One thing we hear often at Lingraphica is, “My patient uses the device during therapy, but I’m not sure how to get them to use it outside of sessions.” During the device trial process, your patient is encouraged to take the device home to use it in their daily lives. Sending home specific assignments can motivate your patient and their family to use it regularly. Here are some ideas to increase carryover outside of sessions:
This is a great assignment to get family involved. Ask them to program in family names/pictures, pets, anecdotes, and inside jokes. Let your patient know that in your next session, you want to hear a funny story or a joke! If they are hesitant about programming, make sure they know that Lingraphica’s technical and clinical teams are available for assistance – and that they’re not going to break the device by playing with it.
Ask the patient/family to use the device to make a grocery list, identify errands they need to run, or list the things they need help with.
What does the patient have coming up this week? Make folders for an upcoming doctor’s appointment, visits with OT/PT, or social events like a visit from a family member. Make sure they use the device at that event. If it’s a social event, encourage them to use the built-in camera to take pictures they can share with you at your next session.
Using a device can feel overwhelming. Let the patient know it doesn’t have to be their only mode of communication, but that you want them to use it every day at specific times – e.g., mealtime, getting ready for the day, or while watching Wheel of Fortune.
Encourage patients to try to repeat the device; you can even make them a special folder of words/phrases to practice. Or, have them explore the therapy tasks on their own.
Most importantly, make sure to give tasks that will encourage meaningful and fun device use. The goal at this stage is to increase motivation and ownership of the device, not to expect perfect communication.
The Conquering AAC Series contains three free on-demand courses that are designed to provide fundamental information for SLPs who are new to Lingraphica and high-tech AAC. Click below to learn more and complete the courses.
Lingraphica offers free one-on-one consultations for SLPs who have someone on caseload who might be a good fit for an AAC device but aren’t entirely sure where to start. Call us at 866-570-8775 or visit the link below to get started.
