Assistive Technology

May 29, 2003

Hi !

I'll let the members whose children are using assistive augmentative devices

answer that part of your question (which is yes) -and send these two archived

messages of helpful information from since

they are long!

From: " M. " <khalidsvision@...>

Date: Fri Apr 18, 2003 9:26 pm

Subject: When does a child need Augmentative and Alternative

Communication?

Hi Tammy!

Here is some information at the YAACK web site that

address questions and concerns about the ACC devices.

I hope that you and others here will find these ACC

resources helpful for those who are interested.

Mustafa

Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Connecting

Young Kids (YAACK)

(YAACK) Home Page

http://aac.unl.edu/yaack/index.html

When does a child need AAC?

http://aac.unl.edu/yaack/b1.html#top

" A child whose speech is not developing within the realm of

what is considered normal, or is not likely to develop

normal speech due to a pre-existing condition, is a

potential candidate for AAC. (See Risk factors for a

communication impairment.) Even when it is unclear whether

or not a child will eventually develop normal speech, and

this is frequently the case, the child may still benefit

from an AAC program. (See Does AAC impede natural

speech?—and other fears http://aac.unl.edu/yaack/b2.html)

The following are some of the reasons why AAC should be

considered for a child with a communication impairment or

delay.

Much of a child's cognitive, social and academic progress

depend on communication. AAC has been shown to enhance a

child's ability in all of these areas (Abrahamsen, Romski,

& Sevcik, 1989; Blackstone, 1989; Silverman, 1980).

A child with severe disabilities is often unable to learn

the early cognitive and social skills on which conventional

communication is based. An AAC program can tackle these

related areas while teaching functional communication at

the same time (Van Tatenhove, 1987).

Caregivers are often unable to interpret a child with

disabilities' early attempts at communication. This results

in a distorted relationship between caregivers and child,

and the extinguishing of further attempts at communication

by the child. An AAC program helps caregivers become more

sensitive to the communicative behaviors of their child, in

addition to giving the child a more decipherable means of

communication (Van Tatenhove, 1987). (See Normal speech and

language development http://aac.unl.edu/yaack/b1.html#b1c).

A child with a communication impairment is at risk for

learned helplessness http://aac.unl.edu/yaack/b1.html#b1b

Because adults do not expect the child to inform them of

his or her needs and wants, they anticipate, and often

misinterpret, the child's needs. As a result, the child may

relinquish any attempt to make his or her desires known and

become extremely passive. AAC provides the means for the

child to make choices and indicate desires and dislikes. In

fact, giving the child more control over the environment is

often one of the first goals of a communication program

(Schweigert & Rowland, 1992; Van Tatenhove, 1987).

(See Basic communicative functions

http://aac.unl.edu/yaack/d2a.html#d2a1)

Besides learned helplessness, a child who becomes

frustrated due to the inability to communicate may resort

to problem behaviors in order to get his or her way. AAC

provides the child with socially acceptable ways of

communicating needs and desires. (See Children with severe

behavioral issues http://aac.unl.edu/yaack/d4.html#d4e).

Finally, since the ability to communicate represents a

quality-of-life issue, it is important to observe the

overall level of satisfaction and sense of fulfillment that

the child derives from his or her life. There may be a need

for AAC when a child's communication disability is

preventing him or her from engaging in the quality and

quantity of participation in activities and routines that

would be characteristic and expected if he or she did not

have a communication impairment. In other words, if a child

is unable to participate meaningfully in day-to-day

activities and events just because of difficulties

communicating, he or she would probably benefit from AAC.

The implications of this definition of need are:

*Every child must be assessed individually and in the

context of his or her environment, lifestyle and culture.

(See The ecological approach: Focusing on participation

http://aac.unl.edu/yaack/c0.html#c0a0a).

*No standardized tests can in and of themselves determine

whether a child will benefit from AAC.

(See The comprehensive AAC assessment

http://aac.unl.edu/yaack/c0.html).

