POPULARITY
This week, we present Part 2 of Chris's conversation with Kim Hurley and Jessica Conrad about the Specific Language System First Approach! Kim Hurley is an SLP and AAC Specialist who is considering moving her district to the Specific Language System First Approach. Jessica Conrad is an SLP and AAC Specialist who works for the Indiana PATINS project supporting AAC users and their circle of support. In Part 2, Chris, Kim, and Jessica continue to breakdown some of Kim and Jessica's concerns with implementing the Specific Language System Approach, including failing to notice when a student needs a more individualized AAC system (i.e. a “Tier 3” AAC student), as well as and the need to include families in the process of selecting the “Tier 1/2” AAC system. Before the interview, Chris and Rachel chat about Rachel's recent visit to a Jack Johnson concert in Hawaii and the importance of Jack's music to Rachel when she was battling seasonal depression (i.e., Seasonal Affective Disorder) as a young woman. Key ideas this week:
This week, the TWT team presents Part 2 of Chris and Rachel's coaching call with Anya Ashouri, an SLP and AT Specialist for a Non-Public School. In this half of the coaching call, Chris, Rachel, and Anya discuss how to decide what the next AT strategy to work on with students will be, the benefits of providing visual supports to everyone all over the school, how to monitor the quality of implementation in the classroom, and how to get students more excited about the writing and editing process. Before the interview, Chris and Rachel discuss a question from Luke about supporting AAC users who primarily use text to communicate (rather than symbols). Rachel touches on how to model AAC using text, when a typing-only system (e.g. Proloquo4Text) would be more appropriate than symbols + text, and how to encourage modeling AAC for a family when parents understand the child's speech but it is difficult for others to understand.
This week, the TWT team presents Chris’s interview with Carson Covey, social media manager & AAC mentor at Jill Tullman & Associates, ambassador with PRC, and AAC user! Carson shares about changing his AAC system to TouchChat; the importance of having his circle of support use his device; updating AAC devices when sheltering at home; and going to school to become an SLP! Before the interview, Chris and Rachel play AAC Bingo & score themselves on AAC in their lives, including advocating modeling, using low tech AAC, valuing motor planning, and using AAC memes. Key ideas this week: