A communication-friendly classroom makes language visible, accessible, and expected. Students with complex communication needs benefit most when they are surrounded by consistent, meaningful language opportunities. That means AAC should not just live on a device—it should live in the environment.
In this section, you’ll learn how to set up your classroom so that communication is embedded everywhere. From doorways to circle time, every space can become a language-learning opportunity.
📍 Post Vocabulary Where It’s Needed
Strategic placement of low-tech AAC tools throughout the classroom ensures that communication is supported all day long.
Use These Tools to Set Up Your Environment:
🗂️ DTA Quick Talk 18 Books
Portable books that students and teachers can carry or keep at key stations
Pages organized by function: Core, Needs, Social, Feelings, Directives, etc.
Can also be printed in poster size and mounted in locations such as:
🚪 Social page at the classroom door
🚽 Needs page on the bathroom door
🧠 Core page at group lesson or circle time area
🖇️ Download Quick Talk Books HERE, below or in the Classroom Toolbox and Library under the Communication Materials Section
🧾 3" Symbol Boards – DTA AAC Flipbook 2.0 Expansion
To complement your Dynamic AAC Flipbook, we offer 3” Symbol Fringe Boards organized into practical categories that match the fringe vocabulary from the Flipbook. These can be:
Mounted on bins, walls, or cubbies near relevant activities
Used in choice boards, mini-books, or lanyards
Integrated into visual schedules or task cards for students with complex needs
Example Categories Include: People • Food • Toys • Emotions • School Tools • Art Supplies • Hygiene • Transitions • Outdoor Play
🖇️ Access the 3" Symbol Boards in the Classroom Toolbox and Library under the Communication Materials Section. There are a few samples you can download below!
🧰 AAC Is More Than an App—It’s a System that is dependent on your ENTIRE TEAM!
Paraprofessionals, Classroom Assistants or ParaEducators are a critical component of Engineering Your Classroom. These team members teach, assist with the materials development and creation, give you feedback, collect data and set expectations for optimal communication from your students, each other, and YOU!
Ms. Askew, paraprofessional Rome City Schools, on her way to a field trip at the mall with her students.
A truly robust AAC system includes multiple layers of support. These might include some or all of the following:
🔘 Single-message switches for early interaction or quick responses
🖼️ Printed symbol boards or core word posters around the classroom
✋ Gestures, signs, and vocalizations, used alongside AAC
🤝 Partner support strategies, such as aided language input and prompting hierarchies
Teacher/SLP Table: DTA AAC Flipbook and Quick Talk Pages for Partner modeling AAC
Ms. Jennings, Campbell County Schools: Printed and displayed boards from the DTA Schools AAC Flipbook 2.0 10 location
Mrs. Thompson, Troup County Schools, displaying her poster sized boards from the DTA Quick Talk 18 book. Placed strategically around her elementary special education classroom.
By engineering your classroom for communication, you set the stage for language learning all day long. With visual supports in place, students learn that communication is expected, modeled, and celebrated—no matter where they are in the room or in their AAC journey.
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