tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46755905107929791832024-03-18T19:18:39.799-04:00Uncommon SenseA somewhat sarcastic and mostly honest look into our life.Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.comBlogger615125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675590510792979183.post-31205754875362586672019-04-26T11:45:00.000-04:002019-04-26T11:45:09.077-04:00Families Need Guidance Before Purchasing an AAC app: A response
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Yesterday I read an
article* that laid out several reasons that families need professional guidance,
in the form of a “full assessment” from an “AAC professional” before purchasing
or implementing an AAC app with their children. This type of evaluation, the
author argued, is necessary because “</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">parents
are being lured by the promise of quick success” (in the form of video
advertisements that show children “effortlessly” communicating) while, in
sober/educated contrast, </span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">“</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">AAC professionals have been formally assessing such solutions for
more than three decades.”</span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">This article was uniquely (<strike>upsetting</strike>, <strike>offensive</strike>,
<strike>divisive</strike>) problematic in a number of ways**, but the general sentiments expressed
are unfortunately not uncommon in the world of “AAC professionals.” Some AAC professionals
(<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">some</i> professionals-there are <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">many</i> professionals who are
family-centered and family-empowering) can be quick to protest the acquisition of any AAC system
outside of a “full AAC assessment” (often including the term “feature
matching”). They seem to hold the belief that any app purchased outside of a full
assessment is, by default, unlikely to meet the needs of the AAC user.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Let’s unpack the misconceptions behind that
belief.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">First, while many believe that a "full AAC assessment" conducted by an “AAC professional” is the gold standard, these professionals can be difficult to
access. Many (most?) children who receive AAC assessment receive them through
their school district. In some cases, the speech-language pathologist conducts
the assessment; in others a specialized AAC team/person may come from the
district. In many areas, there’s no specialized “AAC professional” to be found.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Second, if a family is fortunate enough
to have access to an AAC professional it’s important for them to be aware that all
professionals are not all created equal---their expertise is rooted in the
education and mentorship they’ve received. There are professionals conducting
evaluations who believe that the acquisition of prerequisite skills is
necessary before high tech AAC is to be provided.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are professionals conducting
evaluations who are making grave mistakes (e.g., moving the location of icons
during an evaluation to see if a student “can access a new area” of a grid, and
then determining, when the student keeps tapping the previous location of the
icon, that the student is unable to access the new area). *** There are AAC
professionals sharing fundamentally flawed information (e.g., providing a
hand-out to local SLPs outlining perquisite skills that a student should have
mastered prior to being referred for an AAC evaluation).*** There are AAC professionals
who are known for recommending the same app to the vast majority of students
that they evaluate (which is, understandably, because they truly believe that
their preferred system is “best” and offers the greatest potential for
long-term independent communication-but this seems to negate a bit of the
all-important “feature-matching full AAC assessment”).***</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Third, yes, a full AAC assessment (</span><i style="font-size: 11pt;">if</i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> a family has access to an AAC
professional and </span><i style="font-size: 11pt;">if </i><span style="font-size: 11pt;">that professional
is one of the "good" ones) that includes feature matching can sometimes be a
helpful approach. It’s an especially important approach when the potential AAC
user has a unique physical profile or challenges (vision impairment, motoric
impairment, mounting/positioning needs, the need for an eye gaze system). </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">However, it is also possible to undergo a full AAC assessment and receive inappropriate recommendations (as we did, twice, and as many families do). Furthermore, many AAC users can be properly served
(and, increasingly, </span><i style="font-size: 11pt;">are</i><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> being
properly served) by a different approach: starting with a (carefully selected) robust
system and then scaffolding down (or, perhaps, supporting up). An example of this
would be to provide a student with a robust system and then
mask/hide words so that a small set remains (and providing a keyguard if
support for direct access is needed). While I imagine that there are some AAC
professionals reading this who would protest this approach, I also know that
there are some AAC professionals who currently operate under this methodology when
conducting an AAC assessment. </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">This is
also the method is most commonly used by parents who independently purchase and implement
apps.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Fourth, the time has come (or past) to stop operating under
the assumption that professionals (by definition) know more about AAC than non-professionals.
A motivated AAC parent can spend hours surfing, reading, and absorbing
information about AAC online. Journal articles (which once lived on the dusty
upper floors of college libraries) can be snagged through Google scholar
searches. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Videos of AAC implementation,
once recorded in clinics and shown during AAC classes, are freely available to
view and analyze on YouTube. Leading AAC researchers run Facebook pages and
groups (and they answer questions from eager-to-learn parents who send in
messages!). AAC professional development, once populated solely by professionals, is open to AAC families (often at a reduced rate!) and also exists online for convenience. Entire <span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://aacconference.com/">AAC conferences</a></span> can be consumed on-demand and for free. Families can access and learn from other AAC families and AAC
professionals on a variety of social media platforms (Facebook pages and groups,
Instagram, Twitter, and probably some platforms that I’m too old to know
about). Families can access and borrow AAC apps and devices from their state’s <a href="https://www.at3center.net/stateprogram">AT lending library</a> (or can meet up with local families or professionals to see and
try out apps). Families can absolutely attain/exceed the same level of AAC education as many speech language
pathologists/AAC professionals. (It’s worth noting here that I am both an AAC
parent and a CF-SLP.) </span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">If we reject these four misconceptions, we can believe that it is
perfectly possible for families to select and implement AAC apps without
undergoing an AAC evaluation. It is possible for families to know more about
the best AAC app for their child than an AAC professional. It is possible for
families to make mistakes while selecting and implementing an AAC system, but
also it is worth noting that these mistakes are no worse than the mistakes that
we’ve seen (many. ugh.) AAC professionals make. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">The implication (seen in this article and in
many professional online discussion groups) that parents are uneducated,
unresearched, impulsive app-buyers is harmful. It discredits families and
self-congratulates professionals.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">It
furthers the narrative that professionals are uniquely suited to introduce
children to AAC, and creates/facilitates the belief that family-purchased AAC
is likely to be not well thought out or ill-suited.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Roughly half of the aforementioned article discusses the
need for assistance with customizing and implementing an AAC system (and I
agree that professional support can be invaluable in these areas)---but let’s
consider, for a minute, what families will encounter when they arrive in the
offices of professionals to seek these services. If these families seek assistance from
an SLP who has read similar articles/online conversations, and then disclose that
their AAC system was self-selected, will they find a professional who will
assume that the family conducted extensive research and has well-thought out
reasons for selecting a specific app (as the SLP would likely assume if the
family received the app through a “full assessment”)? Or will the SLP assume
that here is another example of an impulse-buying family who likely has a
less-than-ideal app, like the families they've heard about in articles online?</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Maybe instead of assuming that families are
quick to act without professional guidance, we should examine <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">why</i> families are <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">having</i> to act without guidance. Or perhaps turn a more critical eye
to the guidance that many families (including my own) often receive during the
early years of speech therapy for nonspeaking (or minimally speaking) children.
Per one AAC mom, </span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“If we examine those questions, we find that when a child’s
language acquisition is most crucial, many SLPs are brushing off technology or
refusing to consider access until certain low/no tech milestones have been
achieved. It’s hindering language development when the child is most ripe for
it, then leaving families desperate and scrambling to find their own solutions
when no (one) seems interested in presuming competence and providing real help.”
(Haley Watkins Johnson, mom to an 8-year
old who uses AAC, shared in a FB response to this article.) </span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">A brief foray into any online AAC group will
confirm this reality---these forums are extensively populated by families resigned
to find an AAC solution on their own after being misserved by the professionals
in their child’s life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">While discussing this article online I was
introduced to a term that sums up the ability of families to privately purchase
AAC without first seeking approval/recommendation from a professional:
disintermediation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Disintermediation
refers to the removal of the middle man (such as the ability to private
purchase AAC, splints, wheelchairs, etc.-anything that at one time required an
assessment/recommendation from a professional). <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><a href="http://notdoneliving.net/?fbclid=IwAR1oJmOp5acCD68OTTnY6awOy8lgDzfF1JTlCEeRa7dFzz9TKFgsgj_vtgo">Ricky Buchanan</a></span>, who introduced me to the concept,
had this to say:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“It seems to me (as a disabled adult) that when
disintermediation comes up – anything that allows disabled people and their
families to directly access technology that used to only be available via
gatekeepers – that the professionals involved are <b><i>very</i></b> worried that this
means now people will get less ideal outcomes . . . But they almost <b><i>never</i></b>
talk about how this means that people who never had access to the professionals
can now have access to technology, the almost <b><i>never</i></b> talk about how this
means people who only have access to awful professionals can now avoid them,
and they almost <b><i>never</i></b> talk to people whose disability meant that the
gatekeepers (be them professionals, educators, insurance companies, whatever)
thought they didn’t deserve or would be able to use the technology. It’s
important that we get people the best outcomes possible, but ignoring all of
those other factors is not helpful.”</span></blockquote>
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<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 4.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 11.0pt;">It’s
not helpful to preach that the only right path to AAC is via a professional
assessment, thereby also implying that professional opinion is somewhat
universal (when it actually varies widely) and that the opinion of any
professional assessment would be more sound than the opinion of any
well-researched parent (nope). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not
helpful to assume that a family-driven app-selection process is, by default,
less informed or rigorous than a professionally-guided app-selection process.
It’s not helpful to minimalize or ignore the inconsistencies, biases, and misconceptions
that families often encounter when they <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">do</i>
actually seek a professional AAC assessment. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 4.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 4.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 11.0pt;">It’s
not helpful.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 4.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 4.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: Cambria; font-size: 11.0pt;">In
a world where AAC professionals are difficult to find, let those of us
(families and professionals alike) raise our voices online and help families
find their way. In a world where AAC professionals require prerequisite skills,
let us share our success stories (and, with permission, videos) that show our
prerequisite-skill-lacking children developing into communicators when provided
with the correct support. In a world where home implementation is tricky, let
us share our tips and tricks and strategies. In a world where an AAC evaluation
is only as good as the professional who shows up to do it, let us educate
families so that either: a) they can compare/contrast systems on their own and
select a good fit or b) they know their stuff, and how to advocate for
something robust and amazing, when the evaluator shows up. In a world where
“families need guidance”, let us welcome and guide them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment--></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh9L7XF_UKovtgGq355MUzxDXntUvEFND1cJBf3oLvkPkhD1pP_fniXD1sSw8_uYbPztZILgzJ8sIMATw6pMZDBnfGXsHvH-ermYAuKmS6RZhM8f4bCIUawg-RHgYNvX0806qiCNFqh-K1/s1600/mw6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="957" data-original-width="950" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh9L7XF_UKovtgGq355MUzxDXntUvEFND1cJBf3oLvkPkhD1pP_fniXD1sSw8_uYbPztZILgzJ8sIMATw6pMZDBnfGXsHvH-ermYAuKmS6RZhM8f4bCIUawg-RHgYNvX0806qiCNFqh-K1/s320/mw6.jpg" width="317" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Image is an old photo of me and my children out at the mall. We are each wearing an AAC device, iPads in bright cases hanging from straps around our necks. My youngest is sitting in a stroller, my oldest is standing behind it. Our faces are obscured.)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
------</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
*Link to original article: <a href="https://www.spectrumnews.org/opinion/viewpoint/families-need-guidance-buying-communication-app-autism/?fbclid=IwAR2tqSpE534dBGZEo-pFjZV31rl7nQGkZsj3tSdb7ogC-_ycjNHV9RBFzb8">Families need guidance before buying a communication app for autism</a></div>
<div>
** There are many problematic things in this article. I've chosen to write a measured response to the most fundmental issue, as I see it, which is the gatekeeping of AAC access and dismissal of parental knowledge that occurs when professionals insist that the only meaningful path to AAC acquisition is through a "full AAC assessment." In making this choice I've ignored other issues, such as the mention of intelligence quotient and referring to autism as a "condition," that were frustrating in other ways. </div>
<div>
***I have personally witnessed each of these things</div>
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</style>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.com277tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675590510792979183.post-4942638414553566742018-02-10T20:43:00.001-05:002018-02-10T20:43:15.498-05:00An AAC WWYD, for the professionals<div style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "SF Optimized", system-ui, -apple-system, system-ui, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.12px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
A story for professionals:</div>
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<u>Client/Student:</u> 4 year, 5 month old girl. Pleasant, but self-directed. Limited attention span.</div>
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<u>Language profile</u>: Expressive vocabulary is extremely limited. Less than 5 clear words, with additional CV vocalizations that parents can reliably interpret. Receptive language is unknown, due to aforementioned self-directness and limited attention span.</div>
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<u>AAC notes</u>: Parents have rejected the AAC evaluation conducted by the district. They claim that the recommended device (a 32-cell speech generating device with up to 12 levels) is “too simplistic” and will not provide enough language. They have bought an iPad app and are attempting to implement it without professional guidance. All programming and implementation is led by Mom.</div>
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<u>AAC access</u>: Client has significant fine motor impairment. Parent-selected AAC app has 120 buttons per screen. Mom is confident that, with modifications (including a keyguard and/or homemade glove), access is feasible.</div>
