Autumn brings a flurry of festivities—Halloween, Diwali, Bonfire Night—it’s a perfect time for teachers and support staff to engage AAC users in rich, meaningful communication. But rather than adding a flood of seasonal-specific vocabulary to a learner’s AAC system, consider the power of focusing on core and familiar words already present in their communication app, book or symbol chart.
Take the opportunity to model vocabulary they are familiar with or can use across many contexts. Core (more, want, like), descriptive (hot, bright, scary, yummy) and action (go, look, make) words are perfect for talking about fireworks, costumes, lights, and sweets but can also be used all year long. By using these existing words, learners can express themselves more fluently and confidently, without the cognitive load of navigating unfamiliar or rarely-used vocabulary.
For example:
<ul>
<li class="cvGsUA direction-ltr align-start para-style-body">During Halloween, instead of adding “witch” or “pumpkin,” use words like look, funny, orange.</li>
<li class="cvGsUA direction-ltr align-start para-style-body">For Diwali, focus on light, bright, happy, family.</li>
<li class="cvGsUA direction-ltr align-start para-style-body">On Bonfire Night, words like loud, go, watch, hot can spark conversation.</li>
</ul>
This approach not only reinforces core vocabulary development but also encourages AAC users to generalise language across contexts, making their communication more robust and flexible. Seasonal events become opportunities to practice everyday language in exciting new settings and situations, rather than adding to work load for teachers and support staff as they spend time inputting words to AAC systems or making charts that are unlikely to be used again for another 12 months.
<a href="https://backend.acecentre.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/2.png"><img decoding="async" class="wp-image-111452 aligncenter" src="https://backend.acecentre.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/2-819x1024.png" alt="" width="190" height="238" srcset="https://backend.acecentre.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/2-819x1024.png 819w, https://backend.acecentre.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/2-240x300.png 240w, https://backend.acecentre.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/2-768x960.png 768w, https://backend.acecentre.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/2-640x800.png 640w, https://backend.acecentre.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/2-600x750.png 600w, https://backend.acecentre.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/2.png 1080w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 190px) 100vw, 190px" /></a>
Explore our downloadable <a href="https://acecentre.org.uk/resources/autumn_festivals">AAC in Action: Autumn Festivals resource pack</a>—packed with activity ideas and practical suggestions for modelling meaningful vocabulary. These resources are designed to inspire engaging, real-life communication opportunities that motivate learners to use their AAC systems with confidence.
Written by Tina Voizey, Information and Resources Manager at Ace Centre. She has over 30 years’ experience working with learners with complex disabilities, many of whom use AAC in all its forms. She has had a diverse career which has taken her from teaching in a classroom, to working for suppliers of symbol software and AAC solutions.

Autumn brings a flurry of festivities—Halloween, Diwali, Bonfire Night—it’s a perfect time for teachers and support staff to engage AAC users in rich, meaningful communication. But rather than adding a flood of seasonal-specific vocabulary to a learner’s AAC system, consider the power of focusing on core and familiar words already present in their communication app,…

