Episode #292: Comparing Vocabulary Intervention For Children Who Use AAC with Dr. Courtney Trevino

Comparing vocabulary instruction for children who use AAC is not a one size fits all decision, and that is exactly what makes this conversation so valuable.

Vocabulary intervention is one of the topics I get asked about most often, and there is still so much to learn about the best ways to support children who use AAC. I’m joined by Dr. Courtney Trevino to unpack her research comparing explicit vocabulary instruction with more naturalistic, incidental teaching. We explore what each approach looks like in practice, how vocabulary was selected for the study, and what the findings can teach us as clinicians.

One strategy that really stood out to me was navigation description, talking out loud through the path you take to find a word on an AAC system. It is such a practical way to support learning, while also helping parents, teachers, RBTs, and other team members become more confident using AAC. I walked away thinking differently about how I teach vocabulary, and I think you will too. If you are looking for practical, research-backed ideas that you can start using right away, this conversation is full of them.

#autism #speechtherapy

Today’s Guest:

Dr. Courtney Trevino, PhD, CCC-SLP is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the CHLLD Lab (PI: Dr. Emily Lund) in the Davies School of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Texas Christian University. Dr. Trevino completed her Bachelor of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders (2015), Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology (2017), and PhD in Health Sciences, with an emphasis in speech-language pathology (2024). She practiced in a rural school district for four years, primarily serving children who use AAC, before returning to academia to pursue her PhD. Her research focuses on early word learning and lexical integration in children with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities and autistic children who use AAC.

What’s Inside: