Tag Archive: eye gaze

Video of the Week: Raising a Child Who Uses Eye Gaze AAC Technology

January 9, 2019 by - Leave your thoughts

Video of the Week: Raising a Child Who Uses Eye Gaze AAC Technology

What is it like to raise a child who uses eye gaze technology to communicate?  In today’s post, we learn from Rebecca and her daughter Marlee, who discussed their experiences at the 2018 ISAAC Conference. Many thanks to Rebecca, Marlee, and the team at Tobii Dynavox for making this video of their session available. Direct Link to Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGJvssiAjkQ

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PrAACtical Resources: Downloadable AAC Posters

February 13, 2017 by - 2 Comments

PrAACtical Resources: Downloadable AAC Posters

Looking for some additional AAC-related resources?  CALL Scotland has some wonderful resources that can be displayed as posters, and/or used as handouts for meetings/trainings (click here). Here’s a sampling of what you’ll find.   And don’t miss this interactive flyer that takes you to PowerPoint books.  ‘Thanks to the wonderful team at CALL Scotland for making and sharing these terrific resources.

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PrAACtical Resources: Developing Touchscreen, Switch and Eye Gaze Skills

January 19, 2017 by - Leave your thoughts

PrAACtical Resources: Developing Touchscreen, Switch and Eye Gaze Skills

As a speech-language pathologist, most of my attention goes to strategies for building language and communication, but there is, of course, much more to AAC. The Independent Living Centre Western Australia (ILC)  has a wonderful set of resources that focus on the operational aspects of AAC, a critical area for many individuals with complex communication needs. This is a great site to check out for ‘how-to’ information on how to help AAC users develop skills with direct selection (eye gaze, touch screen) and scanning. Many thanks to ILC and the Unlocking Abilities Project for making these available.  

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AAC Assessment Corner with Vicki Clarke: The Eyes Have It-Assessment Considerations for High Tech Eye Gaze Access

May 5, 2016 by - 11 Comments

AAC assessment is an area that most professionals struggle with for one reason or another. I am so grateful to Vicki Clarke for returning to share her thoughts on the prAACticalities of conducting these evaluations. If you are looking for tips on assessing someone who needs high tech eye gaze AAC, this post is for you. For other posts authored by Vicki, click here. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: The Eyes Have It:  Assessment Considerations for High Tech Eye Gaze Access Eye gaze control for AAC device access is a hallmark technological achievement in the world of speech generating devices.  For people with significant motor challenges we are no longer limited to scanning as our one choice for AAC access.  AAC Specialists have been using light tech eye gaze boards and PVC pipe frames with these friends for years, but now we are able to offer voice output. Eye gaze is for a much... [Read More...]

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PrAACtically Reading with Karen Natoci: Are You My Mother?

February 15, 2016 by - Leave your thoughts

PrAACtically Reading with Karen Natoci: Are You My Mother?

We get many requests to do more posts on providing AAC supports to children who use alternative access. Karen Natoci must have read my mind when she wrote this month’s PrAACtically Reading post because she gave us lots of ideas for shared reading with a child who is learning to use eye gaze for communication. The book that she chose is a P.D. Eastman classic that many of us remember from our own childhoods. Happy reading! Shared Reading Using Eye Gaze Book: Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman CORE Words to practice using: you, want, where, look, more, no, go, like, oh no! mine FRINGE Words to practice using: Animal names, mother, snort!! I am happy to share this lesson plan to describe the integration of early eye gaze and switch use to foster engagement while reading the delightful book, Are you My Mother? (authored by P.D. Eastman). Today, I chose... [Read More...]

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Video of the Week: Communication Through Eye Pointing

June 17, 2015 by - Leave your thoughts

Video of the Week: Communication Through Eye Pointing

When people have significant motor impairments, finding a sustainable way for them to select and convey messages is a challenging task. This week, we turn to the ALS Association of Iowa for two wonderful videos on how to use ‘no tech’ eye gaze boards for communication. Direct Links to Videos Etran https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLkpRbUQzVo Eye Link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHyXCcS38XM

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The Faces of AAC: Gretchen and Zach

October 16, 2014 by - Leave your thoughts

The Faces of AAC: Gretchen and Zach

From Bielsko, Poland, to Denver, USA, we are continuing to share the Faces of AAC. Today, we meet SLP Gretchen Storm, who works in the public school system and has a private practice. Gretchen enjoys collaborating with parents, children, teachers, other healthcare providers, siblings and peers in strategies and facilitating communication through speech generating devices. In this post, Gretchen introduces us to Zach. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Zach is an 11 year old who uses a Tobii I-12 eye gaze communication device to communicate. He previously used a switch scanning method on a VMax from Dynavox. Zach recently switched to an eye gaze device. Though he loves to use his arms and hands whenever possible, his motor control of them is not ideal for the consistent switch access needed for switch scanning. He was switched to an eye gaze system which could also serve as a switch scanning device if in the future he demonstrates improved... [Read More...]

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Watch It Wednesday: Eye Gaze Research

August 6, 2014 by - Leave your thoughts

Watch It Wednesday: Eye Gaze Research

Today, we’ll take a look at a collaborative effort by researchers at University College London (Department of Developmental Science), Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children (Neurodisability Service), and Barnsley Hospital. These researchers are investigating the eye gaze patterns of children with cerebral palsy who have little or no functional speech. Could tracking eye movements be a useful way to assess language skills? This is a line of research we will be watching. Direct Link: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/gaze

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AACtual Therapy with Shareka Bentham: Navigating Eye Gaze for Beginning Communicators

May 29, 2014 by - 6 Comments

Today, we welcome back Shareka Bentham, who has told us about her AAC adventures with the Harlem Shake, a field trip, and more. In this post, she shares her experiences in getting little ones started on the intentional use of eye gaze for communication. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: I think that most Speech & Language Therapists have those moments in therapy where they’re wondering “Am I doing the right thing here??” I have been feeling that way recently in my practice as I have been nudged into the world of using the head and eyes for communication.  I was (with extensive research) once able to use an eye gaze board quite successfully with an adult patient in the final stages of ALS, but I had never used such techniques in my paediatric clinic. However, I now have a few little ones on my caseload who have severe physical limitations, and are unable to... [Read More...]

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