If you work with children with autism, developmental delays, or complex communication needs, this episode is a must-listen.

Today, we’re talking about cerebral visual impairment, or CVI, and why it may be one of the most overlooked reasons children struggle with communication, attention, social interaction, AAC use, and motor-based learning.

This episode is not about whether a child can see an item on an eye chart. It is about how the brain processes visual information and how that affects language, participation, and learning.

In this episode, I share 10 practical strategies from the literature that speech-language pathologists and speech-language pathology assistants can use right now to better support children with visual processing challenges. We discuss why reducing clutter matters, how to make materials more visually accessible, why movement activates learning, and how active task-based therapy can improve visual-motor integration.

You’ll learn:

• Why is cortical visual impairment increasingly referred to as cerebral visual impairment
• How CVI affects communication and social development
• What visual complexity does to learning
• Why movement is critical for visual engagement
• How to adjust therapy and AAC supports for better outcomes

Join the SIS Membership for ready-to-use literacy-based, movement-based activities that help you put these ideas into practice right away:
https://www.kellyvess.com/sis

Featured article:
Wilkinson, K. M., Elko, L. R., Elko, E., McCarty, T. V., Sowers, D. J., Blackstone, S., & Roman-Lantzy, C. (2023). An evidence-based approach to augmentative and alternative communication design for individuals with cortical visual impairment. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 32, 1939–1960. https://doi.org/10.1044/2023_AJSLP-22-00397

Thank you for being with me at today’s intervention drawing board for a better tomorrow,💚Kelly

Many clinicians are told there is a right way to prompt AAC users.

You may have heard that you should always use least-to-most prompting. Others insist most-to-least prompting is best.

But what does the research actually say?

In this episode, we look at findings from a scoping review of 29 AAC intervention studies examining the prompting strategies used with children with autism who use speech-generating devices.

Here’s the surprising truth:

The research does not show that one prompting hierarchy is universally superior.

Instead, effective AAC intervention is multimodal, flexible, and individualized. Successful clinicians use a toolbox approach, drawing from multiple evidence-based strategies depending on the child in front of them.

In this episode, I walk you through a DTTC-inspired prompting hierarchy adapted for AAC that moves children from high levels of support toward full independence.

I also share a real therapy example from this week using a St. Patrick’s Day literacy activity with a puppet and AAC device, so you can see exactly how this process works in practice.

This is not a theory. This is something you can try tomorrow. Why This Matters for AAC Intervention?

Children with autism are developing across multiple domains simultaneously:

• language
• motor planning
• executive function
• symbolic representation
• social interaction

Because autism is multifaceted, intervention cannot rely on a single rigid strategy.

The most effective clinicians adopt an “all of the above” mindset and use prompting dynamically depending on:

• the child
• the task
• the novelty of vocabulary
• the motor planning demands
• the learning context

This episode will show you how to do exactly that.

Want Ready-to-Use Activities That Apply This Framework?

Inside the SIS Membership, I provide ready-to-use activities designed specifically for:

• AAC users
• speech sound disorders
• language development
• motor planning
• executive function

Every week, you receive literacy-based movement activities that allow you to apply frameworks like the DTTC-for-AAC hierarchy immediately with the children on your caseload.

These activities are designed to address multiple developmental domains simultaneously while keeping therapy engaging and efficient.

You also get access to the Speech-Language Treatment Target Library, giving you structured targets across speech, language, AAC, and literacy.

Instead of spending hours planning therapy, you can walk into your session with activities that are already designed to produce meaningful communication gains.

Start Using DTTC for AAC Today

If you want structured activities that help you implement these strategies immediately:

👉 Join the SIS Membership today
https://www.kellyvess.com/sis

You’ll receive:

• weekly ready-to-use therapy activities
• weekly Google Slides Deck
• treatment target library
• practical strategies you can implement tomorrow

Because when we reduce clinician workload and increase engagement, every child wins.

Feeling overwhelmed by a caseload that includes autism, childhood apraxia of speech, developmental language disorder, articulation, fluency, and AAC users… all back-to-back?

You are not alone.

Many speech-language pathologists walk into therapy sessions with a stack of different activities for every child. One game for articulation. Another for language. Another for fluency. Another for AAC.

Before long, therapy starts to feel like running a fast-food counter.

Quick activities. Separate goals. Limited impact.

But what if you could run one powerful therapy routine that works for every child on your caseload?

In this episode of The Preschool SLP Podcast, Kelly Vess shares the five-step therapy routine she uses every single day to deliver educationally rich, engaging sessions that treat the whole child while producing powerful gains across:

• Speech sound production
• Language development
• Literacy skills
• AAC use
• Executive function
• Motor planning and coordination

Instead of pulling ten different activities from behind the therapy table, this routine uses one structured activity and simply changes the treatment target to match each child’s goals.

Built on principles from Universal Design for Learning, motor learning, and executive function research, this approach allows clinicians to work smarter, not harder.

You will learn:

• The five predictable therapy steps Kelly uses with every child
• How to use one activity to treat speech, language, AAC, literacy, and fluency
• Why predictable routines help children feel safe, regulated, and ready to learn
• How task-oriented movement improves executive function and engagement
• Why treating the whole child instead of just the mouth produces stronger outcomes

When therapy is predictable, engaging, and multimodal, both the clinician and the child can be fully present.

And that is when the magic happens.

Join the SIS Membership

If you love practical therapy frameworks like this, the SIS Membership was built for you.

Each week inside SIS you receive:

• Ready-to-use movement-based therapy activities
• Powerful complex speech and language treatment targets
• A growing treatment target library you can use with any caseload
• A full literacy, language, and movement Google Slides deck for therapy, classrooms, or teletherapy

Everything is designed to help busy SLPs deliver high-impact therapy without spending hours planning.

Many members prep their entire week of therapy in less than one hour.

Join today and receive the entire Treatment Target Library immediately.

Visit:
https://www.kellyvess.com/sis

Work smarter.
Treat the whole child.
Create meaningful gains.

💚 Kelly Vess
The Preschool SLP Podcast