5 Great Summer AT/AAC Online Trainings!

Looking for some continuing education opportunities to learn more about assistive technology and AAC while you are wrapping up your "lazy" summer? :)  Check out some of these great online webinars to stay in the AT loop!

1.  ATIA Online Webinars

ATIA is offering some great topics over the next month, including "Challenges to Using Apps as Assistive Technology"

2.  PRC Online Professional Development Trainings

PRC always hosts some great AAC trainings to support not only their products, but the AAC evaluation and treatment process as a whole.  They have a few nice online trainings coming up, including one on successful AAC report writing.

3.  The AAC Institute

Offers a nice, comprehensive listing of CE opportunities in the areas of AT and AAC, including online/webinar trainings.  

4.  The Assistive Technology Training Online Program (ATTO)

Although not a live webinar or a course offering CE credits, this site has some amazing online resources to help new professionals in the field of AT get their bearings.  

5.  Closing the Gap

Although they have not posted any new, live webinars since May, you can access all of their archived webinars for some really great information.

I will update this as I come across new opportunities.

Have a training, online course, or webinar you'd like to share?

10+ Essential Speech Therapy Apps for Your iToolbox

image from Polyvore 

I have found so many cool iTools for professionals lately that I decided to start a running post to showcase some of the apps that make my job as a therapist a little bit easier. :). Unlike other posts on SNEAK, which often focus on apps for our kids, this one is for my #slpeeps and other professionals working in the trenches and looking for some great apps to help out. Please comment below if you would like to share professional apps that you find helpful. I will update this list as I find new gems :)

*Note:  All of the app links below are for iPad apps but many of these apps are also available for the iPhone.


Say Hi Translate

Work with multicultural families and need some communication help in a pinch?  This handy app will translate into many common languages when you speak aloud!

Disfluency Index Counter

Keep track of stuttered syllables and more with this handy, disfluency data tracking app.

Artik Pix

A full articulation deck for word and sentence level practice with built-in data tracker, reinforcement, and auditory feedback.  Great pictures and extensive word lists!

Time Timer

An awesome visual timer to help kids stay on task and transition between activities.

Token Board

A visual token board app that helps kids work for rewards and achieve their goals.

Custom Boards

A great, on-the-go app for making visual supports and communication boards on your iPad!  Great symbol library and lots of templates included!

Super Duper Data Tracker

A simple and easy to use app for tracking data during sessions.  Data tracker also includes graphs to help you visualize each student's progress.

3D Human Oral Cavity

Great, 3D models of the human oral musculature to help in patient and family education during therapy.  This series has lots of companion apps for different parts of the body.

Pages

Created by Apple for iPad and iPhone, this word processor is a great way to keep up with your documents on-the-go.  It is a fully functioning word processing app that can be used to write therapy notes, create home programs,  compose letters to colleagues and families, and more!

Metronome!!

Help your students control their speaking rate, motor planning, and fluency with a simple, but handy metronome app.  This one provides visual and auditory feedback and is very customizable.

What apps are in your professional iToolbox?

Awareness! An App for Articulation, Fluency, and more!

I recently downloaded this app for my own use (to keep me safe and aware while running with my headphones in),  but I quickly realized that it had wonderful applications to speech therapy, especially for kids struggling with articulation and fluency difficulties.

Awareness! The Headphone App allows you to hear environmental sounds around you while listening to music or other audio through your headphones (on iPhone or iPad).  Awareness! uses the microphone of your device to bring in the external audio signal and blends the signals so you hear the audio source form within your device (i.e., audio, music) as well as the sounds around you!  It really works well!  Here are a few ways I have explored this app so far in therapy:

• As feedback to slow down speech rate (much like DAF-delayed Auditory Feedback)
• As feedback for articulation practice and error discrimination
• To help my kids with auditory processing difficulties practice listening to what's important within a sea of environmental noise

I love using Awareness!  with the built in iPhone/iPad, front facing camera as well for added feedback!

This app is simple, but awesome, and I can't wait to keep exploring it as a feedback tool in therapy!

What apps are you using for feedback?

Bummer #1 About the New iPad

Will the new Retina display on the iPad HD force you to have to upgrade to a storage size larger than the base model(16 gGB)? This article on App Advice kinda made me frown :(.

 

Downside to Having Retina Display on the New iPad

Originally posted on AppAdvice.com

 

Many of the Apps we use with kids who have special needs are large files to begin with (e.g., AAC Apps like Touch Chat etc...). I can't imagine them doubling or tripling in file size! That will be a disaster! This is definitely one thing to consider before buying the new iPad HD. Yo may have to shell out more money just to get enough storage for the new, HD versions of your Apps. :(

 

This bummer has me womdering: Could the iPad 2 be a better product for our kids?

