Heather Roach, AAC Experience

This is PODD. Part 1.

She was three years old and we were using a 12 expanded functions Pragmatic Organization Dynamic Display (PODD) partner-assisted visual scan (PAVS) book to look for animals together. I’m modeling or narrating what we’re searching for, moving through the book, showing her how it works.

At this point we were working on accept and reject movements by modeling them, but she didn’t have anything consistent yet. We were watching every tiny movement, wondering what meant something and what didn’t. You’ll notice her starting to lean forward in this video. We didn’t know it yet, but that lean was the beginning of her yes. And honestly, depending on her body, consistency isn’t always guaranteed even now. This is part of why verbal referencing has been so important throughout her life. By naming what we see out loud, she can access a range of movements and her communication partners learn to recognize all of them. It’s not about having one perfect movement. It’s about building a system that works with her body wherever it is that day.

We didn’t have it all figured out. We were in the thick of it, doing the next right thing and hoping it was adding up to something. And yes, at the time we did add unicorn and alicorn to the animal list.

It was.

I’ve recently started sharing more of our personal journey because she’s old enough now to have more say in what I share and because I know how lonely and uncertain those early years can feel. If you’re watching this and your child doesn’t have consistent movements yet, or you’re not sure if what you’re doing is working, keep going. Model anyway. Watch anyway. It matters even when you can’t see it yet.

This is the first in a series of videos sharing what our PODD journey has looked like from the beginning. If there’s something specific you want to see or a question you want answered, drop it in the comments. 🤍

My camera roll is full. 🤍

Except it’s not videos I can delete. It’s her learning to walk independently. It’s equine therapy, gait trainers, core words hooked to the wall, partner assisted scanning, and a PODD (Pragmatic Organization Dynamic Display) book that finally gave her a voice that matches everything she has always had to say. It’s thousands of moments that looked small from the outside and meant everything to us.

She has worked so hard. We have worked so hard. And every single video is proof. This is the behind the scenes of a kid who is thriving. It’s beautiful and it’s hard and it’s worth it.

As a consultant I talk a lot about the process - the systems, the strategies, the implementation. But behind all of it is a kid who shows up every single day and earns every milestone. My daughter is the reason I do this work, and these videos are the reason I will never stop.

Delete nothing. She earned every single one. 💙

If this journey resonates with you or you’re in the thick of your own, I’d love to support your family or team. Send me a DM or visit the link in my bio.

That’s a wrap on elementary school!

The end of the year brings so many emotions, and for most families it’s a rush of excitement with field trips, celebrations, end-of-year events. We get all of that too. But there’s also the quiet (and not-so-quiet) advocacy happening in the background.

Will the field trip be inclusive? Is the elevator actually working? Did someone order the bus with the lift? Are services and supports still in place even as everyone’s energy starts to run low, including the people responsible for our kids?

For families like ours, the joy never stops. But neither does the work. All of the excitement lives right alongside the advocacy, the stress, the follow-up emails, and the wondering. And yet — moments like this one? This is my why.