About this resource
Communication is shared. The way partners talk, wait and respond can make communication easier or harder. This handout explains nine everyday partner strategies in plain language and includes a page to record the strategies agreed for a specific person.
Purpose
To give communication partners practical, everyday strategies that create more opportunities for the person to communicate successfully.
Who it is for
Primary profession: Speech pathologists. Also relevant for disability support workers, educators and school support staff.
Client or participant group: Communication partners of children and adults with communication difficulties, including people who use AAC.
Practice setting: Shared by a speech pathologist with families, support teams and school staff, at home, school or in community settings.
Suggested uses
- Training families and support workers
- Onboarding new staff to a person's communication needs
- Agreeing consistent strategies across home and school
- Reinforcing strategies after a therapy session
Instructions for practitioners
- Choose the strategies most relevant to the person and their partners.
- Demonstrate each strategy, then let partners practise with feedback.
- Complete the agreed strategies page together, using examples from the person's daily life.
- Review how partners are using the strategies at a later session.
Accessibility considerations
Written for partners in plain language. Consider interpreters or translated versions for families who prefer another language, and demonstrate strategies rather than relying on the text alone.
Scope and limitations
General partner education. It does not replace individual assessment, AAC system recommendations or a communication plan from a speech pathologist.
Research basis
Training communication partners improves communication for people who use AAC and people with aphasia. Modelling on the person's AAC system (aided language input) improves communication outcomes, especially expressive use, for people with complex communication needs.
- Biggs, E. E., Carter, E. W., & Gilson, C. B. (2018). Systematic Review of Interventions Involving Aided AAC Modeling for Children With Complex Communication Needs. American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 123(5), 443–473. https://doi.org/10.1352/1944-7558-123.5.443
- Kent-Walsh, J., Murza, K. A., Malani, M. D., & Binger, C. (2015). Effects of Communication Partner Instruction on the Communication of Individuals using AAC: A Meta-Analysis. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 31(4), 271–284. https://doi.org/10.3109/07434618.2015.1052153
- Sennott, S. C., Light, J. C., & McNaughton, D. (2016). AAC Modeling Intervention Research Review. Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 41(2), 101–115. https://doi.org/10.1177/1540796916638822
- Simmons-Mackie, N., Raymer, A., & Cherney, L. R. (2016). Communication Partner Training in Aphasia: An Updated Systematic Review. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 97(12), 2202–2221.e8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2016.03.023
What is included
A 3-page printable A4 PDF, including a practitioner notes page with the research basis (version 1.0).
Originality
Original Practitioner Plus content: wording, activity structure, layout and icons were created for this resource. No third-party worksheets, illustrations or text were reproduced. Reflects widely described communication partner training principles.