*Children with severe and multiple disabilities, including

profound cognitive impairments, can still increase their

level of participation with AAC. (See A historical

perspective on AAC http://aac.unl.edu/yaack/b3.html).

*AAC goals and objectives should be functional, that is

they must have purpose and meaning to the child and/or to

significant others in the child's life. They should be

primarily aimed at increasing the quality and quantity of

the child's participation in activities and routines. (See

The ecological approach: Focusing on

participationhttp://aac.unl.edu/yaack/c0.html#c0a0a).

Even when it is expected that a child will eventually be

able to speak, AAC may be recommended in addition to speech

therapy. A child who cannot communicate effectively now due

to inadequate speech is still at risk for cognitive and

social delays, excessive frustration, behavior problems,

and learned helplessness. (See Does AAC impede natural

speech?—and other fears.) Ideally, a communication

intervention should be implemented when a child is simply

suspected of having a serious communication delay in order

to prevent the onset of related problems that can

negatively impact many different areas of a child's

development (Mirenda & Mathy-Laikko, 1989).

(See Contacting an organization for services and

supporthttp://aac.unl.edu/yaack/b4.html#b4a).

Presentation:

Profiling Children with Developmental Apraxia of Speech:

Planning Comprehensive Intervention

http://aac.unl.edu/ball/DASasha98/index.htm

OTHER RESOURCES:

http://aac.unl.edu/yaack/toc.html#st

http://aac.unl.edu/AAClinks.html

>So again I pose the question to the list..at what age

>would we start to consider an assistive device for a child

>who has lots of speech but is only intelligible 25% out of

>context..and would she grow to not try to speak if she

>had something like this? Would it help or hinder her.what

>conditions would one need to consider? My child is 6 and

>currently in Kindergarten, but I am sure lots of us our

>wondering.

>Tammy in Oregon

From: " M. " <khalidsvision@...>

Date: Mon May 19, 2003 2:28 pm

Subject: Re: PECS, sign and speech

Hi everyone and welcome newcomers!

There is a comprehensive website, YAACK, which answer questions and

concerns about the use of ACC devices. I feel members will find this

resource informative/helpful for those interested in learning more

about augmentative and alternative communication.

Mustafa

Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Connecting Young

Kids (YAACK) Home Page

http://aac.unl.edu/yaack/index.html

" Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Connecting Young

Kids (YAACK) is a website that covers issues related to AAC and

young

children. Its purpose is to provide information and guidance to

families, teachers, speech/language pathologists and anyone else who

is involved with a child with special communication needs. It is

intended to be easy to understand and practical, and to cover a wide

range of topics dealing with AAC and AAC-related issues of children

at various ages and stages of communication ability, and with

different strengths, disabilities and learning characteristics.

YAACK is based on the premise that the purpose of AAC is to assist

the child in attaining the quality of life that approaches the level

of satisfaction and meaningfulness that would have been possible if

the child did not have a communication disability. Therefore, the

child's ability to communicate when, where and what is desired is

the

goal; AAC is just the means. YAACK emphasizes the individuality of

each child, and stresses the fact that there is no single solution

or

set of procedures that will work for every child. Success depends on

really getting to know and understand the child, and then developing

and implementing a communication program that takes into account his

or her unique characteristics. "

What is augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)?

http://aac.unl.edu/yaack/b0.html

When does a child need AAC?

http://aac.unl.edu/yaack/b1.html

Risk factors for a communication impairment

http://aac.unl.edu/yaack/b1.html#b1a

Does AAC impede natural speech? —and other fears

http://aac.unl.edu/yaack/b2.html

Finding answers to specific AAC questions

http://aac.unl.edu/yaack/b5.html

Communication boards and VOCAs

http://aac.unl.edu/yaack/d5.html#d5b

Children with specific disabilities

http://aac.unl.edu/yaack/d4.html

Children with apraxia

http://aac.unl.edu/yaack/d4.html#d4f

Children with motor impairments

http://aac.unl.edu/yaack/d4.html#d4a

On-line AAC discussion groups

http://aac.unl.edu/yaack/b5.html#b5a

Books

http://aac.unl.edu/yaack/b5.html#b5b

" The following are listings of books on AAC and communication-

" Selected Books on Augmentative Communication and Adaptive Play "

compiled by J. Burkhart is located at

www.lburkhart.com/sr.htm#2.