 

 

Webinars on iPad for Special Needs Topics

Closing the Gap is hosting some great, low cost Webinars on a variety of topics related to using the iPad with children who have special needs. Check out the webinar list on their site!
And don't miss this year's Closing the Gap Conference, a wonderful place for learning and networking for parents and professionals who support children and adults with disability. The conference is in Minneapolis in October, check out http://www.closingthegap.com/ for more info!

The SoundBender Amplifies iPad for AAC

The Soundbender

I just came across this great review on AppAdvice about The Soundbender (by Simply Amazinc), a simple iPad accessory that amplifies the sound from your iPad by redirecting the sound waves toward you (rather than to the back, which is how the iPad speaker is currently set-up).  I really think this has amazing applications for kids (and adults) who use the iPad as an AAC device.  Compared to using external speakers to address limitations in amplification, the Soundbender is smaller, lighter-weight, does not require a power source, and fits on the iPad with a protective case in place secondary to its magnetic properties.  Check out a review of Soundbender on AppAdvice, and visit Kickstarter to learn more about the product and its designer, a teacher and Rabbi working in Minnesota. Kickstarter also has a video of the Soundbender in action.  Currently, the only way to obtain a Soundbender is to become a “backer” of this new, grass-roots product by visiting their project site on Kickstarter.   Once the project receives enough funding (i.e., enough “backers” pledging money), Simply Amazinc can begin larger scale production of the Soundbender and it will become available commercially.  Mine is on the way for a simple pledge of $20! Can’t wait to receive it and start using it-I’ll keep you posted! J

The Soundbender on the iPad 2

What solutions are you using to solve this iPad sound dilemma? 

SNEAK's Top 5 Web Resources for Teaching Language to Kids Who Use AAC

I often encounter colleagues and parents who find themselves stuck at many levels of the AAC and language continuum.  For some of us who support kids who use AAC, getting tangled in the technology can often leave us feeling confused and overwhelmed (Imagine how our kids feel!)  In my own quest for a life raft in this sometimes daunting task, I have found some wonderful resources to support the process of teaching language to children who use AAC! as well as those responsible for teaching them!  Here are my fav 5 web resources for AAC implementation strategies:

 

1.  AAC Language Lab is a site operated by Prentke-Romich Company, an AAC device manufacturer.  Even though the resources on this site are designed to be used with PRC's Unity software on their devices, the activities and resources here can be used to teach core vocabulary to kids who use any device or low-tech system.  Access to all info and teaching resources on this site is completely free!  I use the plans and handouts on this site daily with my kids and families and all of the information is clearly illustrated, in parent-friendly language, making AAC Language Lab an awesome resource for therapy sessions and carryover across daily routines. 

2.  PrAACtical AAC  is an amazing blog and web resource with frequent posts on language building strategies to support AAc users at a variety of levels.  PrAACtical AAC also has an AAC e-Toolbox with tons of implementation techniques, handouts, articles, and videos.  There is a wealth of other valuable information on this site and it is updated frequently with PrAACtical tips :). 

3.  Dynavox Implementation Toolkit  is a site by Dynavox Techno,ogies, another AAC device manufacturer.  This site is intended for use with Dunavox's InterAACt software on their devices.  However, much like the AAC Language Lab by PRC, the principles outlined in this extensive toolkit can be used with other devices and low-tech systems.  I especially like this resource because it has a range of information that varies in detail, making it a great source for pros, teachers, And parents.  You have to create an account to use the toolkit but it is quick, easy, and free to do so.  :)

4.  AAC Intervention provides a Tip of the Month on implementing ASC and archives all other tips for reference.  Eavh tip focuses on a different topic in ASC implementation and most include detailed handouts on what the strategy is, how to use it, and why.  The site is free for all resources and is updated somewhat frequently.  

5.  YAACK: Connecting Young Kids has a wealth of information on  the span of AAC, from defining through assessment, and also has some great, basic information on teaching AAC and building communicative competence in AAC users.  This isn't a site that is updated frequently as it is a compilation of information by Ruth Ballinger, completed for fulfillment of her Masters in Special Education.  BUT, it is an essential reference for anyone supporting an AAC user, especially those who are a little shaky on the subject of AAC.  

Have an AAC site or other resoirce that you depend on for guidance?

 

 

 

 

 

ATIA Update! AAC Institute & Developing Language Competence in AAC Users

A great session with Katya Hill, SLP of the University of Pittsburgh/AAC Institute, stressing the importance of helping families, professionals, and kids move forward, beyond core words, beyond requesting and social phrases, to full language competence with AAC Systems, including grammar and literacy. We forget sometimes that we need to follow normal developmental norms for Language acquisition with nonverbal or limited verbal kids and that we need to set their systems up with this evolution in mind!  Check out the great links below to learn more from the AAC Institute!  

