“Do it yourself!” This statement is often heard in reference to school work as well as tasks related to school such as carrying your own backpack, putting your own coat away and gathering materials needed for a project or class.
While self-sufficiency is always important for students as we prepare them for life as independent adults, [...]
In my last blog, I introduced the idea of using eBooks to provide independent access to books for students with significant disabilities. eBooks are an electronic version of a printed book which can be read on a personal computer or hand-held device designed specifically for this purpose (Oxford Dictionary of English). eBooks can also be [...]
Appius Claudius, a Roman statesman said, “Each man is the architect of his own fate.” I find this statement to be true. At the end of my last blog I had mentioned about the man upstairs having a plan for me. Ever since I can remember, I wanted to work in healthcare. I always found [...]
I love Mexican food! Love it! Guacamole…salsa…beans…mole! You name it; I like it! A friend and I have been on a quest to find the best Mexican restaurant in our area. Since this isn’t a food blog and you probably don’t live in my area, I won’t share our initial results. It does bring up [...]
Sometimes, I have to just shake my head in amazement at the way people know each other so well that seemingly incomprehensible communication is understood.
One of my favorite examples of this came from a friend of mine. Her father was pumping gas while the rest of the family waited inside the car. He looked at [...]
During my junior and senior years of high school, I went half a day to school and half a day to the career center where I took computer programming and my English class. Due to the small class size, the same teacher, Ms. Tucker, taught both junior and senior level English courses. One day, I [...]
A number of years ago, I worked with a young adult I’ll call Frank. Frank had a traumatic brain injury about 10 years before I met him. He first came to see me because he was ready to look at voice-output communication devices. Until that time he had been using his speech (which was very [...]
Did you know that typically developing children from literate homes have heard their favorite stories 200 to 400 times (Adams, 1990)? For some students with significant disabilities, access to books can be challenging. Many students have difficulty manipulating books due to physical disabilities (ex., cerebral palsy) while others have difficulty accessing books due to sensory [...]
Recently, several Consumer Representatives for DynaVox, myself included, joined in our first online meeting using Adobe Connect. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Adobe Connect, it is the new flash power platform which allows businesses to hold web meetings, to conduct virtual classrooms and to give online presentations. As consumer representatives, this is [...]
I was talking with a group of SLPs last week and the subject of teaching AAC within daily activities came up. It may seem obvious and logical that we would introduce and teach AAC use to individuals with Autism within daily routines and activities. But several people in the discussion group were under the assumption [...]
Like most people with severe communication disorders, I hated going to doctors. I came home a basket case from their yelling at me as if I was deaf, or had no intelligence. Unfortunately, this lack of understanding comes from receiving little disability training in med school. In spite of the unawareness, my recent visits have [...]
A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of reconnecting with an old friend and becoming acquainted with her family. She has a 6-year-old with a very inquisitive nature. Frequently, she asked “what” we were saying, “why” something occurred, “when” and “where” we were going. She was curious not only about the schedule but about [...]
I finally made the move from Florida to my new home in Katy, Texas. The move itself wasn’t too bad, although it took us 19 hours to drive from Cape Coral, Florida to Texas. We stayed overnight for 1 night in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. We rented a U-Haul truck which one of my neighbors drove [...]
I received an email from Kristin Whitfield from DynaVox asking for my assistance with programming a client’s, DynaVox Vmax with EyeMax system. This got my creative juices flowing. Though it had been awhile since I have had everyday hands on experience with this specific device, I knew I could be of great assistance. It’s like [...]
Have you ever had a student use their device in a loud, crowded environment, and all of a sudden the volume you had set was just not loud enough? What about a scenario where the student enters a quiet study hall or work session, and the set volume is noticeably too loud?
I often observe teams [...]
All day I waited for the snow to start and, at 2:15 pm it started. Small flakes began to fall at first then slightly bigger. By 3:00 pm, it was blowing in healthy gusts in front of my window. It was then that the phone rang. I knew who it was before I even looked. [...]
Our body language can portray a message without words ever being spoken. For some individuals, the body language may be a simple folding of the arms, to portray defensiveness, a clasping of the arms, to display reverence, or a waving of the hands and arms to wave good-bye or hello.
There is one aspect of body language, [...]
Let’s face it, for the AAC population there is simply not enough knowledgeable people to help teach the individuals who use AAC. Distance and /or consulting in “the cloud” or over the internet is not new. In fact, several reports in ASHA journals and conference sessions report successful outcomes using the internet as a means [...]
Is it time to walk away? Yes, I really just asked that question! Perhaps you received your communication device, you are trying to master the device, its features, the vocabulary, or maybe you trying to learn how to integrate your email account into your device software…and then you hit a wall of frustration. This has [...]
I remember being in high school and wanting to be part of an after school activity for extra credit. Man it was hard finding something because for me sports were out, being a cheerleader was out, and a lot of other things were out because I couldn’t do them. I finally tried out for a [...]
A new school year is upon us. It is possible that you know a student who uses AAC that be transitioning to a new classroom or new school. You may have been aware of the changes that are coming and spent time late in the last school year preparing. Sometimes however, changes occur over the [...]