" Augmentative and Alternative Communication Related Reference List "

compiled by Dr. R. Beukelman and Dr. Pat Mirenda at

aac.unl.edu/aacinref.html.

Other Internet resources

http://aac.unl.edu/yaack/b5.html#b5c

" The following are Internet websites with a strong focus on AAC

and/or communication disability-related issues. They are not

arranged

in any particular order. "

=====

June 3, 2003

If your child is in school you can request an assistive technology consult

from your child study team. In my daughters case the district sent a consultant

to see her at school and they wrote a recommendation as to what type of device

would be most helpful to her. Now the district is ordering the device for

her.

June 3, 2003

you can also contact Cerebral palsy of your area. I know the one in

NJ provides these consults as well. they also will make presentations to the

group. We have one next week at my daughters school.

June 3, 2003

I asked for an evaluation from the school in November 2002. I signed the 505

and they were to have her tested in 45 days. Last week they told me that

since she is talking in 2 word sentences that they felt it unnessasary to

have her tested and cancelled it without my knowledge. We have been waiting

all year for this test. She is 6 1/2 and is going into 1st grade with a 2.4

age language and the school thinks that this is acceptable.NOT!!!!

-- Re: [ ] assistive technology

If your child is in school you can request an assistive technology consult

from your child study team. In my daughters case the district sent a

consultant

to see her at school and they wrote a recommendation as to what type of

device

would be most helpful to her. Now the district is ordering the device for

her.

March 28, 2008

:

We use a Dynavox DV4. This has helped Ethan tremendously! He uses it as a

modeling tool. At first we used it often to speak, but as his vocabulary

increased he needed it less. Now we are using it as a tool to build vocabulary

and structure sentences etc.... You can visit the Dynavox site at

www.dynavoxtechnologies.com. They have a new device out called the V and it is

awesome! I would definitely suggest this avenue to any parent of a child with

apraxia. It has opened numerous doors for Ethan! You can visit our website at

http://web.mac.com/csljh2000 I will post a video sometime in the next week of

Ethan using his device. Right now we are working on sentence structure and a

lot of what we are doing involves hand over hand assistance...but it always

works this way with him. You have to introduce the new idea and he needs time

to learn how to process the information correctly-- and then boom he is saying

ten new things in a clearer voice!

~

Illinois

[ ] Assistive Technology

Is anyone using assitive technologies with apraxic children? My

ST has

suggested starting with some sort of computer, she says that she has

had very good luck with them. Noah is picking up signs wonderfully and

uses them when he REALLY needs too, he also will say some words when

prompted but still is struggling to use words spontaneously. He also

knows a lot of words but they just won't/can't come out. It is very

fustrating!

________________________________________________________________________________\

____

Looking for last minute shopping deals?

Find them fast with Search.

http://tools.search./newsearch/category.php?category=shopping

March 28, 2008

I put the wrong web address for Dynavox! Sorry!!! It is www.dynavoxtech.com

~

[ ] Assistive Technology

Is anyone using assitive technologies with apraxic children? My

ST has

suggested starting with some sort of computer, she says that she has

had very good luck with them. Noah is picking up signs wonderfully and

uses them when he REALLY needs too, he also will say some words when

prompted but still is struggling to use words spontaneously. He also

knows a lot of words but they just won't/can't come out. It is very

fustrating!

Looking for last minute shopping deals?

Find them fast with Search.

________________________________________________________________________________\

____

Looking for last minute shopping deals?

