In today’s featured video, Catherine Whitcher from Master IEP Coach shares some quick tips for writing IEPs that work to the benefit of students who use AAC. Take a look. Direct Link to Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8y5tqfHk10&ab_channel=MasterIEPCoach%C2%AE%2CSpecialEducationStrategies
Today we are revisiting posts on the topic of IEPs and how to best incorporate AAC and AT. Hope you find them helpful. Aided AAC & the IEP How I Do It: AAC in the IEP PrAACtical Resources: AT & the IEP AAC & the IEP: 5 Resources to Explore 5 Reasons to Put AAC Training for Staff and Parents into the IEP AAC in Secondary School: Centering AAC Users in the IEP Planning Process Part 1 Part 2 How I Do It: Writing IEP Goals for Students Who Use AAC with Lauren Enders
Students with disabilities rarely play an important role in developing and discussing the plan that guides their educational experiences, the IEP. That needs to change. Today, we’re delighted to welcome back AAC SLP Ashley Larisey to continue an important discussion on this topic. Ashley Larisey, an SLP at Community High School District 218 in Oak Lawn, Illinois, discusses ways to support students who use AAC as they prepare to transition out of school in the AAC in Secondary School series. Ashley, who is also an Adjunct Clinical Supervisor and Instructor at Saint Xavier University, has some prAACtical suggestions that are important for school teams, students who use AAC, their families, and school administrators. You can find Ashley’s first post on this topic here. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Centering AAC Users in the IEP Planning Process Part Two: Putting It into Action Last month, we discussed different strategies for including AAC users in the... [Read More...]
In theory, teenage students with disabilities should play an important role in developing their IEPs and in meetings to discuss them. In practice, this rarely occurs. Today, we’re addressing this important topic with another post in our series focusing on supporting students using AAC during their high school years. AAC SLP Ashley Larisey, an SLP at Community High School District 218 in Oak Lawn, Illinois, is here to discuss ways to support students who use AAC as they prepare to transition out of school. Ashley, who is also an Adjunct Clinical Supervisor and Instructor at Saint Xavier University, has some prAACtical suggestions that are important for school teams, students who use AAC, their families, and school administration. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Centering AAC Users in the IEP Process When supporting older students who use AAC and are quickly approaching adulthood, our Individualized Education Plans (IEPs), goal development, services, and progress monitoring will... [Read More...]
We’re reaching back into the archives today to spotlight some past posts. If you’re looking to tune up your IEP or data collection processes, these may be of interest. DATA COLLECTION Video: AAC Data Collection by Gail Van Tatenhove Data Collection for the Beginning AAC User: Essential Things to Measure to Expedite Progress 5 Things to Consider About Data Collection & AAC Realizing the Power of Data Logging THE IEP Aided AAC & the IEP How I Do It: AAC in the IEP PrAACtical Resources: AT & the IEP AAC & the IEP: 5 Resources to Explore 5 Reasons to Put AAC Training for Staff and Parents into the IEP How I Do It: Writing IEP Goals for Students Who Use AAC with Lauren Enders
Today we are looking back through the archives and revisiting posts on the topic of IEPs and how to best incorporate AAC and AT. Hope you find them helpful. Aided AAC & the IEP How I Do It: AAC in the IEP PrAACtical Resources: AT & the IEP AAC & the IEP: 5 Resources to Explore 5 Reasons to Put AAC Training for Staff and Parents into the IEP How I Do It: Writing IEP Goals for Students Who Use AAC with Lauren Enders
Last month, CoughDrop held the 2018 AAC in the Cloud conference, offering 3 tracks of presentations and online discussions with the presenters. I was thrilled to find this ‘meaty’ session by Amy Goldman, Technical Assistance Specialist and AAC SLP, at the National AT Act Technical Assistance and Training Center. Amy is a tireless advocate for AAC and has shared some of her work here in the area of emergency preparedness and on the activities of the NJC. In this video, she gives us a solid overview of the IEP as it relates to AAC and AT. There’s something to learn even if you’ve already done a lot of work around the topic of AAC and the IEP. Many thanks to CoughDrop for putting on another wonderful, online conference and offering it to the AAC community without charge, and to Amy for sharing such valuable information. Enjoy! Direct Link to video... [Read More...]
If you work in school settings and serve students with AAC needs, or if you have a school-aged child who uses AAC, today’s featured video is an important one for you. Lisa Lightner, parent, disability rights leader, and author of the popular blog A Day In Our Shoes, shares useful information of interest to families and professionals alike. The webinar was sponsored by the Center on Technology and Disability (CTD). Direct Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5spq37ooWRk&feature=push-u&attr_tag=ayID2iP5sKPBsTQX-6 Interested in this topic? Check out some of the other work by the CTD on AT in the IEP here. Kudos to the CTD and Lisa Lightner for creating this presentation and making it available to all.
Looking for information about how to incorporate AT into a student’s IEP? Today, we share a helpful guide, Assistive Technology and the IEP. Originally produced by the Family Center on Technology and Disability, this booklet has been republished by the Center on Technology and Disability. It provides a good overview of some of the important issues and is a great resource to share with families of students who use AAC. Click on the image below to review this guidebook.
It’s never too early to start thinking of ways to strengthen the IEP to better support students with AAC needs. Here are some resources that may be helpful. AAC in the IEP by Gail Van Tatenhove AAC Goals, IEP, and Beyond by Margaret Perkins Examples of IEP Goals with Communication Devices by Cara Batema and Sample AAC Goals by the Utah Speech and Hearing Association Writing IEP Goals for Authentic Communication for Children with Complex Communication Needs by Linda Burkhart Implementation in the Classroom by Amy Conover, Julie Packer, and Dan Mills What strategies have you found for building IEPs to support students’ development of AAC skills? We’d love to hear about them.