Aeir Talk and Autism Walk

This Saturday, the Los Angeles Walk Now for Autism Speaks will be held at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.  I wonder if we can anticipate any technology vendors at the resource fair this year...? Look for SCAAC-N at the Villa Esperanza Services booth!

 

Re-posted from Jennifer Wieczorek Polak's Facebook page:

 

Aeir Talk [app] Gives A Father’s Autistic Kids A Voice

 

John Biggs

Monday, April 16th, 2012

 

We met Joe Hill in Norfolk, Virginia last week. He had a story to tell us. He has two autistic sons who have had trouble communicating and he noticed that the world of tools for autism often overlooked a few things – aesthetics, usability, and customization, to name three. Instead of relying on ready-made utilities, Joe wanted to make something fun and cool.

He created Aeir Talk. It’s an app that allows parents to create and record their own content for use in a very simple but effective method for communications. The parents record a set of verbs and nouns and add pictures of themselves or of familiar objects. When the kids need to communicate, they select a noun and a verb and press a button. The app creates a simple sentence. “I want to go outside, please” or “I want a carrot, please.”

It’s a simple program and many autistic kids use similar devices that cost a few hundred and have all the power of a pocket calculator. With the iPad, Hill was able to build a working system in a few weeks and now he and his sons use it to communicate around the house.

The app costs $1.99 and it’s already helped Joe’s two kids be a bit more responsive. It has plenty of graphical flourishes and the real value is in the customization and malleability of the vocabulary set. You can add anything you like – verbs, nouns, images, voice recordings – and its all personalized so junior feels a bit more comfortable.

In an vast app wasteland full of flashlights and fart soundboards, it’s nice to see something made with love by a father who knows what he’s doing. It’s a great teaching tool and useful for kids of all ages and abilities.

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101+ Ideas - Friend us on Facebook

To our beloved, 101 current friends on Facebook, we send these "101 + IDEAS FOR THE BIGmack Or Other Single Message Voice Output Communication Aids," compiled by Barbara Solomonson, SLP, with a great deal of help from her friends (DOWNLOAD THE ENTIRE LIST HERE).



To the rest of you, we bid "friend us" on Facebook (link logo at the top, right of the blog info).

1. I went to a great, celebratory Christmas party for an agency for developmentally delayed adults.  The Christmas program entailed the spelling of “Merry Christmas” by a group, including non-oral communicators using the BIGmack. 
2. The BIGmack can be used for games such as:  Chase – message “You can’t catch me!”  Duck, Duck, Goose - works better with a step-by-step, Hide and Seek – “Ready or not here I come!”
3. For young children, we've used a lot of messages to initiate physical contact with them such as:  "bounce me", "tickle me", “rub my back”, “brush my hair”.  Obviously, you need to be conscious of whether they like this type of touch or not. 
4. We have been using the BIGmack in our adult day program and are starting to purchase them for our residential programs. Many of our adults will run out of the room to use the bathroom, so we have programmed a BIGmack by the door for them to hit before they are leaving. The system can say, I will be right back, or I need to use the bathroom, or whatever the teacher feels is most appropriate.
5. We also use the BIGmack at meals to request "more" or "finished," etc 
6. You could use the BIGmack and have the child's name on it, so every time it is mentioned in the story, the child could use the switch instead of the teacher reading it! 
7. Use BIGmack to "order" at a restaurant 
8. Tell mom and dad "I love you" 
9. Ask for a hug 
10. Say prayers

11. Call everyone to dinner 
12. Sell items (be a barker)
13. 1 heard of a young girl who had a BIGmack attached to her horse and it said "giddy up" and the horse did just that!!! 
14. I have a client who is clinically depressed and she has one that she uses with her friends. When friends come by and she's not in her dorm room, they leave a message with it. She says its the best therapy she gets to have "Hi, I'm thinking about you" messages from friends when she's not expecting them. 
15. Hi, how about turning on a radio or cassette player 
16. Giving a compliment to a friend

(** Also see 102 Ideas for using a BIGmack, LINK HERE)

Some other good ones...

41.  Introduce a song title at the Christmas Program 
42.  Ask another student to dance...

55.  At Work.... 
• Greet customers at a department or grocery store. 

• Deliver messages to co-worker. 
• Inform customers about the in-store specials. 

• Request more work...

78.  Cheer or root for a team. 
79.  Comment on own new haircut, shirt, glasses, etc. 
80.  Draw attention (Look what I did). 
81.  For emergency message by telephone...

(Download the entire list, HERE!)

ASHA SIG 12 Perspectives on AAC - Vol. 21, No. 1

(Pssst! Mary Ann Abbott, is a current SIG 12 Perspectives Editor & our very own SCAAC-N colleague!)

