melted crayon art

22 Şubat 2013 Cuma

Attainment's New Stuff

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A browse through the new products at Attainment Company just made me start humming, "I Want to Be A Millionaire"! Here are just a few of the things that made me think about my credit card:

SymbolSupported iPad App - like Pix Writer for your iPad this app adds literacy support symbols from Imagine Symbols and PixWriter as you type, perfect for directions and recipes all on your iPad (or save as a PDF and send to your printer) $29.99
Classic Attainment software programs as iPad apps - programs we have all been using for 15+ years coming to your iPad, for now just Community Success and Dollars and Cents at $39.99 each, but I am sure more will be on the way (these two programs have also been updated to look and act more modern when used on your computer)
ELSB now available as a software program - a literacy program for learners with with special needs that was only available in a print version now for your computer
New Early Numeracy and Early Science print curriculum for elementary students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities pricey at $599 and $499 respectively these program will fill in a missing piece for those of us using Unique needing a more intense focus on Math and Science
GoNow iPad Case has a built in handle, and is designed to both protect iPad 2 or 3 and direct the sound out in one direction (it seems to be more for users to hear - not for communication partners to hear when using AAC apps however); also easy access ports for charging and syncing for $59.99 it is certainly worth a try
Attainment eBooks are how Attainment is going to be offering all of their books (for teachers and professionals) in a version that will be available on iOS, but the process is kind of convoluted, still it might be worth it for schools to purchase in this manner (I don't quite understand why they can't just be sold in the iBooks store, but I am sure there is some reason)
This last product I can't wait to get my hands on StepPAD is a small, handheld prompting device with the ability to record series of auditory prompts for a user to access later, it also has an overlay holder for visual cues. I can envision this being used for students with working memory deficits as to assist in following instructions, especially for individual or home work , $99.99

My hopes for Attainment next round of new products:

More updates of classic computer programs to new computer and iOS versions
Age appropriate versions of ELSB and the new numerancy and science curriculums for older learners with severe disabilities
Computer and iOS versions of all curriculums
A sharing website for SymbolSupprt and Go Talk NOW creations teachers, SLPs and families make for students

A Missing Piece - AAC Implementation at Home

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So often in the classroom we see AAC users who do not even bring their
speech devices home, never mind use them consistently there. Many of us know the thrill of opening up a child's speech device in the morning at school and realizing it has been used! I know in my classroom we get excited when a battery come in dead because it means the child used the device!

The parents who read this blog may be surprised at that, mostly because the parents who read this blog are usually the ones who are pushing for AAC to be implemented for their child. However, there are many parents who aren't interested in AAC for their child, who think it is just for school or who even refuse to let their child use AAC for one reason or another. Teachers and speech therapists sometimes run into former students years later only to learn that the years they spent teaching AAC meant little because as an adult the student no longer has a device or doesn't use it.

Why does this happen? Why do so few students use their devices at home and why do so many adults who used AAC in school fail to continue?

A big part of this is a failure of the school-home connection. We as teachers and therapists need to find ways to understand and appreciate what goes into implementing AAC at home, especially when there are so many other things that go into raising a child who has significant special needs. As we build our understanding we need to build systems and approaches to AAC implementation that bridge the gap between home and school. We need to help parents understand the power of AAC and help them feel more comfortable with leading their child through the process of learning to be a better communicator.

Let's face it, parents all over the world teach their children language. They aren't teachers or speech therapists. They haven't trained for years in language acquisition. They teach their children speech using modeling, shaping, repeating and recasting, and all sorts of other techniques they have probably never heard of. Yet we fail to empower parents of AAC users to do the same thing. We don't sit them down and say, "You can do this! Mom and dad just by you using this device in front of your child, by your responding to your child using this device and by acting as if device-use were verbal speech you can teach your child language!"

We also don't break it down. We don't say, "Week one just set it up every day. Week two model a sentence a day. Week three model two sentences a day..." We might never offer any training or encouragement and almost never do we go into our students' homes and demonstrate what we mean. But we need to. We must find ways to take this vital step.

In an ideal world children with significant special needs would have ongoing in-home consultation and training from their school staff. Teachers and therapists would be able to teach parents not just how to set up the device or program it but how to use techniques like Aided Language Stimulation (modeling) to increase their child's communication skills. Also in an ideal world parent would be able to attend training to become communication coaches.

Communication coaching would start simple. Essentially it would move slowly from helping parents see the value in bring the speech device home daily and having it present and powered up so it might be used to asking every family member to just model one sentence a day on the device without any demands but only an sense of expectation that their child respond in kind right through helping families find practical ways to use the speech device at places like the doctors, religious services and shopping.

(And realistically how many of us in schools consider what it must be like to take a child with multiple physical handicaps and all their equipment out and then worry about setting up the speech device? Have we even thought about how parents can carry all that stuff? My students always bring their speech devices out and use them during community based instruction but I know many who teachers either don't have community based instruction or leave the devices at school!)

