Tag: nonverbal
-
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…
-
Independence Begins With Communication: Five Ways to Focus on AAC in less than 30 minutes a day!
I love the summer. I love the warm air and the hazy morning fog that dissipates as the sun burns through to begin a new day. I look forward to late nights outside, long beach days, coffee on my porch, a less intense work schedule, fireflies, reading novels, flip flops, barbecues, al fresco patios opening at…
-
What Would Language Be Without Core Vocabulary?
My typical fifth-grade daughter climbed into the backseat the other day after school. I asked her about her day and she said, “Mrs. K. Baby. Grumpy. Jarrod Jarrod. Hunt. (Sigh)” Then she said: “Jamie. Mrs. J. Math reading. Questions dividing fractions multiplying fractions. Reading vocab. Responsible smart.” Crystal clear, right? Oh…hold on a second. I…
-
Speak for Yourself AAC App Will Be 50% off on World Autism Awareness Day
It has been a busy couple of weeks for awareness. World Down Syndrome Day was March 21st. March is Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month and Cerebral Palsy Awareness Day was March 25th. April and May will raise awareness for autism, undiagnosed children, and apraxia. Undiagnosed Children’s Day is April 25th. Apraxia Awareness Day is May…
-
Would You Accept This Behavior Towards a Non-Autistic Child?
“Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you help them to become what they are capable of being.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe This is not only about autism. This is about any child who is in an autism or multiple disabilities classroom. It is about any child who is in…
-
The AAC Detective: Try Observing These Five Behaviors for Clues
“I want you to know that today, in the brief moments when I was quiet, I was just enjoying being with you.” I want to say that more in 2014. The beginning of this post is more personal than most, but it’s a new year and a good time to reflect. I feel like my…
-
The History Feature in the Speak for Yourself AAC app
“If you don’t know history, then you don’t know anything. You are a leaf that doesn’t know it is part of a tree.” – Michael Crichton I don’t usually write a blog post when we release a Speak for Yourself update, but this 1.5 version update is special. Over the years, as we’ve worked with…
-
AAC Implementation: Where Do I Start?
You have a nonverbal child who is depending on you to find him/her a way to communicate. Whether you are a parent or a speech-language pathologist (SLP), that’s a lot of pressure, and the stakes are high. You take the responsibility seriously. You have an Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) app or device. If you’ve…
-
Finding Her Own Voice
You may remember the mom who was “Voiceless But Still Talking” earlier this month at the start of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Awareness Month. If you missed it, Mary used the Speak for Yourself (SfY) AAC app and her daughter’s back up iPad to communicate for the week. She provided us daily journal entries…
-
Speech-Language Pathologists and Augmentative and Alternative Communication Evaluations: First Do No Harm
We have been writing this post for years in our heads. Every time we are asked to consult for a child who has already had an evaluation with a recommendation for an extremely limited mid tech device, we write it. Every time we go into a classroom for one child, and ask the speech- language pathologist…