we want to start by modeling without expectation. Modeling means that YOU point to the words on the AAC device as you speak. “Without expectation” means you don’t expect the user to do anything in return. You don’t need to make them press it or say anything back. This is about YOU showing them.

So now, what can you model? Three ideas.

1. Observe what your child already does and attribute meaning to it

You are observing things they are already doing, and modeling what that could mean.

“You went to the fridge.” (observation) “I wonder if you are hungry.” (attribute meaning)
“I see you laughing.” (observation) “I wonder if you think this is so funny.” (attribute meaning)

I’ve bolded the words you might actually press on the device as you’re starting out. The rest you can speak aloud. You’ll be able to model more of the words as you get more practice.

You’ll notice in these examples, I’m not testing the child or asking what they want or need. I’m simply using AAC to attribute meaning to the things the child is already doing. This helps link words on the device to real, meaningful experiences.

2. The +1 rule

Notice what your child is doing, then add something that gives a little more detail.

“You are listening to the music” (notice), “it’s so loud!” (+1 detail)
“You are eating apples” (notice), “they are green!” (+1 detail)
“You have your cars” (notice), “all of them are on the ground!”

Same as above - as you are starting your modeling journey, you might only press a few words (bolded) while you speak the rest. Before you know it, you’ll be modeling full sentences on the device!

3. Think like a kid!

Ask yourself: what might they say right now? This reframe helps get you out of your adult brain (which might be focused on moving on to the next task or getting your kid to transition) and into language your kid might actually use.

Let me explain through a few examples.

Example 1: A preschooler (age 3-4) playing with blocks. At this age, adults tend to jump straight to using the device to ask “what color is that” or “how many blocks.” But a 3-year-old isn’t thinking about quizzes. Think about what they’d actually say if they had the words.

“WOW look at that!”
“Uh oh, it fell!”
“Do it again!”
“MORE blocks!”
“So big!”
“MY tower!”

Short, excited, in the moment. That’s how a preschooler talks, and that’s what we want to model.

Example 2: A 7th grader working on math. I see a lot of well-intentioned adults model the language that they are thinking, things like “it’s time for the next question,” “you are working hard,” “all done with this question, let’s go to the next.” But instead of thinking like yourself, think like the kid. What might a 12-year-old say about working on math?

“This is boring”
“I’m ready to be finished”
“I do not want to do this work”
“I am exhausted”
“Is it time for lunch yet?!”
“I wish it was science instead of math right now!”

Example 3: A 7-year-old eating ice cream on a Saturday afternoon. It might be easy to default to “ask mom for help” or “you want ice cream.” But challenge yourself to think like a 7-year-old:

“I love Saturday ice cream!”
“I wish we had mint chip”
“Mom, let’s eat 10 scoops today?!”
“Ugh it is melting all over me”

If you want to see some more examples like this, check out my posts 6 words I love modeling: IN, OUT, UP, DOWN, ON, OFF or We Just Got an AAC Device… Now What? - Real Life Modeling Examples for Home.

“But I don’t know where all these words are!”

Two things.

When you’re starting out with modeling, you don’t have to model every word you say. I bolded the words I might actually press when starting out, the rest I just speak. As you model more and more, you’ll get better, and before you know it you’ll be modeling full sentences without even thinking about it. You’ve got to practice modeling!
You can ALWAYS search for a word. Every app has a search feature that gives you the guided path to find it. Not sure how to search in your child’s app? Here are a few video links.

AAC should be fun!

All three of these strategies help us model language beyond requesting. Kids need to see that the device can be used to talk about more than what they want. And these are three great ways to start to show them.

My main takeaway: Communication is fun! AAC should be fun too!

Want more support?

I’m Haley, a speech-language pathologist in Seattle, and AAC is what I do all day. If you’re looking for more support using these strategies with your own child, students, or clients, I offer 1:1 AAC coaching! Reach out and we can brainstorm specific ways to model beyond requesting.

You can learn more on my Services page, or by checking out this post AAC Parent Coaching in Washington: How It Works and When It Helps.

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