I’ve learned many “more or less” statements throughout my lifetime. From Weight Watchers, I learned to Move more – Eat less. From my dog, I learned to Wag more – Bark less. From my mother, I learned to Smile more – Frown less. I would have to say that I have learned the most “more [...]
Last week I visited with a school and met a DynaVox Xpress user, Anthony. He has used his device for several months, and has opened up to peers and teachers by sharing personal photographs and stories during the school day. When I saw his device, I realized that the photo pages that come ready to [...]
We hear about people who can “think outside the box,” and we are in awe of their creativity and innovation. There are teachers and clinicians in school settings today who are world class champions of thinking beyond limitations and who take AAC in the classroom to a place that is certainly beyond the box. See [...]
In the classroom that I am currently consulting in, the children all have severe and multiple impairments, and while all are beginning communicators they have varied levels of cognitive experience. The classroom’s focus this year and hopefully for years to come is communication and literacy, thus my presence. While in my own teaching I talk [...]
If you suddenly realized there was a fire and you only had enough time to grab one thing, what would it be?
Brian’s school team recently told me about a situation at school that gave him a chance to consider that question. In the middle of the school day, the fire alarm sounded for an unannounced [...]
When I was little, we didn’t have access to the camcorder that so many people have today. We had tape recorders. These magical little devices provided hours of fun as we audio taped ourselves conducting interviews with our versions of real people (e.g., Joe Namath, various Presidents, Beethoven) as well as people we’d made up. [...]
We all know an individual with autism who has a special interest, fascination, or “enthusiasm.” I know a 6-year-old who loves all things dinosaur, a 5-year-old who likes strings, and an 8-year-old who is into lights. Speaking youngsters with Autism often talk about their special interest topic, and savvy communication partners can use this interest [...]
Once upon a time, I knew a student – we will call him Steven. He had eyes and a smile that would brighten up any room. Steven was about 8 years old when I first met him. He had cerebral palsy and access to anything (e.g., toys, communication devices, curriculum, computers, etc.) was physically difficult [...]
Jacob is a DynaVox V user who is always on the go. His favorite and most motivating activity is participating in the Miracle League softball team in his hometown. With this program, each player is paired with a “buddy” helper from the community. Jacob was recently so excited to share his new communication device with [...]
I love meeting people, new people or people I have known for years, I always find something to chat about. Increasingly over the last few years I have chatted with people in new and different ways. My ways of keeping in touch now include Twitter and Facebook as well as email, phone and, of course, [...]
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