 

A new issue of Perspectives on Augmentative and Alternative Communication is available online:  Vol. 21, No. 1

The below Table of Contents is available online (login required) at: http://div12perspectives.asha.org/content/vol21/issue1/?etoc

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Articles

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From the Coordinator

Mary Ann Lowe

Perspectives on Augmentative and Alternative Communication 2011;21 2 http://div12perspectives.asha.org/cgi/content/full/21/1/2

Strategies for Transitioning From PECS to SGD. Part 2: Maintaining Communication Competency

Lori Frost and Joy Silverman McGowan

Perspectives on Augmentative and Alternative Communication 2011;21 3-10 http://div12perspectives.asha.org/cgi/content/abstract/21/1/3

New AAC Access Strategy for Gesture Tracking: A Technical Note

Susan Fager, Tom Jakobs, David Beukelman, Tricia Ternus, and Haylee Schley

Perspectives on Augmentative and Alternative Communication 2011;21 11-16 http://div12perspectives.asha.org/cgi/content/abstract/21/1/11

What Are the Attention Demands of Aided AAC?

Jennifer J. Thistle and Krista M. Wilkinson

Perspectives on Augmentative and Alternative Communication 2011;21 17-22 http://div12perspectives.asha.org/cgi/content/abstract/21/1/17

Identifying, Locating, and Sequencing Visual-Graphic Symbols: A Perspective on the Role of Visuospatial and Temporal Memory

Barry T. Wagner, Lauren A. Shaffer, and Olivia A. Swim

Perspectives on Augmentative and Alternative Communication 2011;21 23-29 http://div12perspectives.asha.org/cgi/content/abstract/21/1/23

Tuesday! CSHA District 7 - What's in your Apps! (4/17/12, Glendale)

The California Speech-Language Hearing Association local district 7 will host an evening presentation on Apps! Patricia Seymour (CSUN) and Catherin Jackson (CSUN) explore the inclusion of tablets into clinical and research settings. (View the entire, official flyer HERE)

Come network with us on Tuesday at Glendale Adventist Hospital! (1509 Wilson Terrace, Glendale, CA, 91206) Registration on site - rates, below. Light dinner is included in the cost.

Save the Date - SCAAC-N Spring Quarterly Meeting, 5/15/12

From “eat cookies” to Asking Questions:  Getting beyond simple requesting through AAC language therapy

Mark your calendars for Tuesday, May 15, 2012.  Kara Bidstrup, MA, CCC-SLP (Prentke Romich Co.) will re-create her instructive session from CSUN's annual Disabilities and Technology conference for our FREE, quarterly SCAAC-N meeting at Villa Esperanza in Pasadena.

It's not to be missed!

See you soon, Kara...

AAC Position in Beautiful Oregon, 2012-2013

From: Jessica Duffett To: SIG 12, AAC Posted: April 06, 2012 11:56 AM Subject: AAC Position in Beautiful Oregon Message: Northwest Regional Education Service District has an opening for a full-time AAC Specialist beginning in the 2012-2013 school year. NWRESD is based in Hillsboro, Oregon just 12 miles east of Portland. We serve a wide variety of students with complex communication needs. Lots of opportunity for professional development and growth. Come work with our fantastic Assitive Technology and Augmentative Communication team. Pay is very competitive with excellent benefits! Application is available on EdZapp: http://applicant.edzapp.com/default.aspx?page=JobSearchFree&districtid=13441 ------------------------------------------- Jessica Duffett, M.S. CCC-SLP Augmentative Communication Specialist Northwest Regional Education Service District jduffett@nwresd.k12.or.us

LAMP Workshop - Buena Park - May 17

An opportunity to attend a workshop for ASHA CEUs...coming to a city near you! Mark your calendars to attend, and register today!! The Center for AAC and Autism offers workshops for participants to receive a detailed program of the LAMP (Language Acquisition through Motor Planning) treatment approach and learn why its emphasis on consistent motor plans is uniquely suited to children with autism. This interactive course entails an indepth discussion of the components, led by a clinician who works daily implementing AAC with children with autism. Time will be allotted for a question and answer session with the trainer. Register today, so you don't miss out! WORKSHOP DETAILS   May 17, 2012 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Language Acquisition through Motor Planning presented by: Teresa Parrill, M.S., CCC-SLP  Buena Park, CA For More Information or to Register:  Visit  www.aacandautism.com/trng ASHA CEUs are available for all workshops. WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION Language Acquisition through Motor Planning This comprehensive LAMP training program is designed for SLPs, family members, and therapists who want to learn new AAC skills and strategies that can enhance the lives of ASD individuals. The workshop examines the current research and the history of augmenting speech for people with ASD. Participants will study communication assessment and augmentative implementation procedures, with an emphasis on the use of multi-modal communication systems. Prior to this workshop, the trainer, also a licensed SLP, will work with three clients from the hosting facility, and videotape the consultations. These videos will be used throughout the workshop to facilitate discussion and point out key elements of the therapy approach. All participants will receive a complimentary copy of the LAMP Training Manual, which provides detailed instruction on using leading AAC devices to encourage the development of communication among those with ASD. ABOUT THE CENTER FOR AAC AND AUTISM The new Center for AAC and Autism, online at www.aacandautism.com , is dedicated to helping children with autism learn to communicate through the power of alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) devices. The Center for AAC and Autism was developed to support clinical research aimed at the effective implementation of AAC within the autism arena; facilitate sharing of best practices and success stories among clinicians and families; and teach AAC strategies for promoting language development in those with autism through Language Acquisition through Motor Planning (LAMP). To learn more about the Center for AAC and Autism, please visit: www.aacandautism.com, or call toll-free at (866) 998-1726.