Tag: apraxia
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Say ‘Maybe’ to Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)
Last week, my newly 12-year-old “typical” daughter asked to go to the movies with her friends…alone. I pictured the group of giggling 6th graders, dangling between confidence and unspoken anxiety in their independence. I offered to go with them and sit in a different row, but she refused. So, I said the first thing that…
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Using Aided Language Input to Elicit Verbal Speech
This post is combining two important concepts in the world of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC): Aided Language Input (which may also be referred to as Aided Language Stimulation or Modeling) and the relationship between verbal speech and AAC. Sometimes I hear people say that they’re afraid to use AAC because they are worried that…
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How is Vocabulary Organized in Speak for Yourself?
We are frequently asked about the language organization in Speak for Yourself, and for many people, when they look at the app for the first time, they feel overwhelmed. If you’re someone who is feeling that way, I’m glad you’re reading this. It certainly wasn’t our intention to cause anxiety, but I think that overwhelmed…
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ATIA 2015: Products and Professionals We Enjoyed
Speak for Yourself ATIA15 booth – busy like this for most of the conference! As you may know, if you follow our Facebook page, we just got back from the Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) Conference. I started to share this as a post in our Speak for Yourself Users group, but it got too long and difficult to…
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Core Vocabulary: Phrases You Can Model Today
Yesterday, I wrote about Modeling for the Moment When It All Comes Together. Today, my hope is that after reading this, you feel like a modeling plan is manageable. If you’re just starting out, here are three posts you may want to read first. This one explains core vocabulary. This one is an introduction post…
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Modeling for the Moment When It All Comes Together
This is to you. This is to the parents, therapists, teachers, support personnel, classroom volunteers, grandparents, and anyone else that directly interacts with someone who has complex communication needs (CCN). This is especially to you if you are frustrated, scared, worried, or maybe even angry that skills are not coming together as quickly for your child as you had hoped. …
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Should Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Be Considered?
Sometimes this happens to me: While talking to a speech-language pathologist (SLP) about one child using AAC, she’ll pause in the conversation, raise her eyebrows and say something along the lines of “You know, Johnny has been acting out a lot lately and he can say about 25 words, so he can talk, but do…
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Because of AAC…He First Learned to Communicate and Then He Learned to Talk
There is a myth that those of us who support and advocate for people with complex communication needs (CCN), find ourselves dispelling repeatedly, sometimes daily. The myth is that Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) will somehow inhibit or prevent verbal speech. It takes several forms when heard or read on various Facebook groups and pages. One of the issues…
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AAC Mythbusters: Your Child Has Enough Skills
Last week, I posted a blog called “The Myth of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Pre-Requisite Skills.” Some of the responses I received were from parents of adults with Complex Communication Needs (CCN) saying that their son/daughter is still so frustrated as an adult. Others are concerned about “giving up” on verbal speech, and some have…
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The Myth of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Pre-Requisite Skills
We hear a lot of reasons for not beginning high-tech Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) with students who have Complex Communication Needs (CCN)…A LOT of reasons. I’ve chosen the top six and created a flow chart. I like flow charts, but for those of you who do not, I’ve also written a narrative version, with…