Talking With Tech AAC Podcast
Technology
Episodes
Wednesday Jul 31, 2019
Wednesday Jul 31, 2019
This week, the TWT team presents the first half of the “ABCs of AAC.” This session was originally presented by Chris and Rachel as part of the SLP2B 2019 conference!
Before we present the first half of the “ABCs”, Chris and Rachel discuss using the power of core vocabulary, changes to their schedules from summer, celebrating an AAC user’s circle of support, and more!
Key ideas this week include:
🔑 Modeling looking for vocabulary (and using the search function) on a device is a great way to help everyone feel more comfortable looking for vocabulary.
🔑 “Think-alouds” can be used in combination with modeling on the device(e.g., “Hmmm…how do I search?”) to help clients think about solving the problem themselves.
🔑 The “ABCs of AAC” from Rachel and Chris is an excellent introduction into AAC and is intended for anyone interested in a better understanding of the fundamentals of AAC.
Listen this week and to part 2 of the “ABCs of AAC” next week, then head to bit.ly/techceu to earn CEU credit for listening to these episodes!
Tuesday Jul 23, 2019
Tuesday Jul 23, 2019
This week, the TWT team is pleased to share the second half of the “Golden Rules of AAC Competency in a New Era of Communication.” This session was originally presented by Lucas, Chris, and Rachel as part of the #XedAAC18 conference!
Key ideas this week include:
🔑 Overlapping treatment with other professionals can teach you strategies you did not learn in your own professional training.
🔑 It is important to support an AAC user’s “operational competency” - the ability to turn on the device, change the volume, plug it in, etc.
🔑 The COLE (Continuum of Language Expression) is a free tool used by therapists and IEP teams to evaluate early language development. http://bit.ly/colegooglesheets
Before we present the second half of the “Golden Rules”, Chris and Rachel discuss accessible programming, learning from other professionals, operational competency, and more!
Listen to part 1 of the “Golden Rules of AAC Competency in a New Era of Communication” and this week’s episode, then head to bit.ly/techceu to earn CEU credit for listening!
Tuesday Jul 16, 2019
Tuesday Jul 16, 2019
This week, the TWT team is pleased to share the first half of the “Golden Rules of AAC Competency in a New Era of Communication.” This session was originally presented by Lucas, Chris, and Rachel as part of the #XedAAC18 conference!
Before we present the first half of this session, Chris and Rachel discuss several topics related to 3D printing, including creating 3D core word symbols using Project Core!
Key ideas this week include:
🔑 Teachers and SLPs can coordinate with students in “maker clubs” to print 3D core word symbols using Project Core.
🔑 The “AAC competencies” are a helpful framework for planning AAC intervention by providing a broader definition of communication competence and success with AAC.
🔑 Five domains of communication competence in AAC: social, operational, linguistic, strategic, and emotional competence.
Listen this week and to part 2 of the “Golden Rules of AAC Competency in a New Era of Communication” next week, then head to bit.ly/techceu to earn CEU credit for listening to these episodes!
Tuesday Jul 09, 2019
Tuesday Jul 09, 2019
This week, Lucas Steuber of Tobii Dynavox returns to help Chris and Rachel answer questions from our listeners!
Key ideas this week include:
🔑 Ideas for supporting an eye gaze user's as he enters a magnet high school for game and app development.
🔑 Advice for a person whose client uses AAC and appears to display block-like disfluencies.
🔑 Strategies for promoting literacy, including incorporating the use of bluetooth keyboards.
For show notes, links to resources, past episodes, and more, visit bit.ly/twtpodcast. To earn CEU credits for listening to past episodes of TWT, head to bit.ly/techceu!
Wednesday Jul 03, 2019
Wednesday Jul 03, 2019
Listen to part 1 of the AAC Apps Update last week, then head to bit.ly/techceu to earn CEU credit for listening to both of these episodes!
This week, the TWT team is pleased to share the second half of the AAC Apps Update 2018! This conference session was originally presented by Lucas, Chris, and Rachel as part of the Special Apps Update Conference 2018.
