ABSTRACT

This chapter describes evidence-based instructional strategies that have been recommended as effective practices for students with complex communication needs. When planning and implementing augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) instruction, practices that can be easily embedded throughout the day and that can reinforce the goals being set are key in the success of its implementation. A preference assessment should be considered the first step in any instructional program. To increase student motivation during instructional activities and decrease the frequency of undesirable behaviors, reinforcers can be used to support the student's engagement. Aided language stimulation is a communication strategy that is grounded in modeling to encourage functional communication. Environmental arrangements refer to aspects of the classroom setting and materials that are set up to facilitate communication and social interactions and increase task engagement. The purpose of a prompt hierarchy is to outline the fading of the prompting, where the last level of the hierarchy is the controlling prompt.