Category: Uncategorized
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Project Core Vocabulary File Added to Speak for Yourself
A couple of weeks ago, we attended the ATIA (Assistive Technology Industry Association) Conference in Orlando, Florida. We always enjoy the conversations we have at this conference both in the exhibit hall and socially when the exhibit hall closes. This is also the easiest conference for us to actually see some sessions and set up…
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Love Needs ALL of the Words
Holiday shopping season is in full swing and with that, the “love needs no words” gift ideas pop up on my social media newsfeeds. I get the sentiment of it, but the AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) loving, speech-language pathologist in me reads into it. It’s true that we do express love nonverbally. We hug…
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It’s Not Complex If You Use It
When I was 19 and in my second year of college, I worked in a supermarket deli. Every individual item in the deli had its own four-digit code. Land O’Lakes American cheese had a different code than New Yorker American cheese. You might think that it doesn’t matter, but it did. Each week there were…
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Deciding on the Speak for Yourself AAC App During the Autism Acceptance Sale
The Speak for Yourself augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) app will be 50% off April 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, 2018! This worldwide sale is in honor of the many individuals on the autism spectrum who benefit from the use of AAC. We are privileged to meet and directly work with many students who use the…
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Beyond the Blurred Lines of Cognitive Testing
I spend a lot of time talking with students who have complex communication needs (CCN) and use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). I also spend a lot of time talking to others ABOUT students who have CCN who use – or don’t use – AAC. As I spend more years doing this, I’m realizing in…
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From the Hands of Babes: AAC Awareness Month Round Up Part 2
In celebration of AAC Awareness Month this October, we asked you to share stories and pictures of the funny, embarrassing, special, entertaining, and typical things that students are able to say because of AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication). Yesterday’s post (Part 1) included AAC learners sharing their opinions about a situation, talking about feelings, showing…
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From The Hands of Babes: AAC Awareness Month Round Up Part 1
October is Augmentative and Alternative communication (AAC) Awareness Month. Earlier this month, we asked you to post pictures of funny, amazing, adorable things that your children and clients say using their AAC systems. We gave away a beach towel that can also be used as a low tech core vocabulary option each week as part…
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From the Hands of Babes: Celebrating AAC Awareness Month
October is Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Awareness Month! We’re excited to celebrate because everyday, we are privileged to see the incredible difference AAC makes in the lives of the people using it and the people who love them. We also have the tremendous opportunity to make changes within the design of the Speak for…
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Speak for Yourself and VocaliD Bring Cutting-Edge Custom Voices to the iPad
We just released version 2.7 of Speak for Yourself! This version is very exciting for some of you, and for others, there will be no difference in the app. For us, it’s pivotal! This update allows VocaliD voices to be used in the Speak for Yourself AAC app! I know we’re not the first augmentative…
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We Are the Lucky Ones
I wanted to take some time to reflect on how lucky we have been: individually as speech-language pathologists and as a company. People in business sometimes get offended if you talk about luck playing a role in their success. They feel like it minimizes the amount of effort and education that went into their life’s work.…