This statement seems a bit silly, doesn’t it?! Especially in the face of the piles of snow that kept many of us from even leaving our houses last winter. But…every year, I hear people say the same things about the winter weather.
“I’m just staying in until spring.”
“Can you believe this weather?”
“I am so ready for [...]
With the current state of the economy, people are forced to find ways to generate income, often times, having little or nothing to do with their chosen field of study. We, as AAC users, are no different. I am one of those people.
I have put a profile on the website Care.com, which links up nannies [...]
I was talking with a group of school-based speech pathologists this week about goal-writing for students who use AAC. Every one of them gave examples of the kinds of goals they write, and we noticed something: All the goals were for linguistic skills.
By linguistic skills I mean the skills involved in choosing and creating messages. [...]
Dictionary.reference.com begins its definition of communication as follows: the imparting or interchange of thoughts, opinions, or information.
Many of us who know and work with individuals with Autism often think of communication in a much more limited way, and may ask the question, “ Does the individual have adequate communication skills to get wants and needs [...]
I love writing! My passion for it can be seen in my blogs as well as my autobiography, More Than a Watchmaker, and my devotional book, Psalms of Praises. Both books were written before I received my original DynaVox. However, my blogs are now written with my DynaVox Maestro, and I can see a significant [...]
This morning I received an email from a local SLP that indicated I should give her a call – she had exciting news to share! Once we connected, she told me that her 8th grade student has had a major breakthrough in using his DynaVox Xpress device. In the past few weeks the team has [...]
We are in a constant state of reflection, whether it was in grade school getting a report card, or as an adult having an annual performance review, we take the time to evaluate our areas of strength and areas that could use improvement. We are constantly looking back, making adjustments, and moving forward as the [...]
With all the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, it is difficult to remember the priorities we set for ourselves. The daily routines of work, school, or other activities can easily distract us from achieving our goals. One must not forget that all of these activities are pieces of the big picture. They are [...]
A study in 2007 found that both men and women say about 16,000 words per day (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11762186). That is a lot of words!
For many AAC users, saying 16,000 words each day might seem impossible—especially when we struggle to find 4 or 5 times each day when they can use their device. And yet, increasing communication [...]
The other day we were out to eat with some friends. A young lady came up to the
table and began asking me about the machine that I was using. I told her about
the DynaVox V and explained that I had a brain aneurysm which left me unable to
speak. She then proceeded to tell me about [...]
While I am not expert on this subject I have used this concept for one student, a young boy using an AAC device. I consulted with his therapist via Skype. This is not for everyone, but it worked in this particular situation. I could have conversations with the student and see where language and communication [...]
We have all seen the benefits of visual supports for individuals with autism spectrum disorders. We use visual supports to help individuals understand and anticipate the events of the day, follow rules, make choices, understand and follow the steps of a job or an activity, and manage behavior. Visual supports may incorporate photographs, objects, Picture [...]
I’m 46 years old and would love to think I know a lot. It’s 2011 so all elevators should be brought to code, automatic doors should have electronic eyes so they won’t shut on people, and buses should announce every stop so a disabled person can know where they need to get off. If you [...]
Quickfires have been described with the catch phrase “Big Impact! Little Words!” in a downloadable introductory video on the Implementation Toolkit – http://www.dynavoxtech.com/training/toolkit/details.aspx?id=366. The word, “wait” is no different. It is a little word with a lot of power which you will find it in Quickfires.
V, V+, Vmax, Vmax+, Maestro – Young Adult, Adult and [...]
With the way things are in Washington, it’s a wonder anything productive gets done at all. It is very easy to get caught up in one’s own ideologies and forget the bigger picture. We, as AAC users, view the world from a different perspective and often have the ability to compromise where compromise seems unlikely [...]
Many students with complex communication needs use symbol schedules at school, and benefit from the support that these schedules offer for understanding, planning for, and managing the events of the day. Have you ever thought about having some schedules ready for unexpected, rarely occurring, or difficult situations? It is truly counter-intuitive, I know, because we [...]
In my last blog, I wrote about taking a moment to reflect on your areas of strength and areas for improvement. I wanted to use this opportunity to take a moment and reflect on the topics we have covered and to ask you what topics you would like to see.
We have talked about tools and [...]
Those of us who were born with a disability or have had one since shortly after birth don’t think that anything is wrong with us. We perceive that we are normal and everybody else is not. In our tender years, we believed that able-bodied people were the weird guys.
When growing up, I had two sets [...]
What are some exciting ways you’ve used teams in your classroom? I talked to a teacher in the Pittsburgh area last week who recounted a parent calling him to indicate that his son, Jimmy, a student in the gifted program, was not getting enough enrichment opportunities in their social studies curriculum. The teacher promised to [...]
Every January 1st, I set out to make resolutions for the upcoming year. But why not create resolutions for the new school year? When working with students who use AAC devices, it is often a challenge to juggle everything you need to do to support their communication and learning. I’ve tried to come up with [...]
There was a strand recently on a listserve in which a question was asked as to the appropriateness of peers using an individual student’s AAC device. This is a very appropriate and important question.
It seems to me that this question may have arisen from hearing about a technique known as Partner Augmented Input (PAI) or [...]
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