AAC in Action: Autumn Festivals

Stir, Taste, Compare: Expand Language and Learning with  <a href="https://acecentre.org.uk/resources/tasty_traditions">AAC in Action: Tasty Traditions</a> 
Seasonal food traditions bring people together. They are familiar, motivating and full of shared experiences, which makes them powerful contexts for learning and communication.  Food activities don’t just support everyday interaction. They also provide rich opportunities to expand language beyond basic requests, helping AAC users develop descriptive, comparative and preference language, while naturally linking to curriculum areas such as Maths.
Our new resource, <a href="https://acecentre.org.uk/resources/tasty_traditions">AAC in Action: Tasty Traditions</a> explores how culturally linked food activities can be used to support deeper, more purposeful communication at home and in the classroom.
Moving beyond “more” and “that one” 
We can support our learners to use everyday core words alongside vocabulary that communicates what they think and feel. Cooking, baking and tasting create natural reasons to use:
<ul>
<li>descriptive words: soft, dry, sticky, thick, thin</li>
<li>preference language: best, favourite, least liked</li>
<li>comparative words: bigger, sweeter, softer, different</li>
</ul>
These words allow learners to share opinions, make choices and compare experiences, key communication skills across school, home and community life. And let’s face it, we all have strong opinions when it comes to food! Flavour, taste and texture give learners real and motivating reasons to comment rather than simply ask for something.
Cooking as a bridge to curriculum learning 
Taste tests, baking sessions and shared food activities also align beautifully with curriculum goals, particularly in maths. Within a single activity, learners may use vocabulary or be exposed to:
<ul>
<li>number words: one, two, more, less</li>
<li>quantity concepts: all, none, first, last</li>
<li>measurement and capacity: full, empty, half, bigger</li>
</ul>
For example, when learners compare pancakes or short bread biscuits, they can use their AAC systems to:
<ul>
<li>vote for a favourite</li>
<li>tally preferences</li>
<li>create simple pictograms or bar charts</li>
<li>discuss results using comparative language</li>
</ul>
These are meaningful maths activities, grounded in real experience, rather than abstract tasks. Tasty Traditions includes ideas such as turning peer feedback into data‑collection activities, helping learners connect communication, numeracy and topic work in a practical way.
Describing, comparing and choosing together 
Traditional celebrations across the British Isles — such as Burns Night, Pancake Day, St David’s Day and St Patrick’s Day — offer different foods and routines, but the language opportunities are strikingly similar.
Learners might:
<ul>
<li>compare textures of shortbread and soda bread</li>
<li>choose toppings for pancakes</li>
<li>decide which recipe is best or worst</li>
<li>comment on smell, taste and appearance</li>
</ul>
Because these activities are shared, learners are not communicating in isolation. They are interacting with peers and adults, taking turns, offering opinions and responding to others, all essential social communication skills.
Modelling rich language without pressure 
Expanding language doesn’t mean expecting learners to produce new words straight away. Adults play a key role by modelling descriptive, preference and comparative words during activities:  “This one is softer.” “I like this one best.” “That one is bigger than this.”
If an exact word isn’t available, approximate language still matters. For example, using “not like” to express “least favourite” still communicates meaning and keeps the interaction going. Thinking aloud while navigating an AAC system shows learners how to explore language, rather than waiting for the “right” word.
One activity, many learning outcomes 
A single cooking or tasting session can support:
<ul>
<li>expressive language development</li>
<li>social interaction and turn‑taking</li>
<li>maths concepts and data handling</li>
<li>confidence in sharing opinions</li>
</ul>
And because the language is linked to real experiences, learners are more likely to use it again in other contexts. That’s what makes activities like these so powerful, they don’t sit neatly in one subject area, and neither does communication.
Getting started with Tasty Traditions 
You don’t need complicated equipment or elaborate planning. Start small:
<ul>
<li>choose a simple, culturally linked recipe</li>
<li>decide which descriptive or comparative words to model</li>
<li>create opportunities for learners to choose, compare and comment</li>
</ul>
The worksheets in <a href="https://acecentre.org.uk/resources/tasty_traditions">AAC in Action: Tasty Traditions</a>  are designed to spark ideas and support flexible planning for different learners, settings and AAC systems.
Language that lasts beyond the kitchen 
Words like “best”, “different”, “bigger” and “least liked” don’t belong only in cooking lessons. They belong across the curriculum and in everyday life. By using seasonal food traditions as a context, we can help AAC users practise the kind of language that supports learning, relationships and self‑expression long after the last recipe is finished.
AAC in Action: Tasty Traditions is a free resource from the charity Ace Centre. Download it now from <a href="https://acecentre.org.uk/resources/tasty_traditions">https://acecentre.org.uk/resources/tasty_traditions </a>
 
Written by Meaghan Ebbage‑Taylor and Tina Voizey from Ace Centre 
Meaghan is a Senior AAC Consultant with over a decade of experience in mainstream and special education, supporting pupils with SLCN using paper‑based and electronic AAC, and is co‑author of <a href="https://acecentre.org.uk/blog/aac-and-aided-language-in-the-classroom-breaking-down-barriers-for-learners-with-speech-language-and-communication-needs">AAC and Aided Language in the Classroom</a>. Tina is Information and Resources Manager and brings over 30 years’ experience supporting learners with complex disabilities using AAC across education and beyond

Stir, Taste, Compare: Expand Language and Learning with AAC in Action: Tasty Traditions Seasonal food traditions bring people together. They are familiar, motivating and full of shared experiences, which makes them powerful contexts for learning and communication. Food activities don’t just support everyday interaction. They also provide rich opportunities to expand language beyond basic requests, helping AAC users develop…

AAC in Action: Stir, Taste, Compare!