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<u>Session Notes</u>: Client’s engagement during sessions is variable. Imitation skills are poor. Receptive language is difficult to assess, due to intermittent participation in planned activities. Parent, who is nearby during many sessions, reports that client understands many of the concepts targeted by clinician.</div>
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<u><b>**Of note</b></u>: Client refuses to acknowledge or access AAC device during sessions. Client infrequently attends to clinician’s modeling during sessions. Parent reports that client is able to use device independently, without prompting, for a variety of communicative functions (requesting, directing, commenting, and answering questions). Client has not demonstrated any of these skills in the presence of the clinician.</div>
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Clinician has been seeing client in the home, twice a week, for several months. No interaction with AAC device has been observed.</div>
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<br /></div>
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-----------------------------------</div>
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<i><b>What would you think?</b></i></div>
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<i><b><br /></b></i></div>
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<i><b>What would you recommend in your report?</b></i></div>
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<i><b><br /></b></i></div>
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<i><b>What would you say to the other SLPs in your office/network/online group?</b></i></div>
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<i><b><br /></b></i></div>
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------------------------------------<br />Maya was 4;5 when she started working with our home SLP (H). She didn’t touch the talker for months (MONTHS) in her presence. She only intermittently attended to modeling by the new SLP---often she seemed to not even acknowledge the device was there. I was the mom. This is not a fabrication, or an exaggeration----this is an accurate representation of the facts.</div>
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Fortunately, H listened to my reports. She provided advice and was a great AAC/language planning guide/partner, even though she never saw Maya use the device directly (she did see some videos). She believed, or at least acted like she did, and never made me feel like I had to “prove” anything.</div>
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I see, sometimes, professionals online who seem to feel like parents (or teachers, or paraprofessionals, or SLPs, or anyone) who believe in the capabilities of AAC users (when they themselves are not able to see these capabilities) are delusional. I see SLPs who claim ownership of AAC and are offended when parents (or other professionals) select and implement AAC systems without a full evaluation (or who reject a professional evaluation and “go rogue”). I see teachers who think it’s pointless to keep a device nearby, since they’ve never seen the kid use the device (or sometimes even look at it) anyway.</div>
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<br /></div>
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It’s gutting to hear these conversations (or to see them online).</div>
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<br /></div>
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Those kids are my kid.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Those parents are me.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I want to make sure you know what our AAC story looked like 6 years ago.</div>
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<br /></div>
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It’s easy to believe in her (and me) now, online.</div>
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<br /></div>
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It was harder back in 2012, twice a week, in person.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I’ll try to keep reminding you.</div>
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(image is a picture of Maya, age 9.5, smiling while in motion, looking away from the camera)</div>
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Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.com224tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675590510792979183.post-1658354356962730072018-02-02T12:10:00.000-05:002018-02-02T12:10:41.280-05:00The Great Bike Giveaway!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIGK4aHepw_xCk_unvx4pNYu6wNKFIsMV_k1Af8MluzKVV5OEBhlx8LC_5LYdUgVT2y1n2VRFJ3qFXcEXo-dmBxcd6g7pa9ZGD3Ea9XIXCGXqKOGC-jRvIqFejJbkI1WYYP-_Re_ZHqd8f/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-02-02+at+11.55.46+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="510" data-original-width="516" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIGK4aHepw_xCk_unvx4pNYu6wNKFIsMV_k1Af8MluzKVV5OEBhlx8LC_5LYdUgVT2y1n2VRFJ3qFXcEXo-dmBxcd6g7pa9ZGD3Ea9XIXCGXqKOGC-jRvIqFejJbkI1WYYP-_Re_ZHqd8f/s320/Screen+Shot+2018-02-02+at+11.55.46+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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The Great Bike Giveaway is a program run by the Friendship
Circle every February.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The goal of the
program is to provide children and young adults (under age 30) with adaptive
bikes (which can be prohibitively expensive for many families). Here’s how it
works:<o:p></o:p></div>
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1. The Great Bike Giveaway partners with the manufacturers
of <a href="https://www.greatbikegiveaway.com/Bikes">many adaptive bikes</a>, and the manufacturers provide the bikes at a reduced
cost.<o:p></o:p></div>
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2. Each child has a fundraising page on the GBG website,
where people can make tax-deductible donations (to the Friendship Circle) and
help children reach their fundraising goals. If a family reaches their goal,
any additional money raised will be distributed to help other children reach
their fundraising goals. (The organization also collects general donations that
are distributed at the end of the donation period, and bike companies donate
some bikes, so that families who have raised more than 50% of their goal still
have a chance of receiving a bike.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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3. Kids get bikes and are able to join in riding with friends,
siblings, etc <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span> <o:p></o:p></div>
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If you are interested in signing your child up, the link is
here:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="https://www.greatbikegiveaway.com/Registration">Great Bike Giveaway Registration </a>(There are a number of
different bikes available, so it’s worth speaking with your child’s physical
therapist to determine which bike might be the best fit for them!)<o:p></o:p></div>
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If you are inspired by this program and would like to donate
to help a family provide an adaptive bike at home, this link will take you to
the list of fundraising pages (just scroll down to see them):<a href="https://www.greatbikegiveaway.com/"> Great Bike Giveaway</a> <o:p></o:p></div>
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After a few years of watching this program, we’ve decided
that the timing is right <a href="https://www.greatbikegiveaway.com/mayasbike">for Maya to get an adaptive bike</a>. Will is quick,
quick, quick on his scooter and he’ll be moving to a big kid bike this year.
Maya has tried scooters and a regular bike (with training wheels), which worked
for a little while (kind of)--but now she’s so tall! A typical adult-sized bike
doesn’t provide her with enough stability to actually ride. She’s been using an
adaptive bike at school (during gym and physical therapy), so I met with her
physical therapist to check out the one she uses and to review the different
options and sizes. We were happy to see that the largest size (which will last
through adulthood—she won’t outgrow it) is a perfect fit for her! <o:p></o:p>We’re excited for her to have an adaptive bike at home, so that she can have fun riding around at the playground and outside, just like her brother and neighborhood friends.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVH_F30XLwAq8Yr3qjq7YTiOmMbCiFw6rL5DZ06OkNyEfvbTdoCbkG7NxUEGMK-sh6VbbUIsiv2t1xPnDBPE_3dyADog-fY2wEzrWNIh-46LhPs5RItY3LaRHy2L9eOdcIkgEyu_RMwqbW/s1600/IMG_0246.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVH_F30XLwAq8Yr3qjq7YTiOmMbCiFw6rL5DZ06OkNyEfvbTdoCbkG7NxUEGMK-sh6VbbUIsiv2t1xPnDBPE_3dyADog-fY2wEzrWNIh-46LhPs5RItY3LaRHy2L9eOdcIkgEyu_RMwqbW/s400/IMG_0246.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<i>This is Maya riding a Rifton adaptive tricycle at school!</i></div>
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<i>(image shows Maya in a school hallway, with blue lockers in the background. She is sitting on a large red tricycle, smiling and looking away from the camera, hands raised triumphantly)</i></div>
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</style>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.com154tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675590510792979183.post-19624020493911170852018-01-19T12:19:00.000-05:002018-01-19T19:05:53.954-05:00Diagnosed, again.<div class="MsoNormal">
Last week we learned the results of a recent evaluation:
Maya is autistic.<br />
<br />
In thinking about how to write this post, I wondered whether
readers (who only get snippets of her story) would be surprised to learn
this---I thought that possibly, yes. (It didn’t really come as a surprise to
us.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I thought that, if I were sitting
to tell you in person, you might ask, “What made you guys go in for the
evaluation?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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There were 4 (ish) reasons.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>Reason #1:</u> (flashback with me) It’s June (2017) and I’ve just
gone into Maya’s room after she’s woken up. As usual, she is using her
communication device (“Mini”) as a light, shining it onto one of the various
reading materials (magazines, brochures, business cards, papers) that she keeps
in her bed. I sit next to her and she shows me what she’s reading---it’s an
article in a local “special needs” parent magazine, introducing Julia, the new
autistic puppet on Sesame Street.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She
pointed to the article and said, “I might have this.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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(!)<o:p></o:p></div>
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I paused, waiting for the parenting-coach-fairy who is
surely supposed to appear at such a loaded, important-feeling moment and
whisper just the right thing for me to say, but no one appeared. So I think I
said something that wasn’t dismissive but also wasn’t exactly jumping into a
big conversation---like, “Oh really? Why is that?” or maybe “Oh, that’s
interesting. Maybe! Did you read something good about it?” and then, after she
answered, changed the subject and announced that it was time to go get Will or
something.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>Reason #2</u>: A few weeks before this conversation, we had
received <a href="http://niederfamily.blogspot.com/2017/06/diagnosed.html">Maya’s genetic diagnosis: MED13L syndrome.</a> While waiting for her final
results, I had read about the syndrome, and the MED13L gene, and learned that
its association with autism is being studied. Not all kids with MED13L syndrome
have autism, but many do. I had begun to wonder if it was worth exploring
whether an autism diagnosis would be a fit for Maya. Her comments nudged me to
look into the diagnostic process. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>Reason #3</u>: Over the past few years, as Maya’s communication
and motoric skills have increased, we’ve been able to learn more and more about
her---things that she loves (LOVES!), things that she hates, experiences that
she enjoys and others that are “too much”, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">(For example, while we always knew
that she enjoyed papers and magazines, it wasn’t until she could independently
run across a library, move around a pile of materials, get to the rack of
fliers/schedules, select a stockpile of them, and triumphantly return to sit
and read them that we really understood how deep her love for them really is.)</i>
As the way that she thinks and interacts with the world has also become more
transparent, easier for us to see, our understanding of her as an individual
has deepened. At the same time, our understanding of “typically developing”
children had deepened---Will is now in elementary school, and the way that he
thinks and interacts with the world provided us with an interesting contrast to
consider.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>Reason #4</u>: Over the summer I was fortunate to work in
a high school that had a large population of autistic students (I’m
currently completing a degree in speech-language pathology).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a fantastic experience, and I was able
to develop a more complete understanding of the diversity that exists on the
autism spectrum. It wasn’t difficult to imagine Maya as a member of that
community (well, other than the fact that it meant imagining her in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">high school</i>---eep!).<o:p></o:p></div>
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When we initially met with the doctor to
talk about scheduling an evaluation, she asked, “Why are you seeking diagnostic
clarification now? Are you looking to change schools? To seek insurance
approval for something new? What brings you in at this time?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I considered the question. Maybe a diagnosis
would change our path at some point in the future, I said, but right now we were
really here for . . . culture, kind of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the past
I’ve valued (and prioritized) Maya’s ability to meet and interact with other AAC
users, because it’s important to connect with others in your community---people
who share a unique perspective and set of experiences. To that end, if Maya is
autistic, I want to be sure to help her learn about that part of her identity
and support her ability to find and connect with peers in that community as
well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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This is a diagnosis that doesn’t change anything, because
Maya still is who Maya always was. But it’s also a diagnosis that changes some
important things: it may provide Maya with a deeper understanding of herself. It
supplies a framework for family discussions about neurodiversity and more
meaningful dialogue about why some things are more challenging for Maya than
they are for Will, or for us (her parents). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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We’ve introduced the concept to her, and now
we’ll follow her lea<span style="font-family: inherit;">d. The other day she wanted to add the words “autism” and
“autistic” to Mini, so I sat with her and opened up the editing screen.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Me: Ok, we’ll add <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">autism</i>
and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">autistic</i>. Where do you think they
should go? </div>
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<i>(kind of holding my breath, because the screen she chooses will give me my first glimpse into how she's internalizing the concept of autism)</i></div>
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Maya: (looks at home screen on Mini)---(selects FEEL)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Me: That’s a great choice! Oh look---this screen is full.
(taps to return to home screen) Where else might be a good fit?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Maya: (considers) (selects THINK)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Me: Perfect <span style="font-family: "wingdings"; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNCileq1ZpZpYG0ANKqHE4pX2B-4C0rlf_uhhZbALax-PmGyBR55iMDUp1Qxew0zqNOqPTy8jHzK3T1WGQZs__pesNBAvSu9EIFb9GyRa5O5Rkxxw0KN1bNtDCko-229jQzy7MF_3T1HgE/s1600/IMG_0147.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="739" data-original-width="1600" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNCileq1ZpZpYG0ANKqHE4pX2B-4C0rlf_uhhZbALax-PmGyBR55iMDUp1Qxew0zqNOqPTy8jHzK3T1WGQZs__pesNBAvSu9EIFb9GyRa5O5Rkxxw0KN1bNtDCko-229jQzy7MF_3T1HgE/s400/IMG_0147.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<o:p><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> (image is a screenshot of the THINK page in her device, with the words "autism" and "autistic" added on two dark blue buttons toward the bottom of the page. Maya chose the location, buttons, and images)</span></i></o:p></div>
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A few notes:<o:p></o:p></div>
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1. We’re choosing to use identity-first language (e.g. She
is an autistic girl) as opposed to person-first language (e.g., She is a girl
with autism). This is a decision based on years of reading pieces by (and interacting with) <a href="https://www.thinkinclusive.us/why-person-first-language-doesnt-always-put-the-person-first/">disabled self-advocates</a> and <a href="http://autisticadvocacy.org/about-asan/identity-first-language/">autistic self-advocates</a>, and also general gut feeling.
This language choice validates autism as a central part of the way Maya thinks
and interacts with the world---an important part of her identity—rather than
viewing it as a disorder, something that needs to be fixed or cured. Thank you
for respecting our choice. <o:p></o:p></div>
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2. You may notice that I said “There were 4 (ish) reasons.”
This is because there are 4 reasons that we’re going to talk about here, and
some other things that aren’t open for internet conversation. <o:p></o:p></div>
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3. The online world of autism is a little intimidating. Anything
that I write is coming from a place of genuine good intentions, but I may end
up getting things wrong. I’m listening and learning as I go.</div>
Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675590510792979183.post-19965356791126981212017-12-01T10:41:00.002-05:002017-12-01T10:43:48.949-05:00Elves use AAC, too!Happy December!<br />
<br />
If you are part of an AAC family and you have an Elf on the Shelf, this post is for you (and I need your help)!<br />
<br />
Did you guys know that elves love to use AAC?! It's true!<br />
<br />
For the past 4 years, our elf has visited one of our talkers, much to the delight of Maya and Will. It's happened once per year----but I have a feeling that this year he may leave a few notes :) Sometimes he even leaves a photo behind that shows him with the talker! Maya has saved these photos on her wall for years (literally).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMSkTjgxZIN97jt_nkcFx4hwguqy-3y4z95LbQuZH4jb9fjcNX3zCgpBr6mq094VRl4CxVRFhDAu_IDyJzds6MQ8uBt9rdTr8wuyc8RJeJSWuM1x8BnnuX8ZsyfY0ylL_7gEY4YWhb22fz/s1600/IMG_8075.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="971" data-original-width="1600" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMSkTjgxZIN97jt_nkcFx4hwguqy-3y4z95LbQuZH4jb9fjcNX3zCgpBr6mq094VRl4CxVRFhDAu_IDyJzds6MQ8uBt9rdTr8wuyc8RJeJSWuM1x8BnnuX8ZsyfY0ylL_7gEY4YWhb22fz/s400/IMG_8075.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>photos of our elf using the talker in 2014 and 2015, hanging on Maya's wall</i></div>
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Wouldn't it be fun if our kids could see pictures of all of lots of elves using different talkers? I have a feeling that my kids would love to see AAC-loving elves and the notes that they left behind for other AAC loving kids :) So here's my proposal---if your child's elf uses their talker on/before the night of December 14th, <u style="font-weight: bold;">send me a picture</u>! On December 15th, I'll post a compilation of all of the AAC-using elves. They'll be fun for the kids to see, and fun for us to see how silly those elves can be ;)<br />
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<b><u>What you do:</u></b><br />
1. Your elf visits and uses a talker! Hooray! Snap a picture!<br />
2. Send the picture to me in any of the following ways (whatever's easiest-no need to do all!). Also, if you'd like, share some information about your location, child, AAC system, and elf (totally optional). I'll put up whatever you send. For example, "<i>Dabadee the elf came last night and left a note on Maya's talker! It said 'Today would be a great day for some hot chocolate!' We live in New York City and use Speak for Yourself---we didn't know that Dabadee liked to use a talker, too!</i>":<br />
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<ul>
<li>email to uncommonfeedback@gmail.com</li>
<li>post on Instagram, use the hashtag #AACelf and tag me @uncommonsenseblog </li>
<li>post on Facebook (make sure your setting is public), use the hashtag #AACelf and tag me @Uncommon Sense Blog</li>
</ul>
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3. Get my reply---I will either reply to your email or comment on your social media post--that's how you'll know that I received it!</div>
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4. Check back on December 15th to see all of the AAC elves!</div>
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Our elf started using the talker <a href="https://www.facebook.com/123130417730793/photos/a.124083530968815.9496.123130417730793/808464775864017/?type=3&theater">in 2014</a>, after I saw an SLP post something on Facebook about AAC and an elf. Here are some examples of what he's done in the past:</div>
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2014:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2My4uURIiK9euJmnkLHHB9sxBu6DZKjJWJ5hkeYNP_W0QfFbgTkQpHdqic7pc_KPjHkiDKwoFNQOul75nBEdIsCcRGFg9DK3iq_zoIbP_udCJb7rqRSLfszZCHcrwirOQWEetFVjscFKc/s1600/elf+2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2My4uURIiK9euJmnkLHHB9sxBu6DZKjJWJ5hkeYNP_W0QfFbgTkQpHdqic7pc_KPjHkiDKwoFNQOul75nBEdIsCcRGFg9DK3iq_zoIbP_udCJb7rqRSLfszZCHcrwirOQWEetFVjscFKc/s400/elf+2014.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Dabadee (our elf) left a picture of himself using the talker, and a note that said "I left a note for you on the talker!" The note left on the talker read, <i>Only 11 days until Christmas!</i> </div>
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<b><u>2015</u></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNAvJ6iO0rsA0063kI9hMOLNrAXXeJvIdKc_lRXriqQVUqfm4ohWEy792-7Mungyaa-7ZHmew8ROexrR2gBEgJiHdxSdAVvPZGqKVruDEmJ9EoSzar1_KI3VZXu6bSzI97j-ijvZKvMWRm/s1600/IMG_8076.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNAvJ6iO0rsA0063kI9hMOLNrAXXeJvIdKc_lRXriqQVUqfm4ohWEy792-7Mungyaa-7ZHmew8ROexrR2gBEgJiHdxSdAVvPZGqKVruDEmJ9EoSzar1_KI3VZXu6bSzI97j-ijvZKvMWRm/s400/IMG_8076.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Another photo and note left behind! I don't remember what was written on the talker this year (oops)<br />
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<b><u>2016</u></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhZFjujYTc-P7iljqDlr5PmTQSaH7VA-8FxIoGw-kajQx0qmZg8UWQll-YttWwRuae4oscBesgvIMSVx5083vO91tnkqjTa_vA7PS0jijhMMParA_7d94Ke7l-RcbdYKo0LYgkZHmv8M9H/s1600/elf+2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhZFjujYTc-P7iljqDlr5PmTQSaH7VA-8FxIoGw-kajQx0qmZg8UWQll-YttWwRuae4oscBesgvIMSVx5083vO91tnkqjTa_vA7PS0jijhMMParA_7d94Ke7l-RcbdYKo0LYgkZHmv8M9H/s400/elf+2016.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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This year the note left on the <span style="font-family: inherit;">talker said, "<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; letter-spacing: -0.12px;"><i>Good morning! Will, I hope you have fun at Mommy's doctor today! Maya, have a great last day of school! Check your stockings for a surprise!</i>"</span></span></div>
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Happy December, and happy elf season! See you back here on December 15th---and I can't wait to hear about your elf :)</div>
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#AACfamily</div>
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#AACelf</div>
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Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675590510792979183.post-58133911535325925282017-10-28T20:05:00.004-04:002017-10-28T20:05:52.115-04:00 Scavenger Hunting <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyUVLym4rCxBsSTCPLdFpViVC64TR_9HPzEVwcSAYSc8k_3Q84dzstMOeATHDEvBa1hhybH5-pe2GRglXnRwJ2-g90nYSBmhg45wanMP4VFMAtupSTDX005PTgq4-ghYdzAetdErTAE2Yw/s1600/FullSizeRender+74.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyUVLym4rCxBsSTCPLdFpViVC64TR_9HPzEVwcSAYSc8k_3Q84dzstMOeATHDEvBa1hhybH5-pe2GRglXnRwJ2-g90nYSBmhg45wanMP4VFMAtupSTDX005PTgq4-ghYdzAetdErTAE2Yw/s400/FullSizeRender+74.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(image is of my kids, Will on his scooter and Maya in her wheelchair, studied scavenger hunt pages)</span></i></div>
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Last week a friend posted a fun neighborhood scavenger hunt on Facebook. This morning we awoke to a picture-perfect autumn NYC morning and absolutely nothing on our schedule. I printed up two copies of the sheet below, grabbed some Halloween stickers, and our family headed out for a lovely, leisurely scavenger-hunting walk.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM084MQevJTCEOu0vArf0Gjn_b0fxLy_x2I2QNHWTRwn1rVCQ9HbCCotuuK1JTcMQ55gHKBj7dY81x2x2qs8C8YusMyKoH3xdGTehssJSMYXaaGw68JK4CJGX0Jij0OO5cjI9PDBAzxIoT/s1600/FullSizeRender+75.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1495" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM084MQevJTCEOu0vArf0Gjn_b0fxLy_x2I2QNHWTRwn1rVCQ9HbCCotuuK1JTcMQ55gHKBj7dY81x2x2qs8C8YusMyKoH3xdGTehssJSMYXaaGw68JK4CJGX0Jij0OO5cjI9PDBAzxIoT/s320/FullSizeRender+75.jpg" width="299" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Image is the scavenger hunt page that we used and a sheet of partially used Halloween stickers. </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">This "Scavenger Hunt-Neighborhood Search" page was <a href="http://thebirdfeednyc.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Neighborhood-Search.pdf">found at this website---grab and print here!</a></span></i></div>
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The kids searched as we walked, and we stopped frequently to put stickers on the squares for items that we spotted (you could also cross them out, stamp them, punch holes, put a fingerprint on each, etc.). </div>
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This wasn't an AAC activity for us today . . . but it got me thinking about how many opportunities there are for language modeling and meaningful AAC use during scavenger hunt activities. These ideas are probably well-used by lots of speech and AAC folks, but they were new to me this morning----and maybe there are some people reading who could use a few easy ideas.</div>
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Here's some language that could be targeted during a scavenger hunt (scaffold up or down as needed):</div>
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<ul>
<li><u>Attention-getters</u>: Look! Stop! Wait! (Halt! Freeze!)</li>
<li><u>Declaration</u>: I see it/one! I got it/one! Show me! (Spotted! Nailed it! Ding! Success!) </li>
<li><u>Narration</u>: I am looking, We are looking (I'm/We're hunting/searching/investigating/spying)</li>
<li><u>Questions</u>: What do you see? Where is it?</li>
<li><u>Negation</u>: Not here, Can't find, Don't see</li>
<li><u>Emotions:</u> Frustrated, excited, confused, victorious!</li>
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With some careful image/item selections, scavenger hunts could be crafted to target specific goals, as well. For example, if you're looking to target 2-word combinations the scavenger hunt could contain images like these:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOo71ywY3tHO-n2GByr6H6l5aj3JEnjsD6DUF1GMXVfARrUNnxnIw-OwU1Rti4mZIkTxqWhBqa3ljZQpgGhBDGfKJuKTF80TutN0h0T0D4q-dHmHYwq8NrbL2o6b-5tgNGb9dFTrlG7zUr/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-10-28+at+2.25.55+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="544" data-original-width="842" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOo71ywY3tHO-n2GByr6H6l5aj3JEnjsD6DUF1GMXVfARrUNnxnIw-OwU1Rti4mZIkTxqWhBqa3ljZQpgGhBDGfKJuKTF80TutN0h0T0D4q-dHmHYwq8NrbL2o6b-5tgNGb9dFTrlG7zUr/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-10-28+at+2.25.55+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(these images show pumpkins and ghosts of various colors. Images were retrieved via Google image searches)</span></i></div>
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These images could be hidden around a room (or home, school, yard, etc). When one is located the finder needs to use two words in order to communicate what was found ("yellow pumpkin," "black ghost," etc.). 3-word combinations could be targeted by adding another variable, like size, into the mix (which require the speaker to say "big orange pumpkin" or "small black ghost"): </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9mKeTfvB3oltQ2JkoEg99zZs4CGx0phJFq8i8ZEIbJhppROSDy9aOG5MAf4Y6o2ccML5rgfm5oNutofNDOIjOwycHkLDWahAw598VNNarFsHqImpK9eLdhZHT7d4uTRYzcHG7NWA4D2k_/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-10-28+at+2.34.59+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="646" data-original-width="1056" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9mKeTfvB3oltQ2JkoEg99zZs4CGx0phJFq8i8ZEIbJhppROSDy9aOG5MAf4Y6o2ccML5rgfm5oNutofNDOIjOwycHkLDWahAw598VNNarFsHqImpK9eLdhZHT7d4uTRYzcHG7NWA4D2k_/s320/Screen+Shot+2017-10-28+at+2.34.59+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(these images are pairs of large and small orange pumpkins, yellow pumpkins, white ghosts, and black ghosts.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Images were retrieved via Google image searches)</span></i></div>
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The same idea could carry into other word combinations. For example, verbs could be highlighted by using images of different actions. Subject + verb combinations could be targets by using pictures that require both subject and verb to be identified in order to identify the picture (e.g., a boy painting, a girl painting, a boy singing, a girl singing). The subject target could be a pronoun---or, to increase motivation, you could use images of characters from favorite shows. (It's actually surprisingly easy to find images of show characters doing different actions via Google image searches). </div>
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I particularly like the idea of using scavenger hunts for asking questions---sometimes targeting questions feels so contrived, but this is a genuine questioning activity, like this:</div>
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You (speech + modeling) : I see one!</div>
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(<i>wait</i>)</div>
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You: Do you want to know what I found? You can ask, "what?" (model "what")</div>
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You (speech + modeling): I see the yellow pumpkin!</div>
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(<i>wait</i>)</div>
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You (speech + modeling): You see it?</div>
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(<i>wait</i>)</div>
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You: No? You can ask "where?" (model "where")</div>
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When your child indicates that they have found one, you can switch roles in the conversation and ask what and where questions in order to elicit more information.</div>
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This won't be a hit for everyone, but my kids are list-lovers. The idea of having a printed list in hand makes this activity really motivating and engaging for them. Happy hunting!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL6xJPB-s-MwGLvH01wudzAmBhtZFH4pxt38rMYBYja9sXr6CcmCgnhQ9wfa58W3bdXkMMiCpzH1D-Lxx_sohPtqkZGXtdeHYLGCzOpw5rhMrUC8rAiI9DNFWGNuN7iNfbgodR5R0eky2i/s1600/IMG_7800.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL6xJPB-s-MwGLvH01wudzAmBhtZFH4pxt38rMYBYja9sXr6CcmCgnhQ9wfa58W3bdXkMMiCpzH1D-Lxx_sohPtqkZGXtdeHYLGCzOpw5rhMrUC8rAiI9DNFWGNuN7iNfbgodR5R0eky2i/s400/IMG_7800.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(<i>image is of each kid pausing to put a sticker on some item that they had spotted)</i></span></div>
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Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675590510792979183.post-13884718134627350772017-10-22T13:09:00.000-04:002017-10-22T13:09:17.511-04:00Ghost Balloons (and free printable)This week, while browsing Facebook, I saw the coolest little craft project---simple, inexpensive, difficult to mess up, and sure to delight! A librarian friend of mine did this activity with a student group and it was a hit (shout out to all of the children's/youth librarians!), so I stole it. It would be great to use with AAC users (or actually for a variety of speech goals)---or just with your own children at home.<br />
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<u>Here's what you need:</u></div>
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<ul>
<li>.5 cup vinegar</li>
<li>1 tsp baking soda</li>
<li>balloon</li>
<li>water bottle </li>
<li>optional: index card (helpful for getting the baking soda into the balloon)</li>
<li>optional: funnel (helpful for getting the vinegar into the water bottle)</li>
<li>optional: sharpie (for drawing a ghost face, if you'd like)</li>
</ul>
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<u>Here's what you do:</u></div>
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<ul>
<li>(Note: Before beginning, I blew up our balloons to stretch them a bit.)</li>
<li>Draw a face on the balloon (if you'd like). The face will fade a bit as it stretches.</li>
<li>Measure and pour half a cup of vinegar into an empty water bottle.</li>
<li>Measure and pour a teaspoon of baking soda into your balloon. Tip: if you roll an index card into a funnel shape and insert the tip into the balloon opening, it's pretty easy to do get the baking soda inside. (Other techniques were not as successful.)</li>
<li>Carefully stretch the mouth of the balloon over the top of the water bottle---taking care to let the balloon flop to the side so that no baking soda escapes.</li>
<li>Lift the balloon, dropping the baking soda into the vinegar. The resulting reaction causes a sudden burst of bubbles and inflates the balloon!</li>
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I made a quick book to go with this activity. The photos show a pretty clear sequence of steps, although you may want to customize the pages (e.g., take out the index card page if you're not using it) and/or the text. For the sample book, I used simple sentences and repeated some core words (e.g., <i>need, get, put, it, in, look</i>) . . . but this activity could be easily used to target a number of goals and a wide range of vocabulary. The book has been uploaded as a (free) powerpoint file, so you can easily modify the text on each page, or add/delete pages. </div>
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Here are the screenshots from "Ghost Balloons!"</div>
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The link to download the powerpoint file for this book is here:<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_R1Lf0uysoRRTRTQVBrNEM0YTQ/view?usp=sharing"> Ghost Balloons!</a> (I'm not sure why the file is so big--it says unable to preview because it's so large---which is why I uploaded the whole sample book here. It can still be downloaded from that link, just not previewed.)</div>
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If you end up using it, or doing this activity, swing by here or <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Uncommon-Sense-Blog-123130417730793/">our Facebook page</a> and let me know how it goes!</div>
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Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675590510792979183.post-71861317384883266542017-08-06T13:59:00.002-04:002017-10-22T11:19:43.857-04:00Pool Noodle Art Robot (and free printable book)Quick post!<br />
