97 Search Results for atia
January 31, 2024
by Carole Zangari -
Today’s featured video, Finding Your Passion, will brighten your day. Karanveer Singh, winner of the 2024 Edwin and Esther Prentke AAC Distinguished Lecture Award, shared thoughts on finding your passion in this witty, insightful presentation. Many thanks to PRC Saltillo for sponsoring this important award and to ATIA for livestreaming this event from their conference in Orlando and making it available for the AAC community. Our appreciation and hearty congratulations to this year’s awardee, Karanveer Singh. Enjoy! Direct Link to Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWPiwPebPEI&ab_channel=ATIA
January 29, 2024
by Carole Zangari -
Although assistive technology and AAC have been included in US educational policy for decades, there hasn’t been a great deal of guidance for its implementation. Recently, at the ATIA 2024 Conference in Orlando, Glenna Wright-Gallo, Assistant Secretary in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), discussed some of the most recent updates and resources. You can view that recorded session, entitled Assistive Technology and IDEA: New Resources for Schools, Practitioners and Parents, below. Many thanks to ATIA for hosting and live-streaming this important session. You can also access their most recent AT “Dear Colleague Letter“ and a technical assistance document addressing common misconceptions:(“Myths and Facts Surrounding Assistive Technology Devices and Services”). You can also explore their AT and IDEA resource page. Direct link to video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49Zxug5a7uw&ab_channel=ATIA
September 18, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
In memory of Christine Wright-Ott (1951-2023), we are reprising her guest posts on the importance of effective mobility strategies for young AAC users. Christine was an Occupational Therapist and consultant at The Bridge School in Hillsborough California. She authored the chapter, Mobility, in several editions of the book, Occupational Therapy for Children. Christine lectured at universities and conferences including ATIA, Closing the Gap, ISAAC, ISS, and AAC by the Bay. From Wheelchair to Walker: The Cascading Benefit of Hands-Free Mobility How We Do It: AAC Strategies & Adaptations for Students in Support Walkers, Assessment & Funding From Wheelchair to Hands-free Walker for Preschool Children with AAC Needs How We Do It: A Support Walker Mobility Program for Elementary Students with AAC Needs We are grateful to Christine for her contributions to the AAC community and the powerful legacy she leaves behind.
September 6, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
Learning from AAC users and hearing the lived experiences of those who use AAC is a powerful and important experience. Today, we hear from Ashley Mohesky, winner of the 26th annual Edwin and Esther Prentke Distinguished Lecture Award. Ashley, a licensed mental health counselor who uses AAC, presented this lecture in Orlando at the 2023 ATIA Conference. We are grateful to Ashley for this session and to ATIA for hosting the presentation. Many thanks to PRC Saltillo for sponsoring this event each year, and to Gail Van Tatenhove for chairing the selection committee. Direct Link to Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGNQRbNXp2I&t=686s&ab_channel=ATIA
March 30, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
Twice a year, AAC and AT specialist Lauren Enders Gonzales works with a variety of AAC vendors to highlight the deep discounts that they offer each April and October. If you click on the graphic below, you’ll be able to download a version that has hyperlinks to each vendor. Many thanks to Lauren and all of the participating AAC vendors! You can download a screen reader-friendly version here. About the Contributor Lauren Enders, Gonzales MA, CCC-SLP is a licensed and ASHA certified Speech-Language Pathologist working as a school-based Augmentative and Alternative Communication and Assistive Technology (AT) Consultant for Bucks County Intermediate Unit in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. She has had a passion for using AAC and other forms of assistive technology to support students with complex communication needs and complex bodies since she began her career in 1995. Lauren presents regularly at national conferences, including Closing the Gap, ATIA,... [Read More...]
February 5, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. Here are some posts you may have missed. Monday – AAC at ATIA 2023: Presentations to Get Excited About Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Challenging False Beliefs About AAC Use Thursday – Throwback Thursday: AAC-friendly Valentine’s Day Resources Friday – PráctiCAAmente Conectados: CAA Con Links Febrero 2023 Have a few more minutes for AAC browsing? Check out these posts from our AAC archives. 5 Ways to Use Books to Build Interaction with AAC Learners Alphabet Books and AAC Implementation Calendar Time & Weather Report, AAC Style Using Adapted Books with AAC Learners: 3 Important Questions to Ask
June 27, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
With our academic year behind us, we have the opportunity to hear and learn from those who teach AAC to future professionals. In today’s post, Vicki Haddix returns to share a student’s unique perspective on an AAC assignment. Vicki is an AAC SLP and a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Memphis. You can read other posts by Vicki here. Watch for her interview with Rachel Madel on an upcoming episode of the Talking with Tech podcast. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: I’ve written in the past about some of my students’ final projects for the AAC class, but I wanted to specifically share something a little different this time. About halfway through the semester-long class, the students get an assignment requiring them to create a communication board to use themselves during a regular activity. This assignment comes after we’ve talked about the different ways to organize vocabulary and they’ve had a few chances... [Read More...]
April 7, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
We’re ending the week with some wonderful resources shared by AAC expert, Lauren Enders. In her continuation of the Goal Writing series, she reviews some important tools that can help in determining which skills to target when writing goals for AAC learners. You can see other posts in this series using the links below. AAC Goal Writing with Lauren Enders 5 Common Challenges Laying a Solid Foundation :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: In the first post of this series, you learned that you are in good company if you find AAC goal writing to be intimidating. Thankfully, you were also assured that despite the learning curve, you CAN write meaningful goals for AAC learners given the right tips, tools, and guidance. In the second post, you learned how the Four Communicative Competencies (Linguistic, Operational, Social, and Strategic) (Light et al., 1989, Light & McNaughton, 2014)) plus Psychosocial or Emotional Competency (Light & McNaughton, 2014, Blackstone... [Read More...]
March 7, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Professionals who teach people with complex communication needs to express themselves with AAC frequently ask about the evidence base for AAC devices and apps. Evidence-based practice (EBP) has three basic pillars: Clinical expertise, external and internal evidence, and the perspectives of clients and caregivers. We have good evidence for the effectiveness of SGDs and AAC apps as a general category of communication tools, rooted in a strong array of research studies, a great deal of clinical expertise, and extensive experiences of consumers and families. As in many areas of clinical practice, though, more work still needs to be done. It’s not as easy to get this sort of research evidence as it may seem. A medical device like a speaking valve may have an evidence base tied to a specific brand and model of the equipment because there isn’t a great deal of variability in what it is expected to... [Read More...]
February 23, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Today, we’re excited to share the work of Lance McLemore, winner of the 2022 Edgar and Esther Prentke Distinguished Lecture award. Sponsored by PRC-Saltillo with the support of Semantic Compaction Systems, and hosted at the annual ATIA Conference, this award has a rich history. AAC pioneer and master clinician Gail Van Tatenhove reviews the history of the award at the start of the session. Lance addresses a topic that is relevant to us all, so please take some time to watch this session. You won’t be disappointed. Many thanks to Lance, PRC-Saltillo, Semantic Compaction Systems, and Gail Van Tatenhove for this important presentation. Direct Link to Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJfPeZ3slo0&ab_channel=ATIA