Find them fast with Search.

http://tools.search./newsearch/category.php?category=shopping

March 28, 2008

Maddy uses a spring board. The manufacturer is prenkeromich.

http://www.prentrom.com/

sharon

Humphreys <csljh2000@...> wrote:

:

We use a Dynavox DV4. This has helped Ethan tremendously! He uses it as a

modeling tool. At first we used it often to speak, but as his vocabulary

increased he needed it less. Now we are using it as a tool to build vocabulary

and structure sentences etc.... You can visit the Dynavox site at

www.dynavoxtechnologies.com. They have a new device out called the V and it is

awesome! I would definitely suggest this avenue to any parent of a child with

apraxia. It has opened numerous doors for Ethan! You can visit our website at

http://web.mac.com/csljh2000 I will post a video sometime in the next week of

Ethan using his device. Right now we are working on sentence structure and a lot

of what we are doing involves hand over hand assistance...but it always works

this way with him. You have to introduce the new idea and he needs time to learn

how to process the information correctly-- and then boom he is saying ten new

things in a clearer voice!

~

Illinois

[ ] Assistive Technology

Is anyone using assitive technologies with apraxic children? My ST has

suggested starting with some sort of computer, she says that she has

had very good luck with them. Noah is picking up signs wonderfully and

uses them when he REALLY needs too, he also will say some words when

prompted but still is struggling to use words spontaneously. He also

knows a lot of words but they just won't/can't come out. It is very

fustrating!

__________________________________________________________

Looking for last minute shopping deals?

Find them fast with Search.

http://tools.search./newsearch/category.php?category=shopping

March 28, 2008

About a year ago we started using a CHAT PC with my son. The reason

for this technology was a couple of reasons...

He has gross and fine motor planning and strength issues - he learns

signs very quickly but they are not always accurate.

He has excellent receptive language and wants to talk about

EVERYTHING and it was causing frustration.

We were trying to increase his ability to discuss daily events

between school and home, etc.

This device is very cool - we are currently using it as an expanded

dictionary for all types of words. We initially started out using it

to teach sentence structure, etc. It was clear almost immediately

that he understands noun, verb, descriptor so this was not needed as

a teaching tool. So it has the ability to use it many different ways.

It is flexible, has huge capabilities and is small - which is a

bigger for my son b/c although he is almost seven, he is the size of

a three year old. Although a three year old with very weak muscles.

So he can't tote around something huge. It comes with belt loops,

etc.

www.saltillo.com is the sight where you can look at devices they

make. We had an assistive communication consultant come to the school

and work with my son, his teachers, speech therapist and home

therapist to pick out the right thing. It is TIME CONSUMING to

program and we have dropped it's use as Carson becomes easier to

understand and engaged and better at signing.

Feel free to email me directly if you'd like more information.

March 28, 2008

We got a Dynavox V last summer. Its like a little computer with

Windows XP and all! We had a great eval done by a local Rehabilitation

Hospital Speech Therapist. They ordered it for us and Insurance and

her Medicaid covered it in full. She has Tech Speak at school and they

also use her Dynavox. The Tech Speak is a little more time-consuming

because you have to laminate pages and record for each picture. The

Dynavox has it all programmed.

March 28, 2008

The great thing about these aug comm devices is that so many of them have

software that coincides. We use classroom suite by intellitools. It has

preprogrammed classroom lessons. We are also looking into another reding

program by intellitools, can't remember the name right now. Anyway, it is great

carryover at home and helps the teacher at school to get exprewssive

communicaiton/answers/proof of understanding from these kids.

Sharon

Maureen <mosense@...> wrote:

We got a Dynavox V last summer. Its like a little computer with

Windows XP and all! We had a great eval done by a local Rehabilitation

Hospital Speech Therapist. They ordered it for us and Insurance and

her Medicaid covered it in full. She has Tech Speak at school and they

also use her Dynavox. The Tech Speak is a little more time-consuming

because you have to laminate pages and record for each picture. The

Dynavox has it all programmed.

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March 29, 2008

hello,

I would like to know please how did you avail of the services of an assistive

communication consultant? Is this something that I could ask or include in my

next IEP meeting, which is just around the corner? My daughter has severe

receptive and expressive language delay, I went to the abilities expo today, I

heard for the first time, about speech to text technology, but I could use more

direction and leads.

thanks to all

[ ] Re: Assistive Technology