Heather Roach, AAC Experience

She had a secret. We’d been talking about aquariums and she wanted to go back.

This clip shows partner assisted visual scanning in action: section → column → item. We only point to items (no need to say them aloud because she’s got the receptive language). Two distinct movements give her control of the timing of the scan: her yes (accept) is a head nod, leaning forward, or eyes moving up and down. Her no (reject) is a head shake or glancing to one side and back — movements that have been refined and shared with her communication partners over the last 8 years.

We name what we’re seeing out loud because when proprioceptive input is limited, verbal referencing helps her know what her body is doing and gives her time to respond. In this video, her first response takes 12 seconds. Twelve seconds of staying present and quiet with no additional prompts, no verbal clutter, just wait time. It is one of the most important and most underused tools in a communication partner’s toolkit.

You’ll also notice her laugh and smile mid-scan — we don’t count that as a yes. A laugh might mean “ha, that’s funny”, pure delight or even that she’s uncomfortable. We always keep accept and reject movements separate from emotional expression so her communication stays clear and fully in her hands.

And then real life happened. Our dog lost it when the mail came. And we kept going. Paused, managed the chaos, came back, and recapped where we were because what she has to say is worth the extra time. This is why I encourage families and school teams to reconsider when they tell me they’re trying to find the perfect setup, the perfect time. Communication doesn’t wait for perfect conditions. It happens in real life, with dogs and doorbells and everything in between.

A PODD (Pragmatic Organization Dynamic Display) system + a smart communication partner means you can hold the context, ride the interruptions, and get to the message. Every time.

Her secret was worth it. 🐠

If you’re a family or school team navigating partner assisted scanning or PODD implementation, send me a DM or visit the link in my bio.

This is what putting a PODD (Pragmatic Organization Dynamic Displays) book together looks like. This also highlights one of the most asked questions I get: how do you actually use the lists?

Lists hold the vocabulary that makes a PODD book personal to your AAC user. Think about what that looks like in real life - family members and close friends, favorite foods or restaurants, medications and medical procedures, teachers and therapists, current TV shows or books, sports teams, vacation spots, inside jokes. Any of the extra “fringe” vocabulary. Anything that matters to your person that doesn’t belong on a core page or doesn’t fit.

Each starts with a template printed for each page needing a list, then the topic is added to the top. Each list includes directions for how to support your AAC user through it, whether you’re visually scanning down the page together or reading items aloud. It also describes your user’s specific yes/no or accept/reject movement so anyone picking up the book knows exactly how to partner with them.

And when life changes? You update the list. New teacher, new medication, new obsession. The book keeps up.

This is what goes into every book I send out the door, whether it’s a trial book or fully personalized. Making sure every detail is right before it lands in your hands.

This is a one-page book so it gets coil so pages flip all the way around. Two-page books get comb so both pages stay flat as one big display.

Interested in a PODD book for your AAC user? Send me a message or visit my website linked in bio to get started.

Lists in PODD (Pragmatic Organization Dynamic Display) books are one of my favorite features! I filmed this after updating some medical vocabulary ahead of an EEG last summer, and it’s a great example of lists in action. Having these conversations ahead of time is really great for helping our kids feel more comfortable on hospital stays. For those who were worried when they first saw this, yes we took a break from hospital stays this summer! Lists grow with your child through every season of life and every experience. That’s the magic.

Ever wonder why PODD books use different bindings?

One-page PODD books get coil binding because the pages need to flip all the way around — flat on a tray, held up for eye gaze, folded back completely. Coil makes that possible.

Two-page books use comb binding instead, because both pages need to stay flat and aligned together as one big communication display. You can also swap out pages easily if something needs updating, huge win for a book that gets used all day every day.

This one is a trial book heading out this week! 📬 Binding tip if you’re doing this at home: once it’s punched, line up all the rings on one side and get the coil started on that edge. Then just wiggle the book slightly while you twirl the coil through, it walks right on.