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In my sessions tomorrow we will be building an art robot. A few years ago, while at AAC camp, we built a similar robot using a cup---but I just couldn't get it to work at home. A quick google turned up a similar art robot with a pool noodle body, and it works perfectly. Here's what you need:<br />
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<u>Must-have items:</u><br />
-pool noodle (just slice off a chunk a few inches long)<br />
-3 markers (those are the legs)<br />
-tape<br />
-vibrating toothbrush (You can find these at the drugstore. I got a 2-pack at CVS for around $9.)<br />
-paper (for the robot to draw on)<br />
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<u>To add extra fun and language opportunities:</u><br />
-pipe cleaners (arms)<br />
-construction paper and/or googly eyes (eyes, nose mouth----we'll use construction paper to add in extra language choices about which color to use, whether we want big or small eyes, etc)<br />
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Assembly is easy! Put face pieces onto the pool noodle. Stick pipe cleaner arms in (we didn't even need to pre-make holes for these, they slid right in). Turn upside down and tape on markers (they should be more or less evenly spaced, and sticking out about the same length, or your robot will tip). Then stick the toothbrush into the center of the pool noodle, turn on, and watch it go! (I removed the toothbrush head from my toothbrush---it popped off when I tugged/twisted with pliers.) We also had to add a bit of tape around the body of the toothbrush to ensure a snug fit in the noodle.<br />
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I made a book to go with this activity. It's very simple and filled with opportunities to model core words for beginning AAC users (need, make, put, on, which, look, take, off, in, turn, it, go, stop, finished). I also plan on turning the robot on/off and modeling: my turn, your turn, on, off, go, stop, more, finished. Body parts (eyes/nose/mouth/arms/legs/body), colors (of markers and construction paper), and size descriptors (big/small) will also be used when we are making choices and assembling.<br />
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Here are the screenshots from "Building A Robot":<br />
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The book is available for (free) download. It's a powerpoint file and can easily be modified to fit your kids/clients/students! <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_R1Lf0uysoRV1c2WG5qYld6Y0U/view?usp=sharing">Here is the link to view/download "Building a Robot</a>" <br />
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Enjoy!<br />
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<br />Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675590510792979183.post-62410442003926882982017-06-13T21:17:00.001-04:002017-06-13T21:17:14.038-04:00AAC after school: Most success, success, least successIt's been hot in NYC for the past few days, and heat takes a real toll on Maya. After school yesterday she seemed content, but exhausted . . . and (interestingly?) her verbal speech basically evaporates when she is tired. (Evidence of the need to advocate for AAC for children who are sometimes capable of verbal speech . . . but I digress.)<br />
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She told me "No snack today" and I asked "Why didn't you eat your snack?" and she yelled "No!" and wouldn't/couldn't tell me more. So I gave her a snack, set her up with homework, and tried to ask a little bit about her day . . . but I got nothing in response. At all.</div>
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So I pulled out Mini, and sat at the table next to her. Without saying anything, I started to tap out the beginning of a sentence (in whisper mode so she couldn't hear what I was saying, because secrets are her kryptonite). And when I finished tapping out "I didn't have snack today because" I slid it over to her and she filled in the rest:</div>
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<i>(image is a photo of Mini's screen, which reads "i didn't have snack today because I not open it mon". Maya calls me Mon instead of "mom.")</i></div>
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Victory! I got the information that I wanted (she's been having a bit of a snack stand-off for the past few days, so this answer makes sense to me). I decided to continue the game---I would write a sentence starter and then pass Mini over, and Maya could complete the sentence. It seemed win-win-win: good modeling, good home-use-of-AAC, and a good way to sway Maya into talking about her day.</div>
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I grabbed my phone to take a quick video clip, with the thought of sharing this story here. And I got a good one! </div>
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And a mediocre one! </div>
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And a lousy one! </div>
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And while it's kind of the norm to share highlights online, I thought I should just share all three . . . because real-life-AAC-family. In the first part, the strategy works. In the second, you'll hear a distracting little brother, bathroom talk, a mom-who's-trying-to-keep-everyone-focused-and-failing. You'll see Maya get tired, get distracted, and lose interest at different parts. And in the third section, it's just not happening. (Although I should note that AAC use by me, even when rejected by Maya, is still validating AAC as communication that I enjoy and am happy to use---so it's not a failure! It's just the least successful example here.)</div>
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Real life, folks. </div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/526474JbOdI" width="560"></iframe>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675590510792979183.post-41925098434009884802017-06-05T19:54:00.002-04:002017-06-05T19:54:28.210-04:00SnapshotShe talks so much now.<br />
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It takes me by surprise, frequently.</div>
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Sometimes she speaks to acquaintances (neighbors, local friends) and I open my mouth to translate exactly as they open their mouth to respond to her, not needing my translation because they understood her just fine.</div>
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Other times (like in the video below) people (including me) think they understand, and respond as if they understand, and the conversation turns away from her message, and she often doesn't fight back to correct it. </div>
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Sometimes she is so tired in the afternoon, or when she isn't feeling well, or when she gets too hot or too cold or is somehow off-kilter, and she is silent again. She'll use Mini then, if I bring it to her and sit quietly with her and we take turns tapping things . . . but the quiet, the almost total lack of speech . . . it surprises me, too. Just as much as the talkative times do.</div>
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Once upon a time, we fit so clearly into the second A of AAC (augmentative and alternative communication)---her talker was an alternative form of communication, since speech wasn't accessible. Now we straddle the augmentative and alternative worlds---sometimes our device augments speech, sometimes it's an alternate method of communication, and sometimes we have to go and search for it because we haven't used it in hours (whoops).</div>
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The video below, in which Maya describes some drama from her bus ride home, is a snapshot of Maya's speech right now. The fact that it includes me responding incorrectly to something she says also shows how important AAC is for people who don't have reliably intelligible speech---she needs a way of clarifying what she says and she also needs a reliable communication method to use with people who won't understand her speech (or when her speech is difficult to access, like when she's tired). Because of this need for AAC, it's important that we keep modeling, so that she keeps her skills up to par, learns where new words are, doesn't forget the locations of other words, etc. It's much easier to drop the modeling ball when Maya herself is favoring speech---but we can't let ourselves off the hook, not if we want her AAC vocabulary to stay solid (and expand!). </div>
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<br />Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675590510792979183.post-6782376988743527842017-06-01T14:27:00.000-04:002017-06-01T14:29:49.052-04:00Diagnosed. <div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
So, here it is. The update 8.5 years in the making. </div>
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Back in December, I received a message from a blog reader inquiring about a particular syndrome, and whether Maya might have it (this happens from time to time). She was very nice and explained that Maya looks a lot like a relative of hers, who was recently diagnosed with a rare syndrome. (You may remember that our first exome sequencing was conducted in 2012 as part of a research project. At that time they identified a gene mutation as a possible causative issue for Maya, but we just filed that information away since there was no associated syndrome----yet. And then I intentionally pushed it to the way back of my mind and grew to mostly really enjoy being undiagnosed-ish.) After receiving this email, <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">I dug back in my paperwork from our exome sequencing and found that this reader was naming the same gene that our research team had highlighted as probably-noteworthy-but-too-ne</span><wbr style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 12.8px;"></wbr><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">w-to-really-know (MED13L). </span></div>
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Fast forward to March, when we met with a new geneticist who happens to be connected to a group conducting research on this gene (actually on a whole group of genes, including this one). She re-ran our genetic sequencing (since the first sequence was done as part of research it wasn't in Maya's clinical file) and last week we found out that this round of testing confirmed the earlier result. Maya has a genetic mutation on the MED13L gene. The test also confirmed that this mutation (one little t nucleotide that should have been a c) was de novo, meaning that it was a chance occurrence (Dave and I were also tested and neither of us carries that mutation).</div>
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And so, Maya now has an official medical diagnosis. She has a rare genetic syndrome called MED13L syndrome. The information about this syndrome is pretty limited. There seem to be around 100 people (maybe? maybe less?) worldwide that currently carry this diagnosis, and it's rare enough that it's not even included yet on this list of <a href="https://globalgenes.org/rarelist/">rare diseases</a> (interestingly, the criteria here for "rare" is 200,000 diagnoses or less, so 100 people is like . . . wow). As whole exome sequencing becomes a more common practice for children with unknown genetic conditions, we expect that the number of people diagnosed with MED13L syndrome will increase. </div>
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Right now, the disorder is only characterized by people who have been identified with the condition. While some of the characteristics that currently define the disorder are a match for Maya (for example, speech problems and ataxia--lack of balance) others are clearly not (for example, she does not exhibit short stature or have a cleft palate, and she has recently revisited a cardiologist and had bloodwork done to confirm that we have no concerns regarding cardiac malformations or leukemia). </div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">If you think about the people most likely to pursue non-routine comprehensive genetic testing, many of them fall into a few categories: a) those with younger undiagnosed children, who may have access to this newer testing in a more routine manner (when Maya was tested, microarrays were a common last genetic step---now, it seems that exome sequencing is routinely offered to some), b) those who have older children who have continued to pursue non-routine genetic testing or follow up regularly with genetics, and c) those who get an email from a blog reader suggesting it. (I think that third category is pretty small). To that end, we don't expect to gain a lot of information about prognosis----because many of the children are young, and the older diagnosed individuals could disproportionately represent the characteristics of the condition. Basically, the data set is small, and small data sets are shaky. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Also, we don't know if any of these individuals have had access to the communication and writing technology that Maya has been immersed in from toddler-hood (clearly, we would never have known how clever she is without her ability to write and talk with her device . . . and that lack of knowledge would have impacted her educational opportunities and general life path). </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">What we </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px; font-weight: bold;"><i>do</i></span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> hope to find out from other families is possible medical information---what medications work well in our children, which don't, whether there are any complications to look out for, etc. And maybe to makes connections with a new community, too. </span></div>
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<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
It's interesting to have a diagnosis after almost 9 years of not having one. In the beginning the diagnosis seemed desperately important, but at some point I really grew into being "undiagnosed"---I liked the absence of labels, the fact that no one could google a disorder and somehow think that they knew Maya, or what she might be capable of, based on an online blurb. I'm truly grateful for those undiagnosed years. <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">So . . . bittersweet, I think. </span><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Or maybe not even all that meaningful. I'm not sure yet. I've got a lot to learn about, and a lot to process---and I'm sure that I'll share more about all of it as it unfolds, in time. But for right now this transition---this end-of-the-undiagnosed-ness--- it feels like the end of a chapter, and there's something to be said for finishing a chapter and turning the page to start the next one.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJq2ScPb6-l1K2FPnl391dMk7yyW4cB1VAoAO_d4Pa2sywcveXq6VJVLtZv-q828vc7B3UUF8T40uqO3INHo8sv3LGeMcjvE1mb_bIU5TvnkiIeB13j95S94vv8xx3u2jmjb-i2-lHoJRO/s1600/18812470_1683138891982904_3668577265412734976_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJq2ScPb6-l1K2FPnl391dMk7yyW4cB1VAoAO_d4Pa2sywcveXq6VJVLtZv-q828vc7B3UUF8T40uqO3INHo8sv3LGeMcjvE1mb_bIU5TvnkiIeB13j95S94vv8xx3u2jmjb-i2-lHoJRO/s400/18812470_1683138891982904_3668577265412734976_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "san francisco" , , , ".sfnstext-regular" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: -0.24px;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Image is a montage of photos from Tuesday, Maya's 9th birthday, including: Maya and Will blowing out the candles on her cake, Maya and Will in her classroom for a special lunch party, Maya and Will sharing a hug, Maya smiling at a present, and Maya gazing happily at her new nutcracker)</span></i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigZwqUvgfJQMIA6OCPqvIx3fd3wr_ZFTV7K9mJ0J6fBrUe4lIqUp_D0GR6RH_lSjVkqNkPiaCIyYoIdgczCIvv6whl-Wm5xHHfhP3dFaMsUL4qjnb_G5v0rmrWF0BaJEg8Rz0J5v4KFFAE/s1600/FullSizeRender+70.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1199" data-original-width="1600" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigZwqUvgfJQMIA6OCPqvIx3fd3wr_ZFTV7K9mJ0J6fBrUe4lIqUp_D0GR6RH_lSjVkqNkPiaCIyYoIdgczCIvv6whl-Wm5xHHfhP3dFaMsUL4qjnb_G5v0rmrWF0BaJEg8Rz0J5v4KFFAE/s320/FullSizeRender+70.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Image is the typed word "Undiagnosed", a blue marker has crossed out the "Un" and added a the date of our official diagnosis underneath, 5/25/17.)</span></i></div>
Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675590510792979183.post-10181649087709172542017-05-28T20:29:00.000-04:002017-05-28T20:29:13.857-04:00Barnes & Noble Summer Reading Program (FREE book for kids!) (visual menu)I recently found out that Barnes & Noble has a summer reading program for kids (grades 1-6), through which each child can earn 1 free book! <div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkWYC2TEfBnBpd83xSgj1_sbuLS6ELPVSf2EmZIkMqlaAKC5orfVRnNPFHAygF0YCPF8i9cvUghG9fHpvhZzCYiS0paNJQnU0QYuFOMWjAe4WkGksMO8xeptPVwcihHNZfjJQTTXW-crFi/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-05-28+at+8.25.22+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="920" data-original-width="826" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkWYC2TEfBnBpd83xSgj1_sbuLS6ELPVSf2EmZIkMqlaAKC5orfVRnNPFHAygF0YCPF8i9cvUghG9fHpvhZzCYiS0paNJQnU0QYuFOMWjAe4WkGksMO8xeptPVwcihHNZfjJQTTXW-crFi/s200/Screen+Shot+2017-05-28+at+8.25.22+PM.png" width="179" /></a></div>
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<i>(image is logo on the front of the B&N Summer Reading journal)</i></div>
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Here's how it works:<div>
1. Read 8 books.</div>
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2. Fill out reading journal for these books (title, author, favorite part).</div>
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3. Bring completed reading journal to participating B&N store and claim your free book!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaKJifnsMNxM6L0ur1M2Hhwtuu7VBLyxMUyd1DB6dy5CZ-hnsO8GuLdxesrjfmG3nNivPUEq7VwEPbygVWSvsfkurZDXogHoTNMM0aBXdjd_bSC3y54Tdgca0C3GYsbH0HWpiS-Eo-2SIX/s1600/IMG_6457.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1140" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaKJifnsMNxM6L0ur1M2Hhwtuu7VBLyxMUyd1DB6dy5CZ-hnsO8GuLdxesrjfmG3nNivPUEq7VwEPbygVWSvsfkurZDXogHoTNMM0aBXdjd_bSC3y54Tdgca0C3GYsbH0HWpiS-Eo-2SIX/s400/IMG_6457.JPG" width="283" /></a></div>
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<i>(image is the back page of the B&N Summer Reading Journal, listing the free book choices)</i></div>
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There are 24 books to choose from when selecting a free book: eight for grades 1-2, eight for grades 3-4, and eight for grades 5-6. These books are listed (title/author) in the back of the reading journal, but I wasn't able to find a visual menu anywhere online, so I made one. A visual menu of books increases accessibility for those who can't independently read/remember the titles and provides an easier means of selection for those who can demonstrate choice more easily by pointing to an image----and also, who doesn't appreciate seeing the cover when you're choosing a book? <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_R1Lf0uysoRckZPeGFZbkd3cXc/view?usp=sharing">If your child would benefit from a visual menu of the books, this menu can be downloaded (for free) here. </a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbKmqPisA97NNk7g9a_lvfAy27Lve1cwKB9sMSQkYhOJ0PEuj8ozs4fKA1HBY-ZPS1YnRzicD0ooeBhN37fDRQ5hDh0uUf8TaP40xiI9irztlp7ObaW9NFDVHauNeg7Bpm_AP_Sznvi2ew/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-05-28+at+8.02.32+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="681" data-original-width="1600" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbKmqPisA97NNk7g9a_lvfAy27Lve1cwKB9sMSQkYhOJ0PEuj8ozs4fKA1HBY-ZPS1YnRzicD0ooeBhN37fDRQ5hDh0uUf8TaP40xiI9irztlp7ObaW9NFDVHauNeg7Bpm_AP_Sznvi2ew/s640/Screen+Shot+2017-05-28+at+8.02.32+PM.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>(Image is the visual book menu. It contains pictures of the 24 available book covers, broken into the 3 grade level categories)</i></div>
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Here's the link to more information about the Barnes & Noble Summer Reading Program (kind of tricky, scroll about halfway down the page to see the information, including the journal download): <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/b/summer-reading-for-kids/_/N-2mir">http://www.barnesandnoble.com/b/summer-reading-for-kids/_/N-2mir</a></div>
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Happy reading!</div>
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Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675590510792979183.post-25534142157122137692017-02-23T11:36:00.000-05:002017-02-23T11:37:03.285-05:00The Leap: AAC by 18 months, 3 years later <div class="MsoNormal">
<i>This post is a 3-years-later follow up to my blog post <a href="http://niederfamily.blogspot.com/2014/02/aac-by-18-months.html"><u>AAC by 18 Months</u>.</a></i></div>
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Yesterday morning I received a message reminding me that
(exactly) three years ago, I shared this status on Facebook.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg11KZqt9vK4NX3Yjdr_s1DTxGNR1Sf5dp-jrPTA6Z6clqNavu_CbUASxn_Kq-H41_j_KMrYp_aBmOOJ9vW4nQhak9brP2xLELjwyFI732nWbTc0YhgzlhM_jnoIEqIB0p-TElfNUNYf0vi/s1600/Screen+Shot+2017-02-22+at+8.06.24+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg11KZqt9vK4NX3Yjdr_s1DTxGNR1Sf5dp-jrPTA6Z6clqNavu_CbUASxn_Kq-H41_j_KMrYp_aBmOOJ9vW4nQhak9brP2xLELjwyFI732nWbTc0YhgzlhM_jnoIEqIB0p-TElfNUNYf0vi/s400/Screen+Shot+2017-02-22+at+8.06.24+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Three years ago yesterday was when I decided to lock our
modeling/play iPad into guided access and give it to Will, so that he could
have his own talker.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
He was 17 months old. His speech at the time was on track as a 17 month
old---he had a bunch of word approximations (I have them written down somewhere),
he would label and request objects, and he wasn’t combining words yet (again,
typical for 17 months). <o:p></o:p></div>
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On 2/22/2014 I gave him a talker because he really wanted
one. Because it was hard to keep him away from Maya’s talker, and because I
thought that introducing him to AAC would deepen their relationship and
communication . . . and because AAC is an important part of our family culture.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I also gave it to him because, at that point, I had been
running my big mouth online for a few years. I had been shouting into the void that
people needed to “provide robust AAC early!” I had argued with parents and
professionals in online groups, and confidently declared that “AAC will NOT
impede speech development!” and that “When speech becomes easier to access, it
will be used!” <o:p></o:p></div>
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And now I had Will, 17 months old, in the adorable early
stages of developing his speech, and I was about to put a screen in front of
him (a screen! the horror!) and let him use that to communicate.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Guys . . . I was really scared. Like, pit-of-my-stomach,
what-if-I’m-about-to-really-mess-up-as-a-mom, it’s-all-well-and-good-to-insist-this-won’t-cause-problems-but-this-is-my-kid’s-future-speech-we’re-talking-about
scared. I-can-already-hear-friends-and-family-judging-me-for-giving-my-toddler-a-talking-device
scared.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
I wish that all professionals could try on this type of
fear. With Maya, who had no speech, I ran into the world of AAC with open arms,
thirsty to learn and buy and implement and immerse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Deciding to give AAC to Will, and struggling
with the emotions that were a part of that decision, allowed me to understand
what the process is like for parents of children who have some speech and are
being told that they should add AAC into the communication mix. The fear of
losing speech, or slowing speech development, is huge. Parents agonize over all
sorts of parenting decisions (If I hide vegetables in brownies will my kids
ever learn to eat non-hidden vegetables? Will TV time stifle creativity? Will
tricking my children into thinking it’s bedtime 30 minutes earlier tonight lead
to trust issues?) . . . and those ones don’t carry potential consequences that
feel so big. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I am an AAC parent-advocate. I have read a ton of AAC
research. I’m heavily involved in AAC networks.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I struggled. <o:p></o:p></div>
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But I gave it to him.<o:p></o:p></div>
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And 3 years later, I can tell you what has happened as a
result of that decision.</div>
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<ul>
<li>We were able to avoid many toddler tantrums related to not
understanding our child’s early speech, because he could use AAC as a back-up,
or as a way to give clues as to what he was thinking.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Will’s speech milestones (2 word combinations, sentences,
questions, etc.) all occurred either on time or early.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>He began speaking new word approximations after using those
words on a talker (e.g., he may have found “blueberries” on the talker and used
that button a lot for a few days, and then I’d hear him verbally producing a
form of “blueberries”).</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Will and Maya connected in new, deep, amazing ways. For
her, Will reinforced that using a talker is just something that people do. For
himself, he got to be like his big sister, whom he adores. They giggled together.
She taught him how to find new things. He showed her things he wanted to talk
about. They still, to this day, make up games about finding words or saying
silly sentences.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>As Will spoke more and words became more clear, he used those
words on the talker less . . . just as I had said online (when speech is more
easily accessible, it will be used).</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Will became<a href="http://niederfamily.blogspot.com/2015/04/communication-repair-at-2-speech.html"> an expert in communication repai</a>r. He is the
most multi-modal 4 year old communicator I’ve ever seen. If he’s saying a word
unclearly or can’t remember a word, he will act it out, give amazing clues,
tell us words that it sounds like, etc. When he was 2-3 (and so much speech is
somewhat unintelligible) he used the talker for communication repair in clever,
fantastic ways.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Will began reading at an age earlier than expected, which I
believe is partially due to text exposure and keyboard use.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>He uses the talker now the way that a child might use a
dictionary for spelling---he’ll ask me how to spell a word to write down, but
if I’m not quick he’ll grab a talker. Or he’ll start typing in the search
feature and then check out spellings of multiple words.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>His receptive and expressive language and vocabulary are
very high (above 90<sup>th</sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> percentile at last measurement).</span></li>
</ul>
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It is unlikely, therefore, that early introduction of AAC
had any negative impact on his speech or language development.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It’s been good. Enlightening. Endearing and surprising.
Stunning, sometimes. Silly and fun and inspiring, in ways. Amazing.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But that leap . . . it’s tough.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Parents, if you are considering AAC for a nonverbal or
minimally verbal little one, but holding back because you’re scared, take the
leap. Your child deserves the words, in whatever way they can access them right
now. The research says that AAC will not impede speech or language
development---it will actually support speech and language development as it
provides your child with a voice.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Professionals, the fear is real. Parents may not be holding
back because AAC is tough to learn, or difficult to logistically manage, or
cumbersome, or unfamiliar. They might be really scared of making the “wrong”
choice for their child---they might worry that providing AAC to a little one
may seem like an easier way to access words right now, at the cost of risking
long term speech development. It’s your job to create a supportive, open
environment in which these discussions can be had, to acknowledge these (very
real) fears, to provide information and support, and to help these families
connect with other AAC families (online or in person). <o:p></o:p></div>
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The struggle is real.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The risk feels real.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The leap is big.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The rewards are kind of limitless.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675590510792979183.post-57379622080511509532017-02-16T11:02:00.000-05:002018-02-16T05:50:21.884-05:00Why We Didn't Use AAC At All Yesterday<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="a90s3" data-offset-key="5e0mt-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "San Francisco", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="5e0mt-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.24px;">(a (hypothetical) letter from a parent to a therapist)*</span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="a90s3" data-offset-key="ae93m-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "San Francisco", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ae93m-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;">
<span data-offset-key="ae93m-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="a90s3" data-offset-key="6h7qm-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "San Francisco", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="6h7qm-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;">
<span data-offset-key="6h7qm-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">Dear SLP,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.24px;">We didn't use the talker at all yesterday. Not one little bit. I had plans to use it---no really, I did! I had a whole activity in mind! What happened, you ask? Life, homework, and life again.</span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="a90s3" data-offset-key="548gb-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "San Francisco", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="548gb-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;">
<span data-offset-key="548gb-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">To start with, things are busy here. I was only home with Maya for 90 minutes, and you might as well call that 45, once you subtract the home-from-school 20 mins (that's for putting coats and shoes away, reviewing items in backpack, fixing a snack, etc.) and the Mom's-about-to-leave 25 mins (that's for making and serving dinner, packing my bags for school, finding the papers that I've misplaced since the morning, etc). So 45 mins. During that time, today, we had to make Maya's "100 Days" poster for school. </span></div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="a90s3" data-offset-key="124no-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "San Francisco", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
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<span data-offset-key="124no-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">Maya had already said she wanted to show 100 cotton balls, and I had cut out "jars" for the cotton balls. I thought about all of the ways that we could use the talker for that project. We could talk about how the glue feels, or counting. Grouping cotton balls, putting them in jars, moving them around, a top row of jars and a bottom row. We could talk about how the cotton balls feel, where cotton comes from, what things in our home are made of cotton. We could make piles of extra cotton balls, or little snowmen, or pretend that they are marshmallows that we could gobble up.</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="1eqc9-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">I was ready. I was invested. I was energized!</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="2ft4c-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">But Maya was tired. Turns out the Valentine's Day dance had wiped her out. There was much staring into space, and much resting her head on the table. Every group of ten that we counted took several re-starts, since she was kind of just moving her hands without looking and staring into the distance (and I wasn't going to do it for her, so we kept starting over). Modeling + helping to stay focused on counting cotton balls = challenging (maybe pointless?). And the counting was more important than the modeling.</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="96euh-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">And the glue. My word, the glue. Do you know what happens if you get a little glue on your fingers and then try to count cotton balls? They all stick to you. And to each other. And it's really hard to peel them off, because now they have glue on them and they just stick to your non-glued fingers (by the way, now your non-glued fingers have become glued fingers). There's no way to use a talker with gluey, cotton-ball covered fingers.</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="bior6-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">The poster was made. The talker wasn't used. But I sure invested a lot of thought ahead of time into all of the great stuff I would model while making the poster. Maybe next time.</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="bn1p3-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">Signed, </span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="4361j-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">An AAC mom who's doing her best</span></div>
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<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="9ab2o-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;">
<span data-offset-key="9ab2o-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">*this is a true story, but not a true letter, because we don't have an SLP who assigns AAC homework or checks up on our home use (kind of wish we did!). It's provided to serve a little window into how sometimes a family "who didn't even use the talker at all after school yesterday" may have really tried their best, despite having nothing to show for it in the data log. AAC professionals, the best way for you to foster AAC carryover at home is to create an open dialogue in which families feel comfortable (and not judged) sharing their barriers to home use. Then you can help supply short, simple-to-implement ideas to help increase AAC use at home! </span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="6aha8-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="6aha8-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6a-63sLz8xTCN3z4i-ZCr6qiwTzqwYsQmdSS5oaj65MobxB0Qr43Ko2j_oE-2VRIHSEplI2FXU7yNRi2egFbB0tr7qnuWkbO-wpgUYKxzpQZGltErSMUPRovCIoJoQwTXqrXHrIxQUHHL/s1600/IMG_5534.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6a-63sLz8xTCN3z4i-ZCr6qiwTzqwYsQmdSS5oaj65MobxB0Qr43Ko2j_oE-2VRIHSEplI2FXU7yNRi2egFbB0tr7qnuWkbO-wpgUYKxzpQZGltErSMUPRovCIoJoQwTXqrXHrIxQUHHL/s320/IMG_5534.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span data-offset-key="1958v-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">(image is Maya and Will sitting together before Maya's bus came this morning. She is holding her completed 100 days poster. Will is making a silly face because he was saying "look at this poster!"---but he liked this picture and told me to use this one) </span></div>
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Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675590510792979183.post-48283866773929477642017-02-08T10:34:00.000-05:002017-02-08T10:34:12.873-05:00Traction<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="6nbnp" data-offset-key="sqm2-0-0" style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "San Francisco", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; letter-spacing: -0.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
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<span data-offset-key="sqm2-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">As NYC looks ahead to a likely storm tonight (woohoo! snow!) I'm thinking about driving on ice. I didn't know the fun of driving on ice until college, when a friend had me drive to a (large, totally empty) parking lot and purposefully induce a slide. It was fun, and freeing, and there wasn't really anything for the driver (me) to do. We just slid.</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="8ktn2-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="cblhn-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">In my AAC family, we've just been sliding. </span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="8t2gr-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="56tha-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">Not doing anything.</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="f7ics-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="dkr3c-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">Don't get me wrong, the talkers are here. We use them for writing, or for homework. We always bring at least one with us when we go out. When Maya tells me that we need to add a word, we add the word. And . . . that's about it. </span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="jbjt-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="he9m-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">Sliding. </span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="he9m-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="he9m-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">Whee!</span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="as5pt-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
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<span data-offset-key="fa7lp-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">But sliding forever . . . it won't really get you where you're trying to go. It's fun. And maybe when it's snowing and icy you just need to take a break and let the slide take over for a bit. Eventually, though, if you don't lean forward and start driving again, you'll never get out of the parking lot. </span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="2htcg-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="peq5-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">And while I won't continue the analogy through the specifics of wheel turning and brake usage, I will offer this: to get out of a slide, you really need one thing: traction. </span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="ec7vg-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="d6oqt-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;">To get out of a metaphorical slide you need traction, too. </span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="bfaea-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
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<br />
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="6nbnp" data-offset-key="9556u-0-0" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "San Francisco", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: -0.24px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
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<span data-offset-key="9556u-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">And so yesterday afternoon, in the space between getting the kids home from school and leaving for my night class, I made the first move toward gaining traction. I decided that I was going to model (which Maya has been somewhat resistant to) and that I needed a <u>motivating</u>, <u>simple</u> activity---one quick enough that I would still have time to make dinner and pack for school, yet motivating enough that the kids would have to attend to the talker, because how-could-they-not. Something that would give me the feeling that I had been successful---actively modeled, engaged the kids---while still being totally manageable (because there's only so much time between getting Maya off the bus and running out the door for my class). Just one activity. And a few purposeful minutes of modeling. A little traction.</span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="9556u-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="9556u-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="6nbnp" data-offset-key="f9ugd-0-0" style="font-style: normal; letter-spacing: -0.24px;">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="f9ugd-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;">
<span data-offset-key="f9ugd-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">Solution = secrets and cookies.</span></span></div>
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<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="6nbnp" data-offset-key="8h4tq-0-0" style="font-style: normal; letter-spacing: -0.24px;">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="8h4tq-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;">
<span data-offset-key="8h4tq-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
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<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="6nbnp" data-offset-key="ibvu-0-0" style="font-style: normal; letter-spacing: -0.24px;">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="ibvu-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;">
<span data-offset-key="ibvu-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">First, I told them verbally that I had a secret. (That's all it takes to get their rapt attention.) </span></span></div>
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<span data-offset-key="4nm1l-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
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<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="6nbnp" data-offset-key="faer6-0-0" style="font-style: normal; letter-spacing: -0.24px;">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="faer6-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-family: inherit; position: relative;">
<span data-offset-key="faer6-0-0" style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-text="true" style="font-family: inherit;">Then, I got a talker. And I stopped speaking and started exclusively using a talker for communication. I said things like this:</span></span></div>
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<li><i>I got you something.</i></li>
<li><i>It's hiding.</i></li>
<li><i>You can't find it.</i></li>
<li><i>I thought that maybe we could</i> . . . (then I paused for dramatic effect, as they hopped and wiggled and said "what?! what?!")</li>
<li><i>Go to sleep. </i>Repeat whole sentence: <i>I thought that maybe we could go to sleep. </i>(giggles, shouts of "no!")</li>
<li><i>I thought that maybe we could slice and bake.</i> (long pause, they started to ask for more info)</li>
<li><i>What could we slice and bake?</i> (they are unsure)</li>
<li><i>Could we bake a shoe? </i>(No!)</li>
<li><i>Could we bake a banana?</i> (No!)</li>
<li><i>What could we bake?</i> (Maya said "cake")</li>
<li><i>What else? </i> ("Cookies")</li>
<li><i>Yes! </i></li>
<li><i>Maybe we could bake cookies</i> (And there was much rejoicing)</li>
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(for the record: between each of my utterances I sat back away from the talker, so that if a child wanted to jump in and say something they could. No one did.)</div>
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And then, the talker was ignored as we washed hands, grabbed a bar of refrigerated cookie dough and child knives, and got to slicing. </div>
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Traction. Just a little bit. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Enough to start the pull out of the slide.</div>
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And cookies.</div>
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<i>(image is a photo of the talker's screen, taken yesterday afternoon. The screen reads: Maybe we could bake cookies)</i></div>
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Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675590510792979183.post-60074196952029085602016-09-11T21:43:00.001-04:002016-09-11T21:43:35.547-04:00I may not live to see our (AAC) glory, but I will gladly join the fight.<i>(Originally posted on our Facebook page on 6/9/16. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1088923801151445&id=123130417730793&substory_index=0">That post, and comments, can be seen here.)</a></i><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.24px; line-height: 1.38;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.24px; line-height: 1.38;">The AAC times, they are a-changing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.24px; line-height: 1.38;">I believe this.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I believe that one day SLP students will sit in (a mandatory) AAC class and learn about the history of AAC.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">They will learn about prerequisite skills for AAC . . .cognition that is not too low, being attentive and 'motivated to communicate', ability to match symbols to words, solid fine motor skills, minimal to no 'negative behaviors', not too young and not too old.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">They will be appropriately shocked by the notion that there were once considered to be prerequisite skills for use of a robust AAC system.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">They will learn about the AAC hierarchy . . . first a child must recognize and match photos with labels, then more abstract pictures. First a child must select from a field of 2, then 4, then 6, and so on up the even-numbered-marching ladder. First a child must be able to understand categories and which items belong in each category, because how else will they find breakfast foods? First a child must successfully use no tech, then low tech, then, if mastery is demonstrated, high tech.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">They will be appropriately horrified.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 6px 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">They will wring their hands over the children who were victims of this outdated, dangerous approach to AAC. They will somberly reflect upon the children who lived and died and understood and sat in basement classrooms with no way to say anything meaningful, the way that we currently somberly reflect upon the children with disabilities who used to be placed in institutions at birth.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">They will have trouble understanding.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">They will say "But we know that typical kids learn to speak by saying words and having people respond---of course nonspeakers would learn AAC the same way."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">They will say "We immerse typically developing babies in speech, because they can access and produce speech . . . of course we should immerse children with language difficulties in robust AAC, because they can access and produce that type of 'speech.'"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">They will be grateful for the tools at their disposal, many of which I probably can't imagine.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">They will introduce and implement AAC early and often as part of a first-level treatment approach for nonspeakers. And those nonspeakers will have more rapid increases in their development of communicative intent, their ability to share their thoughts, and their rate of speech development.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I believe this.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I believe that the voices we lend to this fight accelerate the process. I believe that every time we speak publicly about presuming competence, giving all the words, using robust systems early and often, and throwing away the ridiculous hierarchy, we reach new people. And while some of these new people will brush us off as idealistic, some will join the movement. Others will think twice the next time they sit down and pull out a small set of picture cards.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">There's a line in the musical Hamilton that says, "I may not live to see our glory, but I will gladly join the fight." I believe that this lines directly up with our place in AAC history.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Presuming competence.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.24px; line-height: 1.38;">No effing prerequisite skills for robust AAC.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.24px; line-height: 1.38;">AAC immersion that isn't contingent upon rapid successful participation from the potential AAC user.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.24px; line-height: 1.38;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.24px; line-height: 1.38;">I may not live to see our glory, but I will gladly join the fight.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.24px; line-height: 1.38;">Fight with us.</span></div>
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Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675590510792979183.post-59842101330626309582016-08-23T20:44:00.002-04:002016-09-01T22:11:02.199-04:00The book formerly known as "Curious George Gets a Talker"<span style="font-family: inherit;">Welcome, friends, to the former home of the book "Curious George Gets a Talker." </span><div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">(If you're brand new and don't know what I'm referring to, it was a super neat PowerPoint book that I wrote about Curious George using a communication device, and then I cut up photocopies of our George books with my kids and we put talkers in them. It was pretty neat :) )</span><div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">If this disappearance is coming as a shock, let me explain.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">When I made the book, it was for my kids (my daughter, Maya, who uses a communication device by necessity, and her little brother, Will, who uses a communication device because we are an AAC family). We had fun doing it and they *loved* the finished product. Per usual, when I create resource-y things, I put it up here to share with the intent of supporting other AAC users. AAC folks loved it and all was good. It was translated into multiple languages! I received touching emails with photos and videos of their kids reacting to it! Until . . .</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The next day someone asked about copyright. Knowing nothing of copyright stuff, I had no idea whether it was an issue. I wasn't selling anything, I saw oodles of homemade character crafts elsewhere online (ahem, pinterest), and other friends chimed in citing fair use law, so I thought it was probably fine. But, being a fine upstanding non-thief-y type of person, I emailed the Curious George people (actually the <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Houghton Mifflin Harcourt people) to self-report the usage. I explained the project, sent them the book, and asked whether it was permissible to leave in place or whether it should be removed. (This is also why I didn't repost the link on Facebook or share the translated versions---I thought it was wiser to wait to hear back from HMH.) After a few days I got a reply that my email had been passed to a different department, and I didn't hear anything else until today.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">(<i>Side note: I can't help but wonder how many emails they get self-reporting potential copyright infringement. Not many, I would guess. Ha.)</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;">Earlier this evening I received a very polite email from the HMH folks saying that, while<span style="font-family: inherit;"> they appreciated the effort to provide resources to the disability community, there are "strict editorial standards for creating new stories featuring the character," and they requested that I pull the file down. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And so . . . </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">*poof*</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But wait, there's more.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white;">While HMH requested the removal of the booklet due to the copyright, they were "inspired by [our] story" and as a gesture of appreciation they have offered to make a donation in Maya's name of 100 HMH children's books to a nonprofit of our choosing. (They also are sending us a small gift basket of books for Will and Maya, which is lovely.)</span></span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
That's pretty cool. Considering that not only did they have no obligation to be charitable, they actually could have been righteously indignant, it's very generous.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
So the book isn't here anymore. I'm not really bummed about it, though. It reached some kids (most importantly to me, my own). The books that will be donated will reach some more kids. My kids and I had a blast making it. If only I could draw, we could have made it with other characters to begin with . . . which brings me to the next point:</div>
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<br /></div>
<div>
While the character images in my book belonged to HMH, the story was mine. It was a pretty good story from an AAC perspective: there was modeling, multiple communicative functions, multiple communication partners, multiple communicative environments, etc. Curious George, while beloved and adorable and well-known, is not essential for the story to work. The main character could really be any animal (I'm particular to Parker the poodle, but Sara the squirrel or Harry the hamster or Carl the cat or really anyone could work).</div>
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<br /></div>
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But I can't draw. </div>
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<br /></div>
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And so if you, dear reader, happen to be an illustrator, or happen to know an illustrator, or just like to draw (simple, emotive, child-friendly) characters in your spare time . . . well, get in touch (uncommonfeedback@gmail.com). If anyone can make it work, I'd be happy to attach the story to someone new. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Our kids need more AAC stories. (And I can't help draw them, but I can happily help with the stories----so if any book folks out there want to run with this, well . . . it's a good idea. And I'm happy to help.)</div>
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<br /></div>