Many of us start a new year thinking about improving ourselves physically, financially, spiritually, and/or professionally. While we can’t help you with the former, we’ve been working on a way to assist you with the latter!
It’s a big AAC and AT world with lots of new research, developments, strategies and products constantly being released. Or perhaps you’ve been working on something yourself and want to share it with others?
But where do you begin learning or sharing? Assistive technology, and even more so AAC, crosses several disciplines like computer science, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, education, and engineering, to name just a few making it difficult to know where to start.
There are endless resources that can help us keep up to date with the latest and greatest and connect with like-minded people; journals, magazines, forums, blogs and endless social media accounts, as well as local, national, international, virtual and live conferences. It can be a full-time job keeping up with it all!  Our colleague Will Wade, Research and Development Manager, has gathered a database of conferences and publications to help you get started. You can access the Google Sheet by clicking here: <a class="fui-Link ___m14voj0 f3rmtva f1ern45e f1deefiw f1n71otn f1q5o8ev f1h8hb77 f1vxd6vx f1ewtqcl fyind8e f1k6fduh f1w7gpdv fk6fouc fjoy568 figsok6 f1hu3pq6 f11qmguv f19f4twv f1tyq0we f1g0x7ka fhxju0i f1qch9an f1cnd47f fqv5qza f1vmzxwi f1o700av f13mvf36 f9n3di6 f1ids18y fygtlnl f1deo86v f12x56k7 f1iescvh ftqa4ok f50u1b5 fs3pq8b f1hghxdh f1tymzes f1x7u7e9 f1cmlufx f10aw75t fsle3fq" tabindex="-1" title="https://acecent.re/at-conferences" href="https://acecent.re/at-conferences" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-label="Link https://acecent.re/at-conferences">https://acecent.re/at-conferences</a>
It’s as up-to-date as it can be, and we’ll be adding to it as we learn about new events and journals, but we’d also appreciate your help!  You can add or update information about a conference or publication you’re involved with, have or plan to attend, or have caught wind of, by simply editing the spreadsheet yourself.
Note, we’ve created some rating scales to help people have a feel for the type of conference it might be. Some are more academically minded, some are really great at connecting with suppliers, and some are very practical The rating scales are 1-5 with 5 being the highest. For publications we have a reach and impact factor. Some journals publish an impact factor so we use that if that if we can – and reach is a feeling for how much professionals in the field follow the publication. Its not perfect but we hope it’s a broad indicator of its use in our field.
Want to update or add an event to the spreadsheet? <a href="https://bit.ly/3XmKNdR">Simply click here to fill in a form with details and we&#8217;ll update the spreadsheet as soon as we can.</a>

Many of us start a new year thinking about improving ourselves physically, financially, spiritually, and/or professionally. While we can’t help you with the former, we’ve been working on a way to assist you with the latter! It’s a big AAC and AT world with lots of new research, developments, strategies and products constantly being released.…

