This post is an excerpt from The ISAAC Communicator, March 2019 edition, “Message from the ISAAC President” by Meredith Allan

In Geelong, a city about an hour from my home city of Melbourne, a group of parents and support people meet every four weeks to discuss their children’s needs and the AAC strategies they use.

Here is a list they came up with at the end of last year:

• Visual/object/association/preparing the environment
• Model
• Expect a response
• Prepare
• Waiting
• Verbal prompt
• Respond
• Give them device
• Interpret – clarify
• Feedback
• Open-ended questions
• Communication Partners

The group did well. This list could almost be used for a lifetime.

How often as we grow older does a communication partner ask a question but doesn’t wait for a response, or answers for you? 

Our words are worth waiting for.

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Meredith Allan lives in Melbourne, Australia, and has used a text-to-speech communication device for 25 years. Read more about Meredith in the April 2019 edition of Link magazine (click through to page 38 from the Table of Contents).