In an aim to get back into the pattern of recording our AAC journey and because I think people might find it interesting to learn who things are on a day to day basis I thought I’d try to write a short blog every day this week. It is the half term holidays for us here in the UK so we don’t have school (Noodle has an EHCP so can still attend school) and I’m off work.

The start of the day was pretty typical. Got up got dressed got breakfast ready. Honestly time, there are symbols on the tray on Noodle’s chair but I don’t remember using them at all until later in the day. The first bit of modelling was when we went out for a walk at about 9.00. This too was typical though as when I came to the iPad I’d forgotten to charge it overnight so it was teetering on 37%. Luckily that was enough for the walk. (even though I’d brought a portable charger I didn’t plug it in which meant it did eventually run out of battery, it always takes ages to come back on if it goes totally flat).

We did manage some modelling of core vocabulary on our walk. It was like spring in the lanes near our house. I could model ‘go’, ‘see’, ‘like’ lots. I also modelled finding some fringe vocabulary looking at birds and trees. When Noodle has her device on she often ‘babbles’, activating a lot of cells. She’s learned how to make the sentence bar speak and her favourite thing is to fill it up and then make it play and listen to the string fo words. I noticed this morning though she did this less as the morning went on and she began looking around and engaging with the device less often. She also looked well when I was modelling for her.

We came home and had a snack where I did manage a bit of modelling of core on her tray, again ‘like’ and ‘more’ when she was enjoying bits of her snack and ‘stop’ when she was pushing it away. We then had a zoom chat with family while also looking at ‘That’s not my unicorn’. I managed some brief modelling using the symbols on her tray during this but managing conversation, zoom, book and modelling is quite a lot o manage.

Then lunch which Noodle was not so keen to eat. I find when this happens my focus changes. Although I can sit back and be objective now and think about how I might use the AAC to support a tricky mealtime it’s super hard to manage in the moment and today I didn’t.

Next was afternoon nap and I took the moment to do some housework. As soon as Noodle woke she had a drink and then our shopping arrived and needed putting away. The tea making and eating and before I know it it’s bedtime and we’ve not looked at a symbol since just before lunch.

This is a pretty typical day, some wins, some modelling, some powered AAC some paper based AAC and a heck of a lot of time with no modelling at all because there aren’t enough hands.

So there we are, day one of a week of AAC. On a scale of 1-10, 10 being the best day we’ve ever had with AAC and 1 being the opposite of that today was probably a 5, maybe even a 6… I wonder what tomorrow will be?