Core Word of the Week
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many parents have become active participants in each and every therapy session. This is especially true for children who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) to communicate.
Families have become more active in using their child’s AAC system than ever before. Instead of watching me model use of a child’s picture communication board or speech-generating device (SGD), parents and siblings have learned to do so themselves. While it’s easy to understand the importance of aided language input (i.e., communication partner simultaneously activates buttons on a child’s AAC system as they interact with a child verbally), it can be challenging to make aided language input a habit.
I often collaborate with parents to plan a Core Word of the Week for my emerging AAC communicators. With this strategy, we focus on modeling one core word each week. I wrote a blog post about the value of core vocabulary, but to summarize: core vocabulary words are the most frequently occurring words (e.g., “up,” “it,” “there,” “play”) that can be used for a variety of communicative functions (e.g., refusing, directing actions, gaining attention, etc.) across settings. They account for about 80% of the words we say each and every day and as a result, they are an important focus when implementing AAC. Core vocabulary differs from fringe vocabulary, which are the words used less frequently and are specific to a speaker or a situation. Fringe vocabulary accounts for the remaining 20% of the words we say and are often specific to making requests (e.g., "goldfish” when requesting a snack, “baseball” when asking to play baseball).
With the Core Word of the Week strategy, families and I meet at the beginning of every week and discuss a core vocabulary word on the child’s AAC system (e.g., “eat,” “put,” “on,” “in,” “make", “go,” etc.) to focus on for the week. Picking just one word helps reduce pressure for families as they become more acclimated with using and modeling on a child’s AAC system. Families have so much going on, especially in the midst of a global pandemic. Why not make modeling feel easier and less overwhelming by selecting just one core vocabulary word to focus our attention on? While we focus on one core vocabulary word each week, many families quickly make the transition to modeling a greater variety of words on a child’s AAC system, as modeling becomes second nature for them.
After selecting a core vocabulary word, I challenge families to think of all the ways in which they can model that word. Parents always seems surprised at how many different ways they can model a word, such as “in” or “give,” throughout their day. That’s the beauty of it - it’s easy and functional to model core vocabulary because these are words we use all the time!
In my sessions, we allocate some time to hands-on activities to target the word of the week, such as playing freeze dance for “go,” blowing bubbles for “up,” or playing dress up for “on.” However, some of our session is also allocated to reflection on how the word of the week is going. This reflection is so important as it allows parents to identify what has been going well, what has been challenging for them in terms of modeling that word, ways to more readily integrate aided language input throughout their day, and ways in which their child has been using a particular word. While the hands-on activities are a great way for parents and kids to practice using core vocabulary words on a child’s AAC system, the reflection piece is arguably more important.
It was during one of these reflections that a mom noticed her daughter continuously activating “open” on her SGD and reaching to request additional crackers that were slightly out of reach. The crackers the kiddo was requesting were out of their packaging and therefore, there was nothing her mom needed to open for her to access them. The core word of the week was “eat,” so we paused within the session and chatted about how this kiddo typically requests food at home. Her mom reported that she often accesses snacks independently, though will bring a food item to an adult when she needs assistance opening it. Within these moments, she will produce a vocal approximation for “open” or activate “open” on her SGD. As we talked further, we realized that this kiddo had learned “open” within one context: requesting assistance as it pertains to food. Within this communication temptation activity, the kiddo had overgeneralized the meaning of “open” and used it to request a snack that was slightly out of reach. While her family was modeling “eat” frequently throughout the day and the kiddo had consistent understanding of this core vocabulary word, she had not yet learned to use the word “eat” expressively as a means of requesting a snack. This was a huge realization for both her mom and me, as it showed us the importance of making sure this kiddo had ample opportunities to learn and subsequently generalize the meaning and use of both “open” and “eat” across a variety of contexts.
The last component of the Core Word of the Week is a Google Sheets document that I use to record which words we’ve done, activities we’ve completed, progress, and family feedback. This helps me to stay organized and gives us information on when we can circle back to review previous core words. I’ve included a screenshot below so you can create one that is similar and adapt it to your kiddos’ needs.
I have absolutely loved incorporating a Core Word of the Week. It’s been amazing to observe the progress for both my kiddos and their families. As for the kids, they’re using core words to communicate in novel and flexible ways. As for the parents, they’ve become experts at modeling their child’s AAC system.
Have you used a Core Word of the Week strategy?