“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, [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
In my years of experience in the schools, I’ve often heard the frustration from families that as soon as the entire team is “up to speed” on the use of the device and implementation strategies, a new person joins the team or a change of teacher/staffing occurs. Parents report feeling the constant need to update [...]
I would like to share with you a story about something that happened to me at a Christmas Eve party that I attended. I think that most AAC users can relate to this in one way or another. My family and I were running a little late to get to the restaurant where the party [...]
As you may know, vocabulary in DynaVox devices is based on age range. We have “Users” for Young Children (2-6), Children (7-13), Teens (14-21), Young Adults (22-50) and Adults (50+). These age ranges are not arbitrary. They are based on research and observation as to when changes occur in what people talk about, the words [...]
Whether it is the cell phone with no service or the GPS that can’t find a route, we can find ourselves making this statement. The same can be said for high-tech AAC, which makes backing up your system a critical part of maintenance.
I was working with a pALS that was pastor at a local church. [...]
“Where there is much desire to learn, there of necessity will be much arguing.” ~ James Milton
Arguing is a communicative function that we all practice at one time or another with varying degrees of intensity and in a variety of places. I joke that some families (not mine, of course!) can argue anywhere – in [...]
One of our DynaVox friends and customer, Evan, has recently started to do something using his DynaVox V that he wasn’t doing before – connecting with friends, family, and teachers via email!
Evan’s team has been working on writing and literacy goals with him, as well as working to support his social connections and needs in [...]
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