Online training from PRC - Friday, 2/26

Making AAC Work: LIVE Online Implementation Classes (For the Week of February 22, 2016)

Getting Beyond Basic Requesting •  Fri, February 26, 2016 •  11:00a.m. - 12:00p.m. ET •  Price: $35.00   ASHA CEUs: 0.1 "PRC's online trainings are quick and efficient.  I loved that I could take my lunch to learn something new that I could start incorporating immediately into my therapy plans." - Teresa H. REGISTER NOW

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Apps to Help Grow Language •  Fri, February 26, 2016 •  3:00p.m. - 4:00p.m. ET •  Price: $35.00   ASHA CEUs: 0.1 "I loved this course.  It was fun and really got me thinking about "fun" ways to teach new vocabulary or reinforce learned vocabulary." - Marsha B. REGISTER NOW

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NCCSE AAC Trainings in March - San Marcos

Have you ever attended a training at the North Coastal Consortium for Special Education? This hub, located in San Marcos, has a fabulous facility and a robust roster of special education trainings each year. Their pricing is also exceptional - free for member district employees, and $60/day for other attendees. These two, upcoming, part-day trainings are going to be great (March 15 & 22)! Check out the NCCSE's site and register, HERE.

AAC Implementation 

Presented by Dawn Shirvanian, M.A., CCC-SLP, NCCSE Program Specialist of Assistive Technology;  Lydia Schnitta, B.A., SLPA, NCCSE Assistive Technology

This interactive, hands-on workshop will go over strategies and ideas to create communication opportunities using AAC during the course of every day classroom activities. Participants can expect to utilize a variety of AAC systems (available during the workshop) and practice conversational targets to enhance vocabulary for the AAC user. Presenters will go over AAC myths and utilize the principles of Aided Language Stimulation, Descriptive Teaching Models, and Social Scripting to increase expressive output in children who are using AAC.

Location: North County Regional Education Center, 255 Pico Avenue, San Marcos, CA

Date: March 15, 2016

Time: 8:30 AM – 10:30 AM – 2 HRS FOR CEUs

Cost: No cost for staff employed in any of the 14 NCCSE member districts, $15 all others.

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Creating and Implementing Low-tech Communication Systems in the Classroom

Presented by Cynthia Heryanto, M.S., CCC-SLP, Prentke Romich Company;  Kara Bidstrup, M.S., CCC-SLP, Prentke Romich Company

This class will focus on creating and implementing low-tech communication systems for emerging communicators in a classroom setting. The class will begin with a brief review of what is augmentative alternative communication (AAC). It will provide examples of no-tech, low-tech, mid-tech, and high-tech AAC systems. Participants will then learn the difference between a communication system and a classroom support. Designing and implementing a low-tech system will then be discussed. Participants will learn how to create low-tech communication systems and classroom supports using the PASS software. 

Location: North County Regional Education Center, 255 Pico Avenue, San Marcos, CA

Date: March 22, 2016

Time: 12:30 PM – 3:30 PM – 3 HRS FOR CEUS

Cost: No cost for staff employed in any of the 14 NCCSE member districts, $30 all others.

SGD Giveaway! 20 Years of Saltillo

LINK to Saltillo's site
Download application form HERE.

Westside Wrap-Up

Last Thursday's inaugural Westside branch meeting was a great success! Meghan O'Brien and Stephanie Westendorf hosted the discussion of AAC Funding on 2/11/16 at Language and Learning Centers of Los Angeles. If you weren't able to attend, you're in luck! Meghan O'Brien has shared the slides with us (download HERE).

We will wait to hear when we can expect a second meeting of the Westside branch of SCAACN will be held - and we hope that you will join us!

Thanks to all the Networkers that made the Westside happen!

FREE! Implementation Strategies for AAC (Wed 2/24)

Implementation Strategies for AAC - 3 hour

This condensed training focuses on strategies to teach and promote the use of an augmentative communication system to get students to independently initiate spontaneous, novel utterances rather than simply repeating pre-stored sentences when prompted.  The strategies presented will cover a range of communication ages and abilities, including those at the level of emerging language and literacy. The teaching strategies presented are appropriate for a wide variety of devices and programs.

You do not need to bring an AAC device to the training.

The training is not limited to people using PRC devices.

This training is appropriate for anyone (teacher, SLP, parent, paraprofessional, etc.) working with a student using a communication device. 

Wed, February 24, 2016 
1:00pm - 4:00pm 

Free!

Held at: Los Angeles, California / Language & Learning Centers of AmericaLevel: Beginner

Register for Training

Preseter: Cynthia Heryanto, SLP

Agenda

60 minutes - Goals, Word-based vs. Sentence Based AAC, and Beginning Strategies
45 minutes - Reading Strategies
15 minutes - Writing Strategies
45 minutes - Speaking Strategies
30 minutes - Games

See you Tuesday! 2/16 Pasadena Meeting

Winter 2016 Quarterly Meeting 
Tuesday, February 16th, 2016 

6:30-8:30 pm

at Villa Esperanza Services

2116 E. Villa Street, Pasadena 91107

   Topic: "What I Have Learned..."

 We will hear from Myrna Ramirez about her impressions from ATIA  2016, and Donna Huff about her experience at the Don Johnston training Fall 2015.

In addition we will hear from fellow Networkers about the kernels of AAC wisdom that have stuck with them over time. Bring your own recollection from a past training, or something new you've put to use and found really helpful. 

"I'll never forget when I heard..."