PRC consultants and other AAC Professionals share stories of strategies and success.
Posted June 7, 2017 in Stories and Strategies for Success
If I could rewind the clock, there are many things I wish I could have done differently as a clinician. That being said you can only do what you know! Hindsight is 20/20….. right? When I present to graduate and undergraduate students there are many things that I try to impart to them of things I wish I had known when I was their age. Here are some of those tips that I share with them.
Posted May 24, 2017 in Stories and Strategies for Success
People with communication difficulties today are fortunate to live in a time when there are so many technological tools to help give them a voice. Yet no matter how good the technology, there are two sides to effective communication, and the benefits of these tools will be lost unless we are prepared to listen.
Posted May 10, 2017 in Stories and Strategies for Success
I have 14 delightful nieces and nephews spread between 3 different states, none in Illinois where I live. Visits are extra special, but also pretty short. This makes one particular habit of my nieces especially endearing.
Posted April 5, 2017 in Stories and Strategies for Success
In my job as a speech therapist and in my new job as a PRC consultant, I meet daily with parents who say, “I know that it will be good for him to be able to use his device to communicate, but I know what he wants when he points.” “I have four other kids and afternoons are crazy…I cannot imagine how I will teach him to use a device because we are just getting by.” “Where do I start?”
Posted March 15, 2017 in Stories and Strategies for Success
Seventeen years ago I began teaching in a centralized, mostly self-contained elementary intense interventions classroom. I was the only teacher in two counties serving in this capacity. Students were bussed in from six different school districts to receive my services. The pressure was on! As a fresh graduate, I was completely overwhelmed and unprepared.
Posted March 8, 2017 in Stories and Strategies for Success
_How do I get him to initiate communication with the device? _
Posted February 22, 2017 in Stories and Strategies for Success
From someone working on AAC with individuals with motor deficits, I find it so important that these individuals receive similar sensory experiences as their neurotypical peers (hence, my co-workers will often see me running down the halls with my kiddos with Cerebral palsy telling me to ‘go fast’ , ‘stop’, ‘go slow’ , etc… (Yes, I get paid to do this) so that they experience what it’s like to run.
Posted February 15, 2017 in Stories and Strategies for Success
Over 17 years as a PRC Consultant, I have seen children grow year after year not just in size and age but in their communication abilities, and their ability to connect socially through their AAC device. I would like to shine the light on Stephanie Faso! She is a young 26-year-old woman who has grown even further as an AAC Mentor.
Posted February 8, 2017 in Stories and Strategies for Success
I have to admit that I have a weird relationship with prepositions. When I was in 3rd grade, we had to learn the top 50 prepositions and then our teacher had a competition. Whoever could say all of the prepositions the fastest without skipping any would be declared the winner. I can still say them all in under 10 seconds. In case you may not be as familiar, here are some of the most common…
Posted January 25, 2017 in Stories and Strategies for Success
Hi! My name is Kim Thompson. I am an Occupational Therapist by training and a mom of four by blessing. I have had the pleasure of working with both adults and children with disabilities for many years. When I became the mom of a child with a speech disorder however, I truly began to understand what putting it all into practice meant.
