AAC: Health and Personal Care Self-Report
Symptom and care vocabulary a teen needs to report for themselves as they age out of parent proxy.
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
Rehearse specificity. My stomach hurts is a start, but It hurts here — my right shoulder is the message that changes what happens next, so spend the time on location and duration rather than on the fact of pain. Role-play with someone in the role of a nurse who asks follow-up questions, because a single phrase is never the whole exchange. Then make sure the phrases are pre-stored and reachable within a screen or two — a health message the student has to build is a message that arrives late.
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 state a need or an opinion 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 messages a teenager needs to say for themselves as parent proxy ends: My stomach hurts. I've had a headache since this morning. I need my medication. It hurts here — my right shoulder. I feel dizzy when I stand up. I'm allergic to peanuts. Please call my mom. Health reporting is where the loss of a parent speaking for you has the sharpest consequences, and it is rarely on a device before it is needed.
What to listen for
Watch for unprompted reporting. Most students in this position have learned to wait for an adult to notice, and the shift worth recording is a message initiated before anyone asked. Notice whether duration language survives — since this morning is a harder and more useful piece of information than the pain itself.
Carrying it home
Ask the family to stop answering the doctor's questions. When a clinician asks how long it has hurt, the teenager should answer, even though it is slower. Practising in the waiting room beforehand makes that pause bearable for everyone.
What's in this activity
- My stomach hurts.
- I need my medication.
- I'm allergic to peanuts.
- I need help in the bathroom.
- Please call my mom.
- +3 more
Questions
- Why is this written for high school?
- Because it maps onto transition planning: medical self-advocacy is part of aging out of parent proxy, and it needs to exist on the device before the first appointment where it matters.
- Is the board free?
- Yes, no account and no card. Signing in adds goal tracking and assignment.
- Should these be stored or built?
- Stored. In an urgent moment nobody has time to navigate, and a health message that takes a minute to build often does not get sent at all.
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.