Videos

This webinar is a two-part webinar. The true activity that the student is expected to subsequently “learn” to demonstrate and gain competence and independence will be discussed. Activities vary greatly with a student’s age and experience and are also impacted directly by the student’s visual perception, receptive language, language processing, mobility, and current postural development and control. The student’s ability to participate and “engage” in the real activity depends not only on the AT equipment and the access to it but also on the equipment that is supporting the student’s body. The second webinar (part 2) will examine the student’s classroom and school environment and its impact on the use of AT. Participants will learn how to analyze the classroom environment for ensuring task engagement and differentiate between tasks that focus on motor practice or cognitive practice.

The need for Assistive Technology (AT) devices and services is one of the special considerations that IEP teams MUST address before developing the IEP. What do teams needs to know in order to do this? This session will provide information and resources to guide IEP teams in considering AT and addressing it in the IEP document.

Requesting is a common starting point for many emergent communicators. While requesting is a motivating place to begin, we often find ourselves feeling stuck there. In this session, we will explore ideas for incorporating core vocabulary into daily classroom routines, and provide examples of implementation.

There are many high-tech AAC options, including both dedicated AAC devices and AAC apps that run on off-the-shelf devices. In this first session of a two-part webinar, we will focus on available robust AAC apps that run on iOS (Apple-based) tablets. We will examine each app, highlight its unique features, and discuss how specific features can be used to address specific user needs.

In this second session of a two-part webinar, we will continue our exploration of available robust AAC apps that run on Apple (iOS) devices with a focus on motor plan-based AAC apps. We will also go over a few robust AAC apps that run on other platforms (Android, Windows, Kindle Fire, Web). We will examine each app, highlight its unique features, and discuss how those specific features can be used to address specific user needs. We will also touch on other considerations when selecting an AAC app including protection, portability, amplification, and access.

Providing a means of access to AAC for students with complex bodies is challenging for teams. In our efforts to teach access first, we often miss the crucial step of making sure that a student is developing competence in the activity. This is a process that comes over time from practice with and knowledge of the activity - anticipating the beginning, the middle, and end. For our students, sensory processing directly affects visual convergence, focus, attention, or postural control, each of which can be misread as “disinterest” or “lack of communicative intent”. This brief session will share strategies and insight for teaching - not testing- so that AAC users can be increasingly engaged in meaningful learning activities, both academic and functional, as access develops.

The 11 POWER:AAC modules on the PaTTAN website are being used (across the commonwealth and the country) for professional development by individuals or groups who are supporting students with complex communication needs who need or use AAC systems. This session will provide participants an opportunity to interact with the author and panelists in a Q & A session, as well as share their own experiences and recommendations for implementing the POWER:AAC modules as part of on-going professional development.

This session will provide an overview of features of “empowering” AAC software systems and eye-tracking technology. A user-friendly interface that incorporates popular and effective language programs (e.g. Unity and LAMP Words for Life on Accent devices) will be explored. A variety of new online resources designed to provide immediate support to teams will be also shared.

In this session, participants will learn about the features of communication tools that have the capacity to provide the communication support needed to implement a core focused approach and scaffold the development and growth of individuals who use AAC. A wealth of resources to be used by parents, caregivers, or professionals supporting individuals who use AAC will be included in this feature-rich overview of current AAC tools (e.g. Snap + Core First, Pathways for Core First, and more.)

Students who use AAC benefit from support both at school and at home in order to become proficient communicators. When families and professionals partner to provide this support, they are able to maximize functional communication across environments and identify new potential areas of growth. This session will highlight specific ways to invest, empower, and support team members. Participants will learn about numerous resources and strategies that can be used with families and professionals who have varying levels of AAC experience.