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----</div>
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(Totally unrelated side note: this is the first week of my new semester, and posts have been pretty thin here since I started back in grad school. If you want to keep up with us, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Uncommon-Sense-Blog-123130417730793/">our Facebook page is really the place to go!)</a></div>
Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675590510792979183.post-21038285018664683902016-08-01T21:16:00.001-04:002016-08-01T21:16:10.583-04:0021 Days of AAC Challenge: 2016<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><u><b>New, 2016-style Introduction:</b></u></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">We are freshly back from AAC family camp (which I will definitely blog about at some point, but if you'd like to see some snippets from camp you can see them on our FB page: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/123130417730793/photos/a.124083530968815.9496.123130417730793/1118737031503455/?type=3&theater">here</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1119461568097668&id=123130417730793">here</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/123130417730793/photos/a.124083530968815.9496.123130417730793/1119475058096319/?type=3&theater">here</a>, and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1120822977961527&id=123130417730793">here</a>). It's that last post that's leaving me hungry to do more, to be a better support for my AAC-using daughter, particularly as she often wants to use her (mostly unintelligible to strangers) speech and reject her device. I'm scared that she's losing her skills (well, because she is---<a href="https://www.facebook.com/123130417730793/photos/a.124083530968815.9496.123130417730793/1116065165103975/?type=3&theater">more on that here</a>) and I'm scared of<a href="https://www.facebook.com/123130417730793/photos/a.124083530968815.9496.123130417730793/1116741248369700/?type=3&theater"> the implications for her future</a> if she doesn't maintain/increase her AAC fluency. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">And so, friends, it's AAC challenge time!</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">And this year, there's a friendly new (free) printable. First, check out the details of the AAC modeling challenge below (re-run from last year). At the bottom you'll find the oh-so-easy printable calendar. *THIS CALENDAR IS NOT MANDATORY.* Nothing is mandatory---this is all made-up, remember? But for those who like the self-satisfaction that comes with crossing off another day, or who enjoy the data collection of jotting a (very) few daily notes, this new addition is for you. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">And now, the details: </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">If you are a member of an AAC family, you have likely heard that the most important thing that you can do (after providing your child with a </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyHtoKuNU7c" style="background-color: white; color: #a1ccdd; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px; text-decoration: none;">robust ready-to-support-language system</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"> and presuming competence) is model. Modeling (also known as aided language stimulation, aided language input, and ALgS) is when you use your child's AAC system to communicate, with several variations:</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">(words spoken via AAC are in bold)</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;" /><br />
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<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Use your child's system to highlight certain words as you also speak: "<b>We</b> are having <b>fun</b>." </li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Use your child's system to build whole phrases/sentences instead of speaking. "<b>Your turn.</b>"</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Use a separate device with the same language file (this works if you have 2 iPads and your child is using a communication app) as your own AAC device. (This is also called dual device modeling). (Same examples as above, just with your own talker.)</li>
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Of course, you could also highlight words without speaking them, or build whole phrases/sentences while speaking them, or use a combination of single and dual device modeling, or probably a bunch of other possible modeling plans that I haven't listed. </div>
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(Is this starting to feel complicated?)</div>
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And then there's the question of which words/phrases to model. There's a lot of emphasis on core words and core vocabulary (core words = the words that make up the large majority of a person's vocabulary; including versatile, simple words like <i>eat, push, go, stop, in, up, this, it</i>) . . . but we also know that sometimes the stuff that gets our kids most interested in talking are the fringe words (names of tv characters, favorite toys, words like <i>fart, poop, gross</i>). And then there may be essential words/phrases/topics that we know are important for our child to start incorporating (communication repair phrases like <i>That's not what I said</i>, social interaction phrases like <i>What's your name</i>, questions, words to describe pain/seizures/medical conditions, introduction strategies, etc.) Not to mention the wealth of questions that immediately arise as soon as you try to model:</div>
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<i>For beginners:</i></div>
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<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Wait, which words should I highlight? </li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Should I only model present tense verbs or should I use all of the tenses?</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Do I need to pick a set of words and only model those 5-10 words until my child is using them?</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Should I model one word at a time or more than one? When should I ever model full sentences?</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">What if my child isn't paying attention when I'm trying to model? Should I wait? Make him/her watch? Quit and try again later? Keep going?</li>
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<i>For intermediate/advanced:</i></div>
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<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">My child usually knows where words are better than I do, am I really adding much by continuing to model?</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">How can I balance between hitting new language targets while also remaining fluid and flexible in conversation (rather than feeling like a lesson)?</li>
<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">When should I recast/correct my child's production (eg. using AAC to restate their sentence while correcting verb tense, or adding articles, etc), and when should I ignore the errors?</li>
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It can be overwhelming.</div>
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<i>Depending on your degree of over-thinking-ness, it can be <u>really</u> overwhelming. (My over-thinking-ness degree is high, for the record).</i></div>
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And yet, undeniably, modeling is essential. </div>
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Modeling provides children with accessible language input (input in a language that they will be able to access and then also use, whereas they may not be able to attempt to use the speech that they are hearing constantly). Children are immersed in speech from birth, but AAC users receive only a tiny fraction of that accessible language modeling in their AAC language. While many families can count on AAC to be modeled during weekly speech therapy sessions, consider these thoughts from Jane Korsten:</div>
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<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The typically developing child will have been exposed to oral language for approximately 4,380 waking hours by the time he begins speaking at about 18 months of age.</em><span style="background-color: transparent;"> </span></blockquote>
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<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">If someone is using a different symbol set and only has exposure to it two times a week, for 20 – 30 minutes each, it will take the alternate symbol user 84 years to have the same experience with his symbols that the typically developing child has with the spoken word in 18 months!!! </em></blockquote>
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<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The typically developing child will demonstrate language competency around 9 – 12 years of age having been immersed in and practicing oral language for approximately 36,500 waking hours. For 9 – 12 years that child has been using and receiving corrective feedback while practicing with the spoken word. </em></blockquote>
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<em style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">At twice a week, 20 – 30 minutes each time, it will take the alternate symbol user 701 years to have the same experience.</em></blockquote>
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<span style="background-color: transparent;">If we are to make any sort of dent in closing that gap, AAC modeling needs to become something that we do at home (and in the grocery store, and while out on a walk, and in the doctor's office, and . . . you get the idea)---for AAC beginners, of course, but even for our intermediate/advanced users. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Here are some things that are great about modeling:</span></div>
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<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It provides children with an increased amount of accessible language input (as mentioned above)</span></li>
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<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hands-on modelin</span>g time sneakily forces the modelers to become more familiar with the vocabulary placement and to increase their fluency with the system</li>
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<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Modeling will undoubtedly lead to programming/opening more words in the system, as you will notice things that you want to say but can't, because words are missing</li>
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<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;">Using AAC will validate your child's system, in a subtle-but-real way that says <i>I think this is such a great way of communicating that I want to use it, too!</i></li>
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Things that are challenging about modeling (aka "reasons that maybe sometimes I don't want to model") and why those are also great:</div>
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<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><i>My child wanders away when I am modeling and then the whole thing seems pointless.</i> Keep modeling anyway. Children who use AAC need to be determined to get their point across: AAC is slow, sometimes hard to hear, sometimes awkward or cumbersome. Our kids will have listeners who wander away----they need to see that it's worth sticking it out to communicate your thoughts. You're not just modeling the words, you're modeling what it looks like to use a communication system. You're modeling that you are comfortable using AAC, that you value it and don't quit just because listeners are indifferent. Stick it out. </li>
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<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><i>My child finds the words much faster than I do. I feel awkward searching for so long between each word.</i> You are not only modeling words, you are modeling what to do when you are looking for a word that you don't know (I guarantee that our kids have words in their heads that they don't attempt to say with their devices simply because the words aren't programmed in or they don't know where to find them). Use this opportunity to say things like "Huh, I want to say <i>enormous</i> but I don't know where that is . . . do you have <i>enormous</i> in here<i>?</i> . . . let's take a look" while you model how to use the search feature. You can model how to use a synonym if the exact word isn't in there, or how to use a button like <i>"I don't have the word that I want"</i> or <i>"I need a new word." </i>You are modeling how to fight to get your message across, how to not quit because it is hard. (Also, if you ask your child for help finding words they may love being the expert :) )</li>
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<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><i>I feel awkward using the device while out-and-about. Of course, I want my child to use his/her system anywhere, but I am a speaking adult, and I feel strange wearing an iPad and using it to talk in line at Starbucks. </i>I get it. I want Maya to feel empowered and proud and awesome when she wears and uses her talker, and yet I sometimes feel sheepish doing the same. I'm not a big fan of drawing extra attention to myself in public, and holding an electronic device and tapping on it with your kids is going to solicit some looks (and maybe comments too, about how we are all addicted to devices now). But we are awesome when we model in public. Maya has shown me, time and again, that she is generally resistant to using the talker in new places (so much to see and do that it's hard to care enough about communicating to slow down and do it). I need to model that it's worth taking the time to communicate everywhere---that we can pause on our walk to comment on something we see, that I can stop to ask a question, that it's ok (more than ok!) to take the time to use the device whenever, wherever.</li>
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<li style="margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px;"><i>My child sometimes pushes my hands away when I try to use his/her talker.</i> This one, actually, is the one reason that I would back off (temporarily) on the modeling. If you don't have a second device available for modeling and your child is showing this type of possessiveness over his device, I would honor it and simply try again later. I would ask permission ("can I use your talker to say something?") and/or choose a time when he isn't much interested in using it. </li>
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Despite knowing how important modeling is, sometimes I drop the ball. ("Sometimes" has sometimes been for a while, for the record.) Sometimes it's hard to stay motivated. Sometimes life gets in the way, or I forget, or it starts to seem not that important. Sometimes we all need a jumpstart.</div>
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So here's my proposal: <b>For the next 21 days, join me in committing to modeling with renewed vigor and enthusiasm.</b> Do not worry about whether you are doing it "right", just do it. I will post <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Uncommon-Sense-Blog/123130417730793" style="color: #a1ccdd; text-decoration: none;">nightly threads on our Facebook page </a>that provide an example of some type of modeling that I did that day (because sometimes simply seeing what someone else is doing is enough to have you thinking <i>"Oh, that's it? I can do that.</i>"). I (strongly) encourage you all to jump in---post to the daily thread, check in, share pictures or stories from your day of modeling. Ask questions. Share ideas/activities. Just keep going.</div>
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<u><b>21 Days of AAC Challenge Frequently Asked Questions*:</b></u></div>
<i style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;"><b>-Why 21 days?</b></i><br />
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Once upon a time, I learned that it takes 21 days of doing something (like exercising or waking up early) to form a habit. When the idea of this AAC challenge sprang into my head, along with it came the 21 day time frame---perfect for forming the habit of daily modeling, I thought. Then I googled and learned that the whole 21-days-to-form-a-habit thing is an odd, non-scientific myth . . . but I think it's still a great amount of time for a challenge, so I'm sticking with it. </div>
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<b><i>-How long do I need to model for it to count? 10 minutes? 30?</i></b></div>
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This is a made up challenge without points or prizes. You earn your "day" of modeling by actively deciding to model and jumping in. Extra imaginary points will be assigned if you model throughout the day. (I think this is the sort of thing where success compels you to do it more---I have found that making myself model actually makes me want to do it more.)</div>
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<b>-<i>I'm kind of new to modeling and don't know where to even start--help?</i></b></div>
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Here are a few great getting started resources:</div>
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<a href="http://niederfamily.blogspot.com/2014/10/getting-started-with-meaningful-modeling.html" style="color: #a1ccdd; text-decoration: none;">Getting Started With Meaningful Modeling</a></div>
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<a href="http://niederfamily.blogspot.com/2014/10/take-look-tuesday-aided-language.html" style="color: #a1ccdd; text-decoration: none;">Some modeling videos!</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.speakforyourself.org/2014/01/26/simon-says-model-one-word/" style="color: #a1ccdd; text-decoration: none;">Simon Says: Model One More Word</a></div>
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<a href="http://niederfamily.blogspot.com/2014/10/more-resources-monday-aided-language.html" style="color: #a1ccdd; text-decoration: none;">More Modeling Resources</a></div>
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But remember, the whole point of this is just to get more comfortable with modeling, and to form the modeling habit----it doesn't have to be structured or magical, it just has to happen.</div>
