Monday, March 24, 2014
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Communication and AAC programs
I had the opportunity, a few years ago, to teach a class of 6 non-verbal high school students how to use an AAC device to communicate. We used ProLoQuo on iPads as it seemed to be the best system out there. I watched as the students came alive with the ability to get their needs and desires met and have had a passion for enabling communication ever since!
To that effect, I wanted to share an AAC (Augmentive & Alternative Communication) system that I am excited about. As I mentioned, I initially used ProLoQuo and feel that it is a good program with a lot of benefits, least of which are it's virtually unlimited vocabulary and the ability to customize for the user. But, that can make it an overwhelming program for both learners and teachers. Additionally, I feel that it is more suited to people who have some, or a lot of, language skills but need the verbal output piece.
Touch Chat, on the other hand, is a program that seems very well suited to children who have both a language disorder and verbal output problems. I am currently using the program with one of my clients and I feel that it is a very intuitive program and quite user friendly. It has more options for customizing and offers more features than ProLoQuo. Additionally, they have a great website for support and a blog that offers ideas for teaching the initial use of the device and how to expand/teach language skills using the device.
The software is available as a app for iDevices or can be purchased as a dedicated device with a tablet, the software and a case/speaker system. With documentation from an SLP, medicaid here in Florida will cover the dedicated device package as will some private insurance companies. The links to both options are below if you are interested in exploring Touch Chat further.
Be wary, there is a Lite version of Touch Chat offered for sale in the iTunes store but it doesn't speak. We learned this the hard way by making the $10 purchase to find that it has most of the features, including the ability to customize, but does not have speech output. Not a very well spent $10. This is disappointing as it doesn't provide a very accurate trial of the program.
http://touchchatapp.com/apps/touchchat-aac-with-wordpower
http://saltillo.com/products
To that effect, I wanted to share an AAC (Augmentive & Alternative Communication) system that I am excited about. As I mentioned, I initially used ProLoQuo and feel that it is a good program with a lot of benefits, least of which are it's virtually unlimited vocabulary and the ability to customize for the user. But, that can make it an overwhelming program for both learners and teachers. Additionally, I feel that it is more suited to people who have some, or a lot of, language skills but need the verbal output piece.
Touch Chat, on the other hand, is a program that seems very well suited to children who have both a language disorder and verbal output problems. I am currently using the program with one of my clients and I feel that it is a very intuitive program and quite user friendly. It has more options for customizing and offers more features than ProLoQuo. Additionally, they have a great website for support and a blog that offers ideas for teaching the initial use of the device and how to expand/teach language skills using the device.
The software is available as a app for iDevices or can be purchased as a dedicated device with a tablet, the software and a case/speaker system. With documentation from an SLP, medicaid here in Florida will cover the dedicated device package as will some private insurance companies. The links to both options are below if you are interested in exploring Touch Chat further.
Be wary, there is a Lite version of Touch Chat offered for sale in the iTunes store but it doesn't speak. We learned this the hard way by making the $10 purchase to find that it has most of the features, including the ability to customize, but does not have speech output. Not a very well spent $10. This is disappointing as it doesn't provide a very accurate trial of the program.
http://touchchatapp.com/apps/touchchat-aac-with-wordpower
http://saltillo.com/products
Friday, March 21, 2014
Webinar on "Building appropriate sexuality skills for individuals w/significant ASD"
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Dr. Cicero is the Director of Psychological Services
for the Eden II Programs, an Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) program in New
York State serving children and adults on the autism spectrum. He is a New
York State Licensed Psychologist with over 18 years of experience providing
ABA programs for children and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).
Dr. Cicero received his Master's degree in school psychology from St.
John's University and his Doctorate in Educational Psychology from the City
University of New York Graduate Center. He is a Board Certified Behavior
Analyst, a Certified School Psychologist and the President-Elect of the New
York State Association for Behavior Analysis (NYSABA). Dr. Cicero serves as
an adjunct instructor in applied behavior analysis at the master's and
doctoral level. He frequently conducts workshops, consultations, and
research presentations at the national level and has been published in the
areas of toilet training and developmental disabilities. Dr. Cicero is
renowned for his straightforward approach to addressing the difficult and
uncomfortable topic of sexuality in the autism population.
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