It is time for teachers, therapists and administrators to find new ways to ensure communication success over a lifetime for AAC users. We have a world of technology at our finger tips, Skype, Google Plus Video Chats, video cameras on our phones with the ability to share at the touch of a button. Surely we can find ways to make a better connection for the sake of communication? We must find a way to work with families, taking into consideration their needs, so we can promote all of our students having a voice - wherever they are, forever.

(Many thanks to Samantha and her family for the use of the pictures!)

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21 Şubat 2013 Perşembe

Tuesday's Giveaway Linkup {3/13}

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Tuesday's Giveaway Linkup

Welcome to Tuesday's Giveaway Link Up with your hosts Aimee @ Classified: Mom & Karen @ Tots and Me & Alicia @ McCrenshaw's Newest Thoughts!

This link up will be posted Monday at 7 PM est. and run all week long! Make sure you stop in as often as you can to list your latest giveaways.

Here is how to use the Giveaway Link Up

1. Post your reviews and/or giveaways, as many as you have, be sure to add the end date (family friendly please)

2. Help spread the word about the giveaway link up by grabbing our button, Tweeting or posting on Facebook. (Not mandatory- but it helps get more exposure to your giveaways as well!)

3. Take a moment to enter any giveaway that strikes an interest to you!

If you would like to follow the three hostesses, we will gladly follow you back! Simply leave us a message to do so.

Thank you for linking up with Aimee @ Classified: Mom & Karen @ Tots and Me & Alicia @ McCrenshaw's Newest Thoughts!

Tuesday's Giveaway Linky (3/27)

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I am so sorry for missing out on last week's linky! I think that things are finally settling down and I should be posting more often. It's just hard to get back into the swing of things - and to even think of what to write about! - after taking such a long hiatus!

A New Parenting Blog (You'll Like It!)

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It can be tough to jump back into writing on a regular basis after taking such a long vacation from it. It is especially difficult when you cannot think of anything to write about. I usually write about the fun projects the kids and I are working on or parenting in general. Unfortunately, things have been getting rougher and rougher around here with both kids. I know that some of it has to do with their reactions to the stress I'm feeling. No matter how much you try to hide something like this, it still shows. And, with my oldest, I am honest. He gets a simpler version of what's going on because 1) I don't believe in lying to him by saying that everything is going to be OK - it may not, and 2) if things do get bad, I don't want it to be a shock to him.

As for Little Guy, I am having a terrible time. It's as if he wants to constantly argue with me over everything. He'll ask for a flavor of juice that he knows we don't have, then whine and cry and throw a HUGE tantrum over not getting it. He wakes up in the morning telling me, "Today, I not gonna listen to you, Mommy!" All of the rules get broken all of the time. Not only the silly ones, like pick up your toys. The serious ones, too: no touching the electric outlets. He's thrown Hot Wheels at the TV screen, tossed my coffee mug down our wooden staircase, he runs off when we're on walks... into busy streets. I gave up on cooking and washing dishes with him because he's managed to cut me with a paring knife when I told him to please put it down (he put it down with force on my hand!) and he's broken a ton of dishes by tossing them on the floor just to see them crash. I feel that there is more than his reaction to stress to blame for this sudden change in behavior (no, he hasn't had any vax!)

Anyway, just when I thought I had no where but a physician to turn to (I really don't want labels such as "ADD" on his medical chart - especially at only 3 years old), I heard that a new blog is starting up that may just help me with these and many other parenting problems I will come across. The blog is written by three mothers who have a total of 17 children, ranging in age from 1 to 16 (and one on the way!). And, these aren't just any moms - they are moms who have the same parenting philosophies as I. They "...ascribe to Attachment Parenting, Gentle Discipline, & Natural Family Living philosophies; each in our own way. We wanted to create a place to share our lives as "crunchy" Moms with other similar-minded Moms." Their blog, Grateful Moms of Many, is scheduled to launch on April 1, 2012 and I, for one, cannot wait! On the site, you will find articles on many topics, including pregnancy & birth, breastfeeding, multiples, special needs children, schooling, discipline, frugality, crafts, recipes, mental health, and generally the unique challenges that moms face in daily life. It sounds like the PERFECT mom blog to me!

I really love how these three moms (Sasha, Nic, and Michelle) met each other. They were all on an Online Due Date Club - you know, where expectant moms can commiserate with other women who are at the same stage of pregnancy. Once their children were all born, the three moms stayed in touch via a private Facebook group. Though they all share similar parenting philosophies, they also believe that every parent does what he/she feels is best for their children. You won't find judgment on this blog, only support. And, with the years of experience that these Moms of Many have, you can almost bet that all kinds of interesting things have been encountered. That leaves me feeling as if I can find the help I need with my own kids.

If you can't wait for their April 1st launch, you can head over to their Facebook page, Grateful Moms of Many. There are already a few questions posted and the community there feels wonderful - lots of great ideas being generated and no judgemental attitudes.

Oh, and I almost forgot! To celebrate the Grateful Moms of Many's blog launch on April 1st (you know what day that is, right?!), there will be a special giveaway with a nice little prank-like twist! April Fool's! So, don't forget to go check it out - I'll give you a quick reminder post so you don't forget. :)

Tuesday's Giveaway Linkup {4/10}

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Tuesday's Giveaway Linkup {4/17}

To contact us Click HERE