AAC & AT Conferences Calendar

We are excited to announce that the British Assistive Technology Scholarship is now accepting applications for the 2026 AT Scholar program.
Established in 2020, the AT Scholar program seeks out talented UK professionals working in the field of Assistive Technology (AT) and AAC, to allow them to experience the world’s top event in the field.  Established by Martin Littler FRSA, a co-founder of <a href="https://www.inclusive.com/uk/">Inclusive Technology</a>, who has championed AT Scholars’ attendance at ATIA to learn and share AT and AAC knowledge and skills on the international stage.
In 2026, as in previous years, AT Scholars will get the opportunity to attend the <a href="https://www.atia.org/conference/">Assistive Technology Industry Associate (ATIA) Conference</a> held the January 29-31, 2026, in Orlando, Florida in person and online. The scholarship funds the travel, accommodation and conference fees to attend ATIA and there will be a minimum expectation of AT Scholars to report their findings and share their experiences. Click <a href="https://acecentre.org.uk/at-scholar">here</a> to read reports from previous scholarship winners.
We look forward to working with a talented judging panel representing AT and AAC organisations from all over the UK including <a href="https://www.communicationmatters.org.uk/">Communication Matters (CM)</a>, <a href="https://www.inclusive.com/uk/">Inclusive Technology</a>, <a href="https://cenmac.com/">CENMAC</a>, <a href="https://www.bataonline.org/">the British Assistive Technology Association (BATA),</a> and the <a href="https://www.policyconnect.org.uk/appgat">All Party Parliamentary Group for Assistive Technology (APPGAT).</a> With their help we plan to further develop the AT Scholar scheme, to raise the profile of the excellent practice in the UK and to facilitate professional networks across the World.
Applications for AT Scholars 2026 are now open. We welcome UK based professionals to apply by midnight on the 25th July 2025. Successful applicants will be notified by early-September.
<h3><a href="https://forms.office.com/e/Qn65VXYZc9">Click here to fill in an application form.</a></h3>
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<figure id="attachment_110846" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://backend.acecentre.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/AT-Scholars-25.jpg"><img decoding="async" class="wp-image-110846 " src="https://backend.acecentre.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/AT-Scholars-25.jpg" alt="Fil McIntyre (left) and Claire Harrison (right) pictured standing under large silver foil balloons that say ATIA" width="650" height="476" /></a><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">AT Scholars 2025. Fil McIntyre (left) and Claire Harrison (right)</figcaption></figure>
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<figure id="attachment_110878" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://backend.acecentre.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/APPGAT-AT-Scholars.jpg"><img decoding="async" class="wp-image-110878 " src="https://backend.acecentre.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/APPGAT-AT-Scholars.jpg" alt="" width="649" height="865" /></a><figcaption class="wp-caption-text">AT Scholars (from left to right) Mary Lavender &#8217;24, Fil McIntyre &#8217;25 and Robert McLaren &#8217;23 at the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Assistive Technology Spring Reception at Portcullis House, Westminster 8th May 2025.</figcaption></figure>
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We are excited to announce that the British Assistive Technology Scholarship is now accepting applications for the 2026 AT Scholar program. Established in 2020, the AT Scholar program seeks out talented UK professionals working in the field of Assistive Technology (AT) and AAC, to allow them to experience the world’s top event in the field. …

2026 Applications Open!

This is a page you shouldn&#8217;t ever see

Communication Works 2026

Communication Works 2025

Communication Works 2024

Getting Started with Modelling

Cooking

AAC in the Classroom

A Guide to Writing an Effective AAC Policy in Education Settings

AAC in Action: Tasty Traditions

<div>A practical resource showing how food‑based activities linked to cultural celebrations from around the British Isles (Burns Night, Pancake Day, St. David&#8217;s Day and St. Patrick&#8217;s Day) can support richer AAC use, including descriptive, comparative, preference and maths‑related language. It offers simple ideas to help learners share opinions, make comparisons and take part in meaningful, curriculum‑linked communication at home and in the classroom.</div>
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Colours

A practical resource that provides activity and modelling ideas to support AAC users during the autumnal celebrations of Halloween, Diwali, and Bonfire Night. By focusing on core, descriptive, and action words already present in AAC systems, the resource promotes spontaneous communication, language generalisation, and reduces the need for adding rarely used, event-specific vocabulary
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Core

Getting Started with Core Words

Simon Says... Sing a Carol!

Elf on the Shelf

Read this <a href="https://backend.acecentre.org.uk/news/deck-the-halls-with-core-words/">blog post to learn more about using core words</a> during the festive seasons.

AAC in Action: Festive Season

A practical resource that provides activity and modelling ideas to support AAC users during the festive celebrations of Christmas and Hanukkah. By focusing on core words already present in AAC systems, the resource promotes spontaneous communication, language generalisation, and reduces the need for adding rarely used, event-specific vocabulary
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Getting Started with Yes/No

Easter Egg Hunt

A 30 location symbol chart to support communication when baking or cooking up your favourite treats in the run up to a special event &#8230; or any day of the year!
This download includes an information sheet to help you get started and charts with Widgit, PCS and High Contrast symbols.

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