 AAC Institute on Facebook 

AAC Institute Main Site 

Gail Van Tatenove, Pixon Project, & Core Words 

AAC Language Lab, Materails and Teaching/Implementation Materials 

 

I hope to find more Webinars and trainings on this topic for pros and parents in the future!

 

 

More Great Webinars on Apps and the iPad!

Closing the Gap is offering some great, entry level Webinars on the iPad and Apps for special needs.  I think these would be awesome for therapists just getting onto the iPad scene, and also parents looking for some structured, therapeutically relevant information.  They do cost some money, but it isn't much, and pros can get continuing education credit for participating!  Closing the Gap offers new Webinars often so check back regularly.  :)

 

The GSF is Giving Away 50 iPads in 50 Weeks!

The Gwendolyn Strong Foundation (theGSF) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing global awareness of Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), the #1 genetic killer of young children, accelerating research focused on ending this cruel disease, and supporting families impacted by SMA and other life-altering conditions. theGSF is an all volunteer organization, meaning 100% of your donation goes toward fulfilling our mission.

This awesome foundation is not only working hard on a free AAC App, "Say Hi", but they are also heading Project Mariposa to help get 50 iPads into the lives of 50 kids in need.   Check out Project Mariposa for your child, or a child you know that could benefit from this technology!  Keep up to date about theGSF's new App on the horizon, Say Hi, by visiting their site and checking with SNEAK regularly.  You can also help keep this cause and its foundation alive by making a donation to theGSF.  

 

Custom Boards App: Boardmaker for iPad? Well not exactly...

Get Custom Boards in the App Store!

Most likely, all of you use or have used Boardmaker to create communication boards and other visual supports for your kids.  Mayer-Johnson and the community of Boardmaker users have even created platforms for sharing resources to help professionals and parents create materials with Boardmaker quickly and easily, such as Boardmaker Share and the Speaking of Speech Materials Exchange.  BUT, Mayer-Johnson has not yet released a mobile solution to fulfill our visual support making needs!  I like to think of Custom Boards as the cousin (twice removed I suppose) of Boardmaker.  While Custom Boards doesn’t yet offer the editing power we see in Boardmaker, it is a smart little App that makes creating visual supports on the fly a breeze.   

Things I Love About Custom Boards:

·       Simple, easy to use app design

·       An extensive library of Smarty Symbols and the ability to use photos from your iPad

·       Ability to save boards to user folders keeps you organized and makes finding saved boards easier

·       Printed boards are well formatted

·       Extensive template library that allows you to create tons of materials easily

·       A Lite version in the App Store, and tutorial and demo videos allow users to try before they buy

·       A cost effective solution (in comparison to Boardmaker) for parents to create boards at home

My Wish List for Custom Boards:

·       I hope they fix the Email function as it isn’t working on my version

·       Ability to change the font type, size, and color

·       Ability to resize and combine symbols within cells

·       Being able to search and add Google Images from within the App would be really cool J

Overall, I think this is a great App for creating visuals on the go and I really love the price in comparison with Boardmaker, making this a nice solution for families to create visuals at home.  It is important to note that you do need to have air printing abilities to print these boards from your iPad, otherwise, you will need to email them to yourself and print them from a computer.  I know that many professionals and parents who try this App may experience some longing for the PCS library found in Boardmaker products; however, I encourage everyone to open their symbol minds and try something new! J Download Custom Boards now to try it for yourself!

What do you think of Custom Boards and the Smarty Symbols Library?

Speak for Yourself App, a Great Blog Post & Video from A Parent's Perspective

A few weeks ago I posted about a new AAC App called Speak for Yourself and I was thrilled to come across a blog post on Uncommon Sense showcasing how one mom is using this great App with her special needs child.  The post is insightful and informative and it also includes some great video!  You have to check it out! :)

New AAC App With a Core Words Approach!

Find it at the App Store

Thank you toTherapy App 411 for this awesome review of a great new App that looks and works a lot like MinSpeak/Unity on the PRC communication devices (e.g., Vantage, Vanguard)!

Speak For Yourself! (click link to the left for Therapy App 411 review) is an AAC App
that is rooted in the use of core word vocabulary (FINALLY!) and motor planning concepts to help kids with communication disabilities communicate more quickly and effectively!  Visit the developers website for additional info. Here is a video demo (produced by the developers and posted on You Tube)

 My only gripe is that there isn't a lite version :(. It is a pricey App at $299.00 and I know therapists and parents are going to want to try before they buy.  Maybe if enough of us suggest this to the developers they will throw us a Lite Version Bone :)

 

You have to check out this App and let us know what you think!  It is truly UNIQUE!