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Video of the Week: Strategies That Support Well-being

August 19, 2020 by - Leave your thoughts

Video of the Week: Strategies That Support Well-being

How can we help families cultivate well-being in these challenging times? In today’s featured video, Dr. Brenda Smith Myles shares tips for making space in our daily routines for structure, schedules, activities, mindfulness and patience, sleep routines, and other supportive strategies.  Many thanks to Dr. Myles and the Kansas Technical Assistance System Network (TASN) for creating and sharing this video. Click on the image below to start watching. Direct Link to Video – https://vimeo.com/428624586

COVID-19 Supports for AAC Users & Service Providers

August 3, 2020 by - 3 Comments

COVID-19 Supports for AAC Users & Service Providers

“I need to prepare my child for nasal swab testing.” “How can I get my students to wear their masks?” “My students don’t wash their hands properly.” “What vocabulary and messages should I add to SGDs for my students to be able to talk about the coronavirus?” “How can I explain social distancing in ways that make sense?” “What can I do to help my students know what to expect from a Zoom session?” If you have questions like these, take some time to browse through this online resource list with over 150 free downloads, videos, and more. We’ve updated this resource quite a bit since it was first published 4 months ago and are re-publishing it for those who need visual supports, social stories, videos, and communication boards. In the online newsletter below, you can access visual schedules for handwashing, social narratives, videos, educational materials, and more by clicking... [Read More...]

Video of the Week: Teaming with Related Services to Support AAC Users

July 22, 2020 by - Leave your thoughts

Video of the Week: Teaming with Related Services to Support AAC Users

Are you taking advantage of the supports that related service providers can offer? In today’s featured video, OT and AT Specialist Elisa Wern helps us understand the ways in which these professionals can facilitate the development of communicative competence, You can obtain the handout for this session here. This presentation was part of the 2020 AAC in the Cloud Conference hosted by CoughDrop. We are grateful both to Elisa and to the wonderful team at CoughDrop for making this available. Direct Link to Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVkg6vZUjkU&feature=youtu.be  

Video of the Week:  AAC & Transition Planning – Supporting All Students to Make Decisions for the Future

July 1, 2020 by - Leave your thoughts

Video of the Week:  AAC and Transition Planning - Supporting All Students to Make Decisions for the Future

It is always a treat to learn from Erin Sheldon, and her recent presentation for the 2020 AAC in the Cloud conference is no exception. In this video, Erin helps think about effective ways that we can support the transition to post-school life for young people with significant communication challenges. You can obtain the handouts for this session here and learn more from Erin here. We’re deeply grateful to Erin for this wonderful session and to the amazing team at Cough Drop for another fantastic virtual conference. Direct Link to Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Lwv9c3cotE&feature=emb_logo

How I Do It: Digital Connections With Families to Support AAC Users

March 26, 2020 by - Leave your thoughts

How I Do It: Digital Connections With Families to Support AAC Users

Staying connected with families is such an important aspect of being an effective AAC interventionist. In today’s post, we have a return visit from SLP Sarah Gregory, who shares the things that she is doing to maintain these connections as we learn to do this work from afar. You can read Sarah’s previous contribution here. Digital Connections With Families to Support AAC Users I hope this blog post finds everyone well! The COVID-19 virus has created an uncertain and unprecedented time for us all, but I have gotten so much comfort from the generosity and resource sharing in our AAC SLP community this week. As we get creative in supporting our AAC users remotely, the app SeeSaw has been a key to connecting with my students and families (I am not affiliated with this app in any way). I have used this free app to create a loop between home... [Read More...]

Video of the Week: Supporting Students Who Use AAC with School-wide Implementation

February 12, 2020 by - Leave your thoughts

Video of the Week: Supporting Students Who Use AAC with School-wide Implementation

How can  AAC be used to support academic learning and social skill development? In today’s featured video, SLP and AT Specialist Elisa Parker teams up with Tara Wineinger, also an AT Specialist, to share their experiences with this in the Park Hill School District.  Many thanks to the presenters for this wonderful webinar and to Saltillo for hosting it. You can download the handout for this session here. Enjoy! Direct Link to Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEdGP_SwqZc&feature=youtu.be

5 AAC Facebook Groups for Families of Beginning Communicators

January 9, 2020 by - 4 Comments

5 AAC Facebook Groups for Families of Beginning Communicators

Empowering families to become part of a larger AAC community on social media venues is a powerful way to support them. Five years ago, when we published our first list of suggested AAC-focused Facebook groups, it was a game-changer for many of our families. Following the evaluation, they could visit those spaces to gain more insight into the practicalities of using AAC on a daily basis, and connect with a community of families and professionals who were heavily invested in the communicative growth of individuals with significant communication challenges. Many of them returned to those spaces over and over again first to seek support, and later to offer it. Some even went on to create their own groups and made arrangements to meet some of their AAC Facebook ‘friends’ face-to-face.   Much has changed since we made those original recommendations and it is time to refresh that list. Of course, we’d... [Read More...]

How We Do It: AAC Strategies & Adaptations for Students in Support Walkers, Assessment & Funding

December 12, 2019 by - 1 Comment

When young children with significant motor challenges are unable to move freely around the environment, it impacts many things. Today, we introduce a limited series on why hands-free mobility is so crucial during the early years, and what we can do to promote independent mobility. We are extremely fortunate to have Christine Wright-Ott authoring this series. Christine is 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 lectures at universities and conferences including ATIA, Closing the Gap, ISAAC, ISS, and AAC by the Bay.

How can we reduce the negative impact of significant motor challenges on children who use AAC and are not independently mobile? Today, we conclude Christine Wright-Ott’s series on this topic. Christine is 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 lectures at universities and conferences including ATIA, Closing the Gap, ISAAC, ISS, and AAC by the Bay. If you missed the earlier posts in this series you can catch up via the links below. Part 1: From Wheelchair to Walker: The Cascading Benefit of Hands-Free Mobility Part 2: From Wheelchair to Hands-free Walker for Preschool Children with AAC Needs Part 3: How We Do It: A Support Walker Mobility Program for Elementary Students with AAC Needs ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: AAC Strategies, Adaptations for Students in Support Walkers, Assessment & Funding AAC Strategies and... [Read More...]

How We Do It: A Support Walker Mobility Program for Elementary Students with AAC Needs

November 14, 2019 by - Leave your thoughts

How We Do It: A Support Walker Mobility Program for Elementary Students with AAC Needs

We’re very pleased to welcome back Christine Wright-Ott to continue the series on supporting the independent mobility of children with AAC needs. Christine is an Occupational Therapy consultant at the Bridge School in northern California. She authored the chapter “Mobility” in the 4-7th editions of the book, Occupational Therapy for Children. She lectures at universities and conferences including ATIA, Closing the Gap, ISAAC, ISS, and AAC by the Bay. Today, she discusses the ways she and her colleagues help elementary school students use support walkers. You can read the first two installments of this series using the links below. Part 1: From Wheelchair to Walker: The Cascading Benefit of Hands-Free Mobility Part 2: From Wheelchair to Hands-free Walker for Preschool Children with AAC Needs The Support Walker Mobility Program for Elementary Students with AAC needs  The second post in this series described the Preschool hands-free Support Walker Mobility Program developed at... [Read More...]