In honor of Autism Awareness Day I wanted to share with everyone a great article from PrAACtical AAC titled Autism and AAC, 5 things I wish I had known. This article is great because it is written from a parents perspective and simplifies AAC. AAC can often times be made into this scary monster that needs a certain expertise to master, this is a GIANT myth my friends. Anyone and everyone can do AAC with a little practice. Helping a child to communicate with all partners using their AAC device is extremely important and we are all very capable! Those of you who might be a little AAC timid this is a great article to get your feet wet and to start communicating in another language, the language of our user. Enjoy =)

Hey Everyone Happy Autism Awareness

In light of Autism Awareness many AAC appscompanies are offering up their communication apps that are widely used in the Autism community for a discounted price for a limited time! Check it out and download!

One Size Does NOT Fit All

There have been many instances when I hear that a school district has bought one application for all of its nonverbal students. Although I understand the budget aspect of this I do not agree that AAC is a one size fits all kind of area. We would not order the same size shoes for all children. Of course a big enough shoe would fit all kids in that they could put it on and walk around, they might not be able to run or walk fast and this shoe would be able to provide them with protection and warmth. Just as one shoe does not fit all kids appropriately to let them do all of the things they need to do through out the day one device will not perfectly fit all students.

Hey all spread the word, Communicare is hosting an April Vacation AAC camp out in Westfield Massachusetts. They also offer camps throughout the summer as well. Check out their website for some camp videos and more information. If you are interested in the April Vacation week camp here are the forms to be completed to sign up.

With summer quickly approaching here are some other camps in the Northeast region that cater to AAC users. 

Communicare

Camp Chatterbox

Talk2U

Camp ALEC

AAC at home

Lately I have been discussing AAC use in the home with families of AAC users. There have been a few topics that have come up that got me thinking. Many times when I ask the families how often they are using it in the home I get a response of "we know what he/ she wants so we don't use it much". On one hand I can completely understand the ease of communicating on this level and respect the relationship between family members. On the other hand I like to advocate for promoting AAC use in all settings. This is also a great opportunity to practice device to advocate for themselves when the close family members are not with them. Using the device at home can also help our AAC users to understand how to use their device to deepen personal relationships and social settings. I would love to gather points of view on this topic since it is one I am torn on and would love to help coach families on how to incorporate AAC use without it being seen as work.

Over the weekend I attended the 3rd Annual EdCampAccessBoston in Burlington Mass. EdCamp holds yearly un-traditional conferences for educators, parents, students and anyone who wants to reach struggling learners. I have never been to a conference set up in this style and I really enjoyed the discussions it created. Each class topic was proposed by conference attendees therefore the schedule and session options were not decided until that day. Each session was run by the person proposing the topic in a way in which they would facilitate a topic into a session discussion where we would all share ideas and experiences. Since I have little familiarity with schools systems as I come from the outpatient world I gained new insights into the struggles everyone faces around our present day education structure. This was a great way to learn and network with others in the profession and best of all it was FREE!! Make sure to keep this un-conference in mind for next year when looking for continuing education ideas. Visit you local EdCamp at EdCampAccess and follow them on Twitter at #edcampaccess to check out photos and information.