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. [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Whether we are on Facebook or Twitter, many of us have caught the social media bug. It is a way to stay in touch with family and friends who live far away or reconnect with people from our past. We can even use social media to keep up with the latest news and trends. A [...]
I was visiting a school recently when the teacher asked me about ways for her student to use his DynaVox Maestro to communicate in the curriculum during a foreign language “exposure” class her third grade students were taking. She was concerned that it might be confusing to her student if she made different symbols or [...]
Do you know anyone who uses core word strategy (e.g., Gateway, WordPower or Core Words) or keyboard frequently for communication? Have you ever noticed that it can take awhile for them to complete and produce their message? I have.
The problem I have noticed with this is that these students often lose the attention of their [...]
With all of the hustle-bustle that happens in a typical classroom, it may be easy to become distracted while trying to keep organized in the midst of chaos. While it is often difficult to find the time, ongoing staff training is necessary to ensure that you are supporting successful AAC device use by your students. [...]
I love a good turn of phrase or clever use of language. “Admiring the problem” became one of my favorites when I heard it from a former supervisor.
What is “admiring the problem?” Here is an example.
Your car tire is flat so you stand around looking at it for awhile then you gather other people to [...]
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