AAC: Group Project Participation
Turn-taking and task-claiming phrases for collaborative secondary coursework.
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
Practise the opening, not the whole meeting. The first two minutes decide what the student ends up doing, so drill I'll do the slides and Let's split it up until they are fast. Then run a real group with peers and a task, and stay out of it — the failure mode here is the adult brokering the student's participation, which produces a smooth group and no skill. Twelve minutes of rehearsal buys a class period of actual membership.
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 take part in the exchange 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
Eight phrases for the part of secondary school where an AAC user most often ends up as a spectator: I'll do the slides. Can I go next? I have an idea. Who's writing this down? When are we meeting? I already finished my part. Group work moves fast and assigns roles in the first ninety seconds, and a student who cannot claim a task in that window gets handed one.
What to listen for
Watch whether the student claims or accepts. Claiming a task with I'll do the slides is a different behaviour from agreeing to the task the group offers, and the second is what most students default to. Notice whether peers wait — if they do not, the phrase needs to be faster or pre-stored, not better formed.
Carrying it home
Family projects work for this: planning a meal, packing for a trip, dividing chores. Ask that the student be given the chance to claim a job rather than be assigned one, even when assigning would be quicker.
What's in this activity
- I'll do the slides.
- Can I go next?
- I have an idea.
- Who's writing this down?
- When are we meeting?
- I already finished my part.
- Let's split it up.
- +1 more
Questions
- How does this fit an IEP goal?
- It sits naturally under classroom participation or self-advocacy rather than expressive language. Count self-initiated contributions to the group, not utterances.
- Do I need to log in?
- No. It plays free in the browser. An account adds assignment, scoring and progress data.
- What if peers ignore the student's contribution?
- That is worth addressing directly with the peers, and it is the reason Can I go next? is on the board — it gives the student a way to reclaim the floor rather than an adult doing it for them.
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.