Communicating with CommuniKate

December 10, 2014 by - Leave your thoughts

Communicating with CommuniKate

We’ve talked a lot about innovative communication displays and today we’re going to highlight a recently released one. I was delighted to hear about CommuniKate from Dr. Joe Reddington, who blogs at joereddington.com. Joe is a principal of White Water Writers, a project that trains teachers and youth leaders to run inspiration literacy camps, and works toward a world where all children can hold books they have written. He researches ethical issues around power and control in the context of communication disability, and produces open datasets for AT provision, among other things. In this post, Joe introduces us to CommuniKate.  CommuniKate 20 is a socially focused page set designed exclusively for people who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). It was designed so that it could be easily used in conjunction with a low-tech communication book and as a progression from a book to a dynamic display device. It covers core vocabulary and... [Read More...]

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Research Tuesday: AAC and Challenging Behavior

December 9, 2014 by - Leave your thoughts

Research Tuesday: AAC and Challenging Behavior

Research reviews are helpful tools for SLPs looking to implement evidence-based practices in their clinical work. In this month’s Research Tuesday post, we look at the work of Drs. Virginia Walker and Martha Snell, who conducted a meta-analysis to look at the relationship between challenging behaviors and AAC interventions. They looked at 54 different research studies with a total of 111 children and adults with AAC needs. They conducted both analytical and descriptive analyses. The research studies included participants at the emerging, prelinguistic, and multi-word levels of communication. Challenging behaviors were codes as distracting, disruptive, and/or destructive. Effect sizes were calculated using the Non-overlap of All Pairs method. Among their findings: AAC interventions reduce challenging behavior across a wide range of participants, including children and adults with a variety of developmental disabilities. AAC interventions were more effective with children (12 and under) than they were with adults (18 years and... [Read More...]

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Taking AACtion

December 4, 2014 by - 1 Comment

Taking AACtion

Communication is a birthright. No agency or person should be permitted to restrict someone’s access to expression or dictate how communication should occur. Computerized functions for creating messages, emails, and texts are literally lifesaving for people like Mike. Please lend your support by telling CMS how important these things are before Saturday, December 6. You can learn more about the issues from our previous post and visit the public comment section to add your voice here. Thanks to Michael Phillips and the Florida Alliance for Assistive Services and Technology for this helpful video.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oi1mK4RqjQ&feature=youtu.be

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Call for Action: Public Comments on AAC Device Funding

December 2, 2014 by - Leave your thoughts

Call for Action: Public Comments on AAC Device Funding

Chances are that most of our US-based SLPs have heard about the funding challenges with Medicare. We now have only a few more days to make our voices heard to support clients with AAC needs. If you haven’t already submitted public comment, please take the time to help in these advocacy efforts. Medicare (CMS) currently is reconsidering its National Coverage Decision (NCD) for Speech Generating Devices (SGDs).  As part of that process, CMS will allow interested members of the public to submit comments about future Medicare SGD coverage until December 6, 2014.  The information that follows was prepared by the Medicare Implementation Team, an ad hoc group of AAC clinicians, researchers, advocates, educators, manufacturers, etc., many of whom worked on the 2001 NCD. FOLLOW THESE 5 SIMPLE STEPS TO SUBMIT A COMMENT TO CMS. 1. Review the 8 PROPOSED COMMENT AREAS below that are critical to include in a revised NCD for... [Read More...]

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Five Resources for Making and Using Visual Scene Displays

December 1, 2014 by - Leave your thoughts

We’re all so accustomed to seeing grid-based displays that sometimes we have to make a concerted effort to consider other options. Visual scene displays (VSDs) are a great option for some clients with AAC needs. Here are some resources that may be helpful if you’re considering using them with one of your prAACtical friends. Visual Scene Manual by Drs. Kristy Weissling and David Beukelman Visual Scene Templates for communication books Augmentative Communication News issue on VSD’s Jane Farrall’s SlideShare presentation on VSD’s Visual Scene Display webcast

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