AAC: Requests on the Job
Workplace vocabulary for a supported or competitive employment placement.
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 at the pace of a shift. Ask the student to report completion before you notice it, and to ask for the next task rather than waiting to be handed one — I finished — what's next? is the phrase that most changes how a supervisor sees a worker. This machine isn't working matters out of proportion to its length, because equipment problems are where an unsupported worker most often just stops. Rehearse in the room, then fade the coach on the floor.
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 use work-related phrases such as greetings, requests and thanks 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 a supported or competitive placement: I'm ready for my next task. Can I take my break now? I finished — what's next? I need help with this. This machine isn't working. I'll be back in ten minutes. I can't work Saturday. Where should I put this? Every one of them is a message that keeps a shift running, and a worker who cannot send them ends up shadowed by a job coach who can.
What to listen for
Watch initiation rate, not accuracy. The measure worth tracking is how often the student starts an exchange with a supervisor without being cued, and it is usually low at first. Notice which requests get skipped: breaks and schedule limits are the two students most often let slide, and both matter for keeping the job.
Carrying it home
Chores at home can carry the same structure if the reporting is required. Finish a task, report it, ask for the next one. The habit transfers more reliably than the vocabulary does.
What's in this activity
- I'm ready for my next task.
- Can I take my break now?
- I finished -- what's next?
- I need help with this.
- This machine isn't working.
- I'll be back in ten minutes.
- I can't work Saturday.
- Where should I put this?
Questions
- Who is this for?
- Ninth through twelfth grade students in or approaching a work placement, under transition goals.
- Is it free to use?
- Yes, the whole board plays with no account. An account adds assignment and progress data.
- Should a job coach prompt these?
- At first, then fade fast. A prompted request looks like communication to an observer and does not survive the coach leaving, which is the outcome the placement is for.
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.