AAC in the IEP: devices, training and goals
By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated
Short answer
AAC shows up in several parts of the IEP, not only the goals page. Answer the assistive technology special factor with trial data, describe how the student communicates now in present levels, name the device and AT services, schedule training for staff and family, settle home use, and write goals that measure communication rather than device drills.
An AAC system only works if the IEP makes it part of the student's whole day. A strong goal page cannot make up for a device that lives in the speech room, a para who was never trained, or a charger nobody owns. This guide walks through each place AAC belongs in the IEP, then follows one fictional student from trial data to annual review.
What this page adds: a map of where each AAC decision is written, a worked example with real numbers, and weak versus better wording for the mistakes that show up most in AAC IEPs. For goal wording by area, use the AAC goals examples. The speech therapy IEP goals pillar covers every other speech and language area.
AAC is a right, with no prerequisites
Augmentative and alternative communication covers every way a person communicates besides speech: signs, picture boards, letter boards and speech-generating devices. ASHA's practice guidance is clear that there are no prerequisite skills for AAC.[1] A student does not have to point to pictures, match symbols, show "intent" or reach an age first. ASHA also notes that AAC does not stop a child from developing speech, a worry families raise at almost every first meeting.[1]
Treat the device like the student's voice. It goes everywhere, it is never taken away as a consequence, and nobody has to earn it.
What you need before you start
- An AAC assessment or trial summary. Which systems were tried, for how long, with what access method, and what the student did with each.
- A short communication sample. Count messages, their functions (request, protest, comment, question) and the modes used, including gestures and vocalizations.
- Family input. What the student communicates at home, which words matter (names, pets, foods), and what the family can manage for charging and transport.
- A list of the student's partners and settings. Every adult who will support the device needs training, so name them now.
The speech therapy present levels examples show how to turn this into a paragraph.
Where AAC goes in the IEP
| IEP section | What to write about AAC | Legal hook |
|---|---|---|
| Special factors | Yes, the student needs AT, with a sentence on why | Team must consider AT needs[2] |
| Present levels | Current modes, message count, functions, partner support | Required content of the IEP[3] |
| Annual goals | Communication outcomes on the system | Measurable annual goals[3] |
| Supplementary aids, services or related services | The device type and the AT services | AT device and service definitions[4] [5] |
| Supports for school personnel | Training for teachers, paras and the SLP | Program supports for staff[3] |
| Accommodations | Device available in all settings and on tests | Listed by the team |
| Home use | Whether the device goes home and who charges it | Home use when needed for FAPE[6] |
Districts differ on where the device line sits. Some list it under supplementary aids and services, others under related services or a separate AT section. The location matters less than the detail.
Step-by-step: putting AAC into the IEP
Step 1: Answer the AT special factor with evidence
The IEP team must consider whether the student needs assistive technology devices and services.[2] A checked box with no explanation invites the same debate every year. Add one or two sentences: "Yes. During a 6-week trial, Ana produced a median of 11 messages per 30-minute block on a 60-location core vocabulary grid, compared with 2 using gestures alone."
Step 2: Describe communication with AAC in present levels
Write what the student does now, in numbers. Include total messages per observation, the functions used, how many symbols the student combines, and the support level. Name the partner support as well: "Staff modeled on the device about 2 times per 10 minutes." That line makes the next present levels honest if modeling increases.
Step 3: Name the device and the AT services
An assistive technology device is any item used to increase, maintain or improve the student's functional capabilities.[4] Assistive technology services include evaluating the student, acquiring and customizing the device, maintaining it, and training the student, family and staff.[5]
Many teams describe the features rather than a brand: "speech-generating device with a 60-location core vocabulary grid, keyguard and carrying strap." That keeps the IEP accurate if the district swaps hardware.
Step 4: Schedule training as a support for school personnel
The IEP can list supports for school personnel.[3] Use it. "Training as needed" gives nobody a date. Write the who, how long and how often: "SLP trains classroom teacher and 2 paras on aided modeling, 2 sessions of 45 minutes in September, then 20 minutes of in-class coaching every other week."
Step 5: Write goals across the competence areas
Good AAC goals cover more than finding buttons. Spread them across linguistic, operational, social and strategic skills, as described in AAC communicative competence. Pick 2 or 3 for the year, not 8. Put partner support in the condition ("with aided language modeling") so the student's progress is not hostage to adult habits. Aided language modeling for AAC users covers how staff model. The AAC goals page has 24 templates, and IEP goals for AAC users gathers AAC-friendly goals from other areas.
Step 6: Settle home use, charging and backup
If the team decides the student needs the device at home for FAPE, the district provides for that.[6] Write down who charges it, who carries it, and what happens when it breaks. A laminated low-tech copy of the main page is the usual backup. Note it in the IEP so it is never "the device is in the shop, so no AAC this week."
Step 7: List the accommodations
Typical lines: device within reach in every setting, including lunch, recess, specials and the bus; extra wait time for composed messages; device used for test responses; peers and staff wait for the student to finish. The assistive technology accommodations list has more wording.