Before we present this week’s session, Chris and Rachel discuss Rachel's recent hand injury, ideas for improving aided language input, and more!
Key ideas this week include:
🔑 Important features to look for in AAC applications.
🔑 Using parallel-talk vs self-talk when working with adults over 60+
🔑 App ideas & strategies for challenging AAC assessments.
Tuesday Jun 25, 2019
Tuesday Jun 25, 2019
Listen to part 2 of the AAC Apps Update next week, then head to bit.ly/techceu to earn CEU credit for listening to these episodes!
This week, the TWT team is pleased to share the first half of the AAC Apps Update 2018! This conference session was originally presented by Lucas, Chris, and Rachel as part of the Special Apps Update Conference 2018.
Before we present this week’s session, Chris and Rachel discuss reading specialists, being aware of compensatory measures when assessing children with autism, and more!
Key ideas this week include:
🔑 AAC users may benefit from working with a reading specialist and/or from including a reading specialist on their interdisciplinary team.
🔑 When assessing receptive language, you must determine whether a child really understands the language and isn’t using compensatory measures, such as visuals or gestures.
🔑 School districts should consider teaching the basics of AAC to all students and staff!
Tuesday Jun 18, 2019
Tuesday Jun 18, 2019
This week, Rachel interviews educational therapists and co-hosts of the Learn Smarter podcast, Stephanie Pitts & Rachel Kapp! Stephanie and Rachel share what educational therapy is, why executive functioning is so important, and strategies they utilize to help learners improve task initiation, time management, and motivation!
Key ideas this week include:
🔑 Educational therapists teach learners how they learn and strategies they can use to learn better and improve executive functioning.
🔑 No child is actually "lazy" - it is often about meeting learners where they are.
🔑 How to help early communicators improve both sustained attention and task initiation.
For show notes, links to resources, past episodes, and more, visit bit.ly/twtpodcast!
Tuesday Jun 11, 2019
Tuesday Jun 11, 2019
This week, the TWT team presents another “Small Talks” episode featuring short conversations with AAC specialists Erin Sheldon, Kelly Fonner, Lance McLemore, and Mo Buti!
Key ideas this episode:
🔑Suggest an AAC evaluation for young children (2-3 years old) with limited expressive language, because we don’t have to delay language skills while other skills (e.g. articulation skills) catch up.
🔑Try to use fun, memorable stimuli and prompts in therapy, because clients talk more about things that are silly, remarkable, and novel.
🔑Ask students who are AAC users to use their vocabulary to talk about the curriculum in the classroom, not just answer basic vocabulary questions.
For show notes, links to resources, past episodes, and more, visit bit.ly/twtpodcast!
Tuesday Jun 04, 2019
Tuesday Jun 04, 2019
This week on TWT, Chris interviews Brian Whitmer, CEO of CoughDrop, about OpenAAC.org and the “open” movement supporting AAC users and their right to move communication boards from one system to another, access a free set of symbols, open 3rd party apps inside their AAC systems, and more!
Key ideas:
🔑Many AAC developers do not allow communication boards to be moved from one communication system to another system, especially if that system is not owned by the developer. This can lead to users being stuck on old, broken equipment when a system or device is no longer supported.
🔑Giving control back to the user can be good for developers as well as users! Building customer goodwill can be a powerful way to build customer loyalty.
🔑The Communication Workshop (https://www.coreworkshop.org) is a growing collection of free materials, videos, and prompts for teaching words and ideas to AAC users.
For show notes, links to resources, past episodes, and more, visit bit.ly/twtpodcast!
Tuesday May 28, 2019
Tuesday May 28, 2019
This week on TWT, Rachel interviews Alyssa Hillary Zisk! Alyssa is a graduate student in neuroscience who shares their experiences as an autistic adult who uses AAC part of the time to communicate.
Key ideas this episode:
🔑Some autistic adults experience intermittent or insufficient speech.
🔑Some of these adults use AAC part of the time.
🔑It is important to give AAC users the same chance to participate in discussions and to allow them to communicate in whatever modality they choose.
For show notes, links to resources, past episodes, and more, visit bit.ly/twtpodcast!