The IEP is a powerful tool for ensuring that AAC learners get the tools and support that they need to be successful in school. Today, we return to the Oklahoma ABLE Tech Project, to hear more from SLP Allyson Robinson. In this video, she explains how and where to document AT in the IEP. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6u0zWSTM-k
SLPs tend to love (good, relevant) professional development. We flock to conferences (15,000+ ASHA attendees this past November), sign up for workshops, and attend webinars. But for some reason, we are reluctant to request training as part of the IEP process, even when we’re not very confident in our work with the student. Maybe we don’t want to acknowledge our need for it, or admit that there is something we don’t know (gasp!). Perhaps we’d just rather not make waves. We may ask for training informally, but it doesn’t always get tied to specific students’ IEPs, and that may mean that our requests get overlooked. Here are a few reasons why you may want to put staff training into IEPs when needed. We need it. The complexity of the AAC field, diversity of this clinical population, and the rapid pace of change in technology make it very unlikely that any... [Read More...]
We’re so happy to welcome Lauren Enders back to share some more thoughts on AAC and the IEP. In her first post on this topic, Lauren addressed some frequently asked questions. Today, she provides a very valuable perspective on writing IEP goals for students who use or need AAC and some wonderful resources. Very often, I receive requests for support from teachers and speech therapists that are writing IEP goals for their students who use AAC. When we sit down to discuss their questions, the first thing I remind them is that AAC goals are no different from any other IEP goal. I recall a workshop I attended years ago presented by Gail VanTatenhove that helps put IEP goals for AAC into perspective. Gail said that AAC therapy is just language therapy. Isn’t that true? Aren’t we just teaching language? For this student, language is simply being expressed in a... [Read More...]
We’re happy to welcome back, Lauren Enders, an AAC specialist from Pennsylvania. You can read her earlier post here. This month, Lauren shares some of ways she addresses AAC learning in the IEP. Frequently, SLPs and teachers contact me in a complete panic because they need to generate an IEP and write IEP goals for a student who is using (or beginning to use) Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). These folks have lots of questions and most often, have no idea where to begin. There are a number of questions that come up repeatedly in these panicked requests. When approached by PrAACtical AAC to write a post about IEPs and AAC, I thought it might be helpful to share some of the most common questions I hear along with the answers I provide. I will structure the post in a Question & Answer format in the hopes that the post... [Read More...]
Looking for information on writing AAC goals? These past posts may be of interest. AAC in School: Classroom Communication Goals Grid – Revised Using Visual Supports for Goal-Setting Conversations Three Ways to Use AAC Goals to Strengthen Implementation PrAACtically Pinteresting with Lauren Enders: Writing AAC Goals and Objectives More PrAACtical AAC Goals That Matter Writing Goals for AAC Learners AAC Goal Writing with Lauren Enders: Laying a Solid Foundation 5 Common Challenges Tools to Support Identification of AAC Learning Targets How I Do It: Writing IEP Goals for Students Who Use AAC with Lauren Enders PrAACtical Suggestions: Writing Goals for People Learning AAC Videos Writing AAC Goals On Writing AAC Goals Ready, Set, Goal Goal Writing for AAC Compliance Is Not the Goal
Advocacy and AAC go hand-in-hand. If this is an area of interest to you, check out some of our past posts and videos on advocacy, self-advocacy, and support for people with AAC needs. Self-Advocacy & AAC: 5 Skills to Consider Targeting Growing AAC Professionals: Resources for Self-Advocacy, Reducing Abandonment, Medical Encounters, & More Celebrating Independence Day with a Touch of AAC 5 Ways to Support Self-Advocacy in AAC Learners AACtual Advocacy 5 Kinds of Pre-stored Messages That Put the AAC Learner in Control AAC in Secondary School: Centering AAC Users in the IEP Process Fostering Effective Self-advocacy Skills in AAC Users A Focus on Self-advocacy
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. We have some posts you might want to visit. Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Publishing in AAC Thursday – School Year of Core Vocabulary Words – Older Student Lessons: AAC Resources for February :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Need a few more suggestions? Try these posts from the archives. How We Do It: Incorporating Core Vocabulary Throughout the School Day How We Do It: AAC in the Special Education Classroom – Continuing the Journey PrAACtical Resources: Teachers’ Toolkit For Students With Little Or No Speech PrAACtical Resources: AAC for School Staff AAC and the IEP
Looking for information on writing AAC goals? These past posts may be of interest. AAC in School: Classroom Communication Goals Grid – Revised Using Visual Supports for Goal-Setting Conversations Three Ways to Use AAC Goals to Strengthen Implementation PrAACtically Pinteresting with Lauren Enders: Writing AAC Goals and Objectives More PrAACtical AAC Goals That Matter Writing Goals for AAC Learners AAC Goal Writing with Lauren Enders: Laying a Solid Foundation 5 Common Challenges Tools to Support Identification of AAC Learning Targets How I Do It: Writing IEP Goals for Students Who Use AAC with Lauren Enders PrAACtical Suggestions: Writing Goals for People Learning AAC Videos Writing AAC Goals On Writing AAC Goals Ready, Set, Goal Goal Writing for AAC Compliance Is Not the Goal
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. Here is some AAC content for you to browse. Monday – AAC Implementation Framework: Step 3 “Take In” Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: AAC & Early Intervention Thursday – Earth Day, AAC Style ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Have time for a little more AAC reading? Here are a handful of posts to browse. How I Do It: Writing IEP Goals for Students Who Use AAC with Lauren Enders Documenting AT in the IEP 5 Reasons to Put AAC Training for Staff and Parents into the IEP AAC and the IEP: 5 Resources to Explore PrAACtical Resources: AT in the IEP
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...]