Step 8: Plan data and review dates
Decide how each goal will be measured before the meeting. Most AAC goals use message counts in a timed observation or opportunities data. Log adult modeling on the same sheet. The AAC baseline guide shows how to take the starting numbers, and the speech therapy data collection guide covers group sessions.
Worked example: Ana, second grade
Ana is a fictional 7-year-old autistic second grader. She uses about 10 spoken word approximations, mostly understood by family. At school she leads adults by the hand and cries when a routine changes.
Trial data. Over 6 weeks, the SLP trialed a speech-generating device with a 60-location core vocabulary grid. Three 30-minute classroom observations at the end of the trial gave 9, 11 and 14 messages, a median of 11. Almost all were requests ("more," "go," "help"). Ana combined 2 symbols twice across all 3 observations. Staff modeled on the device about 2 times per 10 minutes.
IEP entries.
- Special factors: Yes, AT needed. Trial data above.
- Present levels: the trial numbers, plus "Ana understands many classroom routines and protests with crying when she has no other way to say stop."
- Goal 1 (social): With aided modeling during classroom routines, Ana will produce 25 spontaneous messages on her device in a 30-minute observation, using at least 3 functions (request, protest, comment), across 3 consecutive observations. Baseline: 11 messages, 1 function. Template.
- Goal 2 (linguistic): During shared reading and play, Ana will combine 2 or more symbols in 10 messages per 30-minute session across 3 sessions. Baseline: 2 combinations across 3 sessions. Template.
- Goal 3 (protest): When an activity is unwanted, Ana will use the stop or break symbol in 4 of 5 opportunities across 2 weeks. Baseline: 0 of 5. Template.
- Services: SLP direct 30 minutes, 2 times per week, in the classroom; SLP consult 30 minutes per month.
- Supports for school personnel: 2 trainings of 45 minutes in September, coaching every other week.
- Home use: device goes home daily; family charges it overnight; spare low-tech board in backpack.
First progress report (November). Medians: 17 messages per observation with 2 functions, 5 combinations per session, protest symbol in 3 of 5. Staff modeling rose to about 6 per 10 minutes after coaching. The team kept every goal and added "all done" and "my turn" to her home page at the family's request.
Annual review. Ana reached 27 messages with 3 functions and 11 combinations per session. The next IEP adds a strategic goal for repairing a message when a listener does not understand (template).
Common mistakes
- Weak: "Ana will use her device when appropriate." Better: Goal 1 above. "When appropriate" lets anyone decide the data mean anything.
- Weak: "Device available as needed." Better: "Device within reach in all settings, including lunch, recess, specials and the bus. Never removed as a consequence."
- Weak: "Ana will earn device time by completing work." Better: Remove it. Access to communication is not a reinforcer.
- Weak: "Ana must point to 10 pictures before a device is considered." Better: "AT is needed. There are no prerequisite skills for AAC."
- Weak: "Ana will label 20 flashcards on her device with 80% accuracy." Better: A goal about real messages in real routines. Labeling drills measure button finding, not communication.
- Weak: "Staff will be trained as needed." Better: Named staff, number of sessions, minutes and months.
Templates and tools
- AAC goals examples for full goal wording by competence area.
- Speech therapy goals for nonverbal autism for early requesting and protesting goals.
- IEP goals for AAC users and the core vocabulary glossary entry.
- Opportunity data sheet for protest and response goals.
- The goal checker flags goals with no criterion or no condition.
Frequently asked questions
Does the school have to let the AAC device go home?
If the IEP team decides the student needs the device at home to receive a free appropriate public education, the district must allow it. Teams decide this case by case, so ask the team to discuss home use and write the decision into the IEP.
Who owns a school-purchased AAC device?
Usually the district, which means it may stay with the district if the student moves. Families sometimes pursue a personal device through insurance or Medicaid so the student keeps it. Ask how your district handles this before the student changes schools.
Should the IEP name a specific device brand?
Many teams describe features instead, such as grid size, vocabulary type, access method and voice output. That keeps the IEP accurate when hardware changes. Name a specific app only when the student truly needs that exact vocabulary layout.
Can AAC be added before the team gives up on speech?
Yes. AAC is not a last resort. It can be added at any age or stage, and it supports a student who is still developing speech. Speech goals and AAC goals can sit in the same IEP.
Use it in IEP Atlas
- AAC goals (speech language)
- IEP goals for AAC users
- AAC in the IEP glossary
- Assistive technology service in the IEP glossary
- Opportunity data sheet
- IEP goal checker
Related guides
- Speech therapy IEP goals: examples by area
- AAC goals examples
- Speech therapy goals for nonverbal autistic students
- Assistive technology accommodations list
- Baseline for AAC goals
- Aided language modeling for AAC users
Sources
- Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), ASHA
- 34 CFR §300.324: Development, review, and revision of IEP, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
- 34 CFR §300.320: Definition of individualized education program, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
- 34 CFR §300.5: Assistive technology device, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
- 34 CFR §300.6: Assistive technology service, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
- 34 CFR §300.105: Assistive technology, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
Written and checked by the IEP Atlas editorial team under our editorial policy. This guide describes general practice and federal rules. It is not legal advice; your state may add requirements, and the IEP team makes the decisions for each student.