AAC Greeting Scenarios
Practice greetings and farewells using AAC symbols.
Session summary (SOAP)
Stays on this screen. Nothing is saved or sent.
Mark a card Correct, Correct with cue or Incorrect and the summary writes itself here.
How to run it
Read the scenario, then wait. The waiting is doing most of the work; a prompt delivered two seconds in teaches the student to wait for prompts. Act the scenarios out where the room allows — walk in the door, wave from across the room — because a greeting is a response to a person and not to a card. End with the last card, saying goodbye to three real people, which is the only one that leaves the room.
Cueing ladder
Start at the top. Add support one step at a time.
- IndependentSet up the moment, then wait with an expectant look for 10 seconds.Log as correct
- GesturePoint toward the device or the right area of the page.Log as cued
- ModelTouch the symbols on the device yourself while you say the message.Log as cued
- Partial physicalOnly if the team agrees and the student accepts touch: a light touch at the elbow toward the page. Never press the symbol for them.Log as cued
Adjust it
Fewer symbols on the page, and model the message several times before you expect it.
Wait longer before prompting, or expect one more symbol in the message.
Matching IEP goal
During structured activities, Student will use their AAC system to greet and say goodbye in 8 of 10 opportunities across 3 consecutive sessions, given no more than a gestural prompt.
Send it home through the parent portal →About this activity
Twelve situations rather than twelve words. A friend walks in. What do you say? The teacher says good morning. Someone waves at you across the room. The bus driver opens the door. Your friend is leaving early. Greetings are usually taught as a single symbol drilled out of context, which is why they so often fail to show up when someone actually walks in — this board puts the situation first.
What to listen for
Notice the difference between a greeting produced on request and one produced on time. A student who greets after you point at the device has a prompted response; a student who greets as the person arrives has the skill. Watch for over-greeting too — some students, having learned it is rewarded, greet the same person repeatedly. Both directions are worth noting.
Carrying it home
Greetings are the easiest AAC target to practise at home because the opportunities arrive by themselves. Ask the family to pause in the doorway for a few seconds when they come in, so there is room for a greeting to happen rather than a hello that has already gone past.
What's in this activity
- A friend walks in. What do you say? (hi / hello)
- The teacher says good morning. What do you say?
- You arrive at school. Greet the office staff.
- Someone waves at you across the room. Respond.
- It's time to go home. What do you say to your teacher?
- A new student joins your table. Greet them.
- Grandma calls on video. Say hello.
- You run into a friend at the store. Greet them.
- The bus driver opens the door. What do you say?
- Your friend is leaving early. Say goodbye.
- Someone says "How are you?" Respond.
- End of the day: say goodbye to three people.
Questions
- What grades is this for?
- Kindergarten through fifth, though the scenarios work for any student learning to greet on time rather than on request.
- Is it free?
- Yes — the whole board plays with no account and no card.
- My student greets everyone repeatedly. Is that a problem?
- It is usually a sign the greeting has been well reinforced and under-contextualized. Work on the closing phrases in this set, which give the student somewhere for the exchange to end.
Use this board with your caseload
With a free account, every correct, cued and incorrect mark is saved to the student and scored against their IEP goal, with the data written up for you. Assign it as home practice through the parent portal.
Track progress freeFree for SLPs. No card, no trial clock.