ARPDC Professional Development Resources
Dedicated to ongoing professional learning at the local, regional and provincial level.

Resources to Support the Complex Communication Needs (CCN) Population

Complex Communication Needs (CCN)

Children and youth with complex communication needs (CCN) benefit from assistive technology and augmentative and alternative communication to support communication and language development. Students who have complex communication needs are unable to communicate effectively using speech alone. They and their communication partners may benefit from using alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) methods, either temporarily or permanently.

AAC systems of communication do not rely on speech. Children and youth who require AAC may have some speech but not enough to meet their daily needs. AAC systems may be used to augment existing communication skills or provide an alternative to speech.

These resources are intended to provide professional learning for professionals working with children and youth in the complex communication needs population.

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Ruby Bridges was Alone: The Descriptive Teaching Method for Emergent Students

Archived webinar from March 28, 2018 with Erin Sheldon

Students with complex needs require support in language development, early concept development, vocabulary, and background knowledge. We often struggle to find the time and technology to embed AAC modelling in our lessons and classroom activities, particularly in inclusive classrooms. This webinar was first developed for a teacher who asked “don’t tell me WHY I should model AAC, tell me HOW.” This webinar will explore simple, hands-on descriptive teaching strategies. Based on Gail van Tatenhove’s descriptive teaching method, we will examine how to shift from referential to descriptive teaching to scaffold access to the regular curriculum for emergent students. We will see how the simplest graphic organizers can support our AAC modelling and foster language growth in our students with complex needs.

Length: 1:13:11