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<b>-<i>My kid isn't a beginner anymore---is my modeling really that useful?</i></b></div>
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Yes. You are modeling how to be an active, determined AAC user in a fast-paced world. You can pick higher-level language targets (using comparative and superlative adjectives, using contractions, increasing the number of questions asked, taking a larger number of conversational turns, starting to use and introduction strategy, modeling sentences with active verbs and then their counterparts with passive verbs, etc etc etc) to model. </div>
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<b><i>-This is a great idea, but . . . (we're about to go on vacation//it's the first week of school//we are throwing a family barbecue this weekend//insert other life-gets-in-the-way excuse here) . . . maybe I could start next week instead?</i></b></div>
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No, you have to start now. </div>
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Ok, actually I am just some lady on the internet and I can't hold you accountable for anything . . . but I think you should start now. Life is busy, and it will always get in the way. Particularly for our AAC users, who have to stop, form an idea, find the words to say the idea (often dealing with motor challenges while doing that) and then communicate it. That's a struggle. It's not fair for us to think "gah, it's too hard to start today" while our kids have to do it everyday. Suck it up, buttercup.</div>
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Join me, guys. This is going to be really fun! </div>
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I'll share a few bonus ideas (like, "If you're looking for something to focus on today, try incorporating more adjectives" or something) along the way, in case you're struggling to come up with fun new stuff. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Uncommon-Sense-Blog/123130417730793" style="color: #a1ccdd; text-decoration: none;">This is going to be Facebook based</a> (rather than blog posts) because it's still too painful to type a lot (my arm is on fire right now), and FB allows for it to be more interactive---I want to see your ideas and pictures and stories, too. At the end of the 21 days maybe I'll try to compile it into one giant blog post so that it will be easier to find. </div>
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Happy modeling!</div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">*"frequently asked questions" = "questions that I just made up right now"</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.2px;">Ok, here's the </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">calendar</span><span style="font-size: 13.2px;">. It's a very simple August calendar. Each day there is are two faces---circle the smiley if you modeled, circle the sad face if you didn't (but seriously, you can do all smileys. It's only 21 days). There is also a spot for "notes"----jot down anything (words added, new things said, highlights, lowlights, etc) or nothing. </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_R1Lf0uysoRQ1F3RExTNnh0N3M/view?usp=sharing" style="font-size: 13.2px;">The printable PDF is here.</a><span style="font-size: 13.2px;"> </span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">image is a printable calendar for tracking modeling</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Join us. Chime in on Facebook. Share. Motivate each other. Collaborate and problem solve together. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">AAC families, unite!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiixFtA6QIMl_zpC_32E7Keb5OmaqriFc7uKpnGdlIqPDVCN_NCfchqIJIESlkikheAJjQEOh71BQiVE-Bsg6xU73NNUCb60RMdSxzJDy1wBzhGK8bs7bYpmAYv9804vIymCE8hXBvfq51m/s1600/FullSizeRender+60.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiixFtA6QIMl_zpC_32E7Keb5OmaqriFc7uKpnGdlIqPDVCN_NCfchqIJIESlkikheAJjQEOh71BQiVE-Bsg6xU73NNUCb60RMdSxzJDy1wBzhGK8bs7bYpmAYv9804vIymCE8hXBvfq51m/s400/FullSizeRender+60.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Image is Dave and Maya, sitting on a low grey brick wall. </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Dave is modeling on a device while Maya, who is wearing Mini, is looking on.</span></i></div>
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Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675590510792979183.post-27074376526610119412016-07-21T12:11:00.002-04:002016-07-21T12:11:42.750-04:00Movies and a Mission: the Prospector Theater<div>
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">It is worth noting at the start of this post that <b>this is NOT a sponsored post</b> or a paid advertisement. There is some shameless gushing and praise, and in the world of blogs that seems to often involve compensation or free goods--that is not the case here (this is not a money-making blog, and I don't do sponsored posts). I'm just gushing because this is worth gushing over.</span></i></div>
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Oh, hello there.<div>
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It seems as if it's been 6 months and 6 days since my last blog post (but who's counting). Spring semester started at the end of January, and summer semester started 3 days after spring semester ended. I spent those two semesters working in the clinic (with my very own clients) and, well, I can be a mom and a student clinician, or a mom and a writer, but apparently I cannot be a mom, a student clinician, and a writer. Not yet, anyway :) (This is where I should mention that I'm very active on the Facebook page, so that's the place to follow along and join in. I'm also going to try to move some of the "best" FB posts/reflections over here in my upcoming time off.)</div>
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Speaking of time off: I'm on vacation, folks. Maya's still in school, but the rest of us aren't. And because sometimes family time trumps school time (shh, don't tell) today we pulled Maya out of school to go somewhere more important.</div>
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The movies. </div>
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(Seriously.)</div>
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It wasn't the movie (<i>Finding Dory)</i> that made the trip special (although the movie was great, and particularly resonates with families of children with disabilities---<a href="http://www.prospectortheater.org/blog/dory">read more about that here</a>). What made the trip really special was the theater.</div>
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You guys, this theater. The Prospector Theater (in Ridgefield, CT) is "a 501(c)(3) non-profit first-run movie theater that provides meaningful employment to people with disabilities."* That sentence alone is notable---as it is the <u>only</u> non-profit first run theater in the country, and because <u>meaningful</u> employment for people with disabilities is (devastatingly) hard to come by. The US Department of Labor Report from 2014 reported that 80% of adults with disabilities were unemployed.* </div>
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But wait, there's more.</div>
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It's gorgeous. It's spotless. It's staffed by a group of friendly, professional people who are genuinely glad to see you and are working to ensure you have a good experience. The environment is warm, welcoming, and flexible. Movies aren't easy for Maya----she needs sensory supports, she needs movement, she needs flexibility. </div>
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I can't remember how we first heard about the Prospector Theater, but I know that it crossed my Facebook feed around a year and a half ago (it has only been in existence since 2014). Last summer, when we thought the kids were ready for their first movie theater experience, I knew exactly where we were going to go---we headed to the Prospector Theater to see <i>Inside Out.</i> The experience was wonderful, and I knew that when we had the time for movie #2 (and something really captivating was playing, because movies can be a bit of work for Maya) we would return. And I knew that this time I would take pictures and write about it (what I didn't know is that we would haphazardly end up meeting the founder of the theater and getting a little tour). Which brings us to today. </div>
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We were pretty excited.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB2Nnsgh4o-HBaiyPPRCD1lAoXMyocm3BXfY0n70dXPIxANDdyTTWQXn80VgySZHEqu4l7T4rhSTEkCfS5PR3oYWkYrIr6z9k4F2sOdvfKzrW7Pr58p8IuVaNy5CrmhUi6ks-aDCJMgkiC/s1600/FullSizeRender+37.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB2Nnsgh4o-HBaiyPPRCD1lAoXMyocm3BXfY0n70dXPIxANDdyTTWQXn80VgySZHEqu4l7T4rhSTEkCfS5PR3oYWkYrIr6z9k4F2sOdvfKzrW7Pr58p8IuVaNy5CrmhUi6ks-aDCJMgkiC/s320/FullSizeRender+37.jpg" width="252" /></a></div>
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<i>image is a white wooden sign which reads "ridgefield library (forward arrow)Prospector Theater (right arrow)" posted in green grass</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvEnUCG46YU1W8bqSZgAKS-3oUQS6IzzihD6QyrS9k9Hlz2GRCWQBWK7fiXYZ3fdE1kO60mhFoXcVt67PeILi_3aV8I4Z2D3Brdv_sb6YnTdaI2_vB7G4oNiL5KXPvubPKf3tAJa0XoGYw/s1600/IMG_6906.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvEnUCG46YU1W8bqSZgAKS-3oUQS6IzzihD6QyrS9k9Hlz2GRCWQBWK7fiXYZ3fdE1kO60mhFoXcVt67PeILi_3aV8I4Z2D3Brdv_sb6YnTdaI2_vB7G4oNiL5KXPvubPKf3tAJa0XoGYw/s640/IMG_6906.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>image is Will and Maya standing outside the entrance to the theater</i></div>
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We arrived early for the first movie of the day, and were literally the only non-employees there (more on that later). It gave us time to try out the bean bag chairs in the theater (which I totally would have stayed in, but the kids wanted to move back to the seats for the movie) and re-explore how beautiful (and meticulously clean) the theater is.</div>
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The theater our movie was being shown in:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ynK7vN0H5Lbx4MqFt46gpAY7k0h9MTPFKYtAgRZOmKy20DPAbn4Zf6zJhafSUwZB43Ky2aE6N5X1YtRyNfd9JmgOeD9ajfP4D-3Fv0XRB4NmFnEirzRatjYnWlLVQBVvPncBot2t1DTG/s1600/IMG_6909.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ynK7vN0H5Lbx4MqFt46gpAY7k0h9MTPFKYtAgRZOmKy20DPAbn4Zf6zJhafSUwZB43Ky2aE6N5X1YtRyNfd9JmgOeD9ajfP4D-3Fv0XRB4NmFnEirzRatjYnWlLVQBVvPncBot2t1DTG/s400/IMG_6909.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>image shows Will and Maya sitting in bean bags with the stadium seating section of the theater behind them</i></div>
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There were stars on the ceiling.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiniCa5zQnL0jiUbqZeAM9wZiL9i5E0wdVaxvuxm9_85A1cZfZAtQG49WmfpQjdcc1r3rWrwsUQjGS1pH3F8iVbf5yjIlkWpxH6P20153FgIsx7Dp2dG8Oumyf-L-5lBbwL634fTUnDw2BE/s1600/FullSizeRender+16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiniCa5zQnL0jiUbqZeAM9wZiL9i5E0wdVaxvuxm9_85A1cZfZAtQG49WmfpQjdcc1r3rWrwsUQjGS1pH3F8iVbf5yjIlkWpxH6P20153FgIsx7Dp2dG8Oumyf-L-5lBbwL634fTUnDw2BE/s400/FullSizeRender+16.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<i>image shows Will and Maya laughing in the bean bags, the blue lighting and stars on the ceiling is visible above them</i></div>
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The lobby.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5H4BNg5b-x7kzCZuK0Jv1SICWaErhmxpXmd3pXM1eXS03mID3yMqC6zh2NRE_cpylp3BfhXF2PVK5dRjIMM5ED57W_GBZ1AYR-GdxnwqVFSVsCzDRCqw2uifrV71WQrt8Mx0FwmakUY3-/s1600/FullSizeRender+19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5H4BNg5b-x7kzCZuK0Jv1SICWaErhmxpXmd3pXM1eXS03mID3yMqC6zh2NRE_cpylp3BfhXF2PVK5dRjIMM5ED57W_GBZ1AYR-GdxnwqVFSVsCzDRCqw2uifrV71WQrt8Mx0FwmakUY3-/s400/FullSizeRender+19.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<i>image shows an area of the lobby with fancy wood risers and different blocks to sit on. The bright pink walls of the mezzanine can be seen in the rear.</i></div>
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This was inside the bathroom. Inside! It's so pretty.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG8pYFw20SKOpEXJ2TNjYV6WL2XLpLYFn8JQoab_Ph611WFaAG439pwhGCWo3t7Bgat_xESLIi8lKmyz-aiT8Vnjx_bUc6dJU2d0_NcIzIL8mx8xZ0Ur_P0cxU2u_RotdFD0sm-i7TNdtL/s1600/FullSizeRender+19+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG8pYFw20SKOpEXJ2TNjYV6WL2XLpLYFn8JQoab_Ph611WFaAG439pwhGCWo3t7Bgat_xESLIi8lKmyz-aiT8Vnjx_bUc6dJU2d0_NcIzIL8mx8xZ0Ur_P0cxU2u_RotdFD0sm-i7TNdtL/s640/FullSizeRender+19+copy.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<i>images shows Maya and I standing before a full length mirror, with white sparkly walls and dressing-room-style light bulbs lining the mirror</i></div>
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They have a bar. A coffee-but-also-wine-and-good-beer-on-tap bar.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihI5-iTooWKa0wnZa6eKHa8FAGVnSx-7nipbWQkEXfz3zNmNLMmaR3GqympkNxem7BH9ZuQGLo5lPzlcRcU0ppLKnGmXog6QAwFV7OhHgZHTyGsORSsRzNSSHFr8juV409mCQEFdbL-0ZB/s1600/FullSizeRender+29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihI5-iTooWKa0wnZa6eKHa8FAGVnSx-7nipbWQkEXfz3zNmNLMmaR3GqympkNxem7BH9ZuQGLo5lPzlcRcU0ppLKnGmXog6QAwFV7OhHgZHTyGsORSsRzNSSHFr8juV409mCQEFdbL-0ZB/s400/FullSizeRender+29.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<i>image shows the entrance to the coffee and wine/beer bar, with small sign outside reading that "Beer & Wine are now served at Heads Up Cafe". The wall is exposed brick, and there is a spiral rack displaying t-shirts for sale outside of the entrance.</i></div>
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We were literally the only ones there to see <i>Finding Dory</i> at 10:45. An accidental private showing. We ate popcorn, we had a wrapping blanket and a few other sensory tricks ready. The usher in charge of our theater was courteous and helpful, and as the last scene faded away 3 employees appeared to assist with clean-up, thank us for coming, and bid us farewell. </div>
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And we were just about to leave when I noticed that the founder of the theater was there. I know a bit of the backstory from following the theater on social media and checking out their website (more on that below)---the building had once been a theater, then a bank, then was scheduled for demolition. Valerie Jensen ended up taking over the building and having it restored/rebuilt into a stunning, fully accessible* 4-theater movie theater. *<i>really fully accessible: every theater and the projection booth are fully accessible, and all theaters support both closed captioned glasses that provide subtitles and high-quality headphones that stream dialogue and provide descriptions of scenery, etc.</i> Val, sitting with her computer in the lobby, was hard to miss---both because she is an active presence on the theater's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/theprospectorridgefield/">Facebook page</a> and because she has fluorescent pink hair. We were half out the door (literally, Dave and Will were already walking to the car) when I turned back to say hi to her and compliment the great work and mission of the theater.</div>
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Long story short, we were there for another half hour. (The guys came back in from the parking lot.)</div>
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Val chatted with us, small talk at first, then more in depth. We talked about teaching (she is a former teacher as well) and about the theater. She told us about seeing the need for meaningful employment opportunities for people with disabilities and responding to that need for jobs. The theater has 110 employees (known as Prospects) and receives thousands of applications. To create maximum job opportunities, the Prospects run every aspect of the theater--from concession stand to landscaping. She described the running of the theater as a model of inefficiency---everything takes a little more work than necessary to ensure the necessity of more job opportunities. </div>
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We talked to her about AAC and Maya showed her Mini. Val excitedly led us to a mosaic on the second floor that she had created as a communication/conversational piece. Embedded among the colorful pieces are a variety of images and objects---and the purpose of the piece is to serve as a communication starter. She talked about how communication pressure could be lifted when two people approached the piece together---and that by simply following the lead of whatever a person gravitated toward or commented on, a communication partner could easily get to know someone better and find common interests.</div>
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<br /></div>
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One side of the piece</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOuOsL3ushc2SmHm1yHGOgmvtZcs9c6GQwHcioHPejUEBess7GbtjgCCcd0mR7sCiUBvhc10i_xiKL-z1wzb4fdygeHsXQ5t-nvJFggwA4mMdzQyCROJ2BbkHE3LrsZ5GV06YfwZl2DUEm/s1600/FullSizeRender+35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOuOsL3ushc2SmHm1yHGOgmvtZcs9c6GQwHcioHPejUEBess7GbtjgCCcd0mR7sCiUBvhc10i_xiKL-z1wzb4fdygeHsXQ5t-nvJFggwA4mMdzQyCROJ2BbkHE3LrsZ5GV06YfwZl2DUEm/s640/FullSizeRender+35.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>image is of a brightly colored (blues and greens, mostly) mosaic that is the size and shape of a fireplace</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
A close up: I spy Santa Claus</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8PHOop75cgdZcd8X_emLwSH6rZ7sDJqTvjj3nuvi2To0SjAQiGz8dqA0sdwMxcl44fecI1v6IWZB18FxgD0yZQcoVRFx6Y5_6Pmhlx6_ZWYlaL6qijBd0jK0Y2QXEuxI-EcmZCiOOWRmE/s1600/FullSizeRender+38.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8PHOop75cgdZcd8X_emLwSH6rZ7sDJqTvjj3nuvi2To0SjAQiGz8dqA0sdwMxcl44fecI1v6IWZB18FxgD0yZQcoVRFx6Y5_6Pmhlx6_ZWYlaL6qijBd0jK0Y2QXEuxI-EcmZCiOOWRmE/s400/FullSizeRender+38.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>image is a close-up section of the mosaic, with a picture of Santa's face in the middle and the words "yes I can" spelled out in letter tiles</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
There's Val's hot pink car</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg6PdxelqzIlbD6KR1OnULAZ26F0yQ_79ZEFN4gRdG1cTR3P-X5fosk7l1dk746FMbStxfAfhO6OiQl4ag15L66BF1DH-k7ljohesx6-cugbkZAH0E0fsYprkYu493IlFLUm1nlHPKIzBp/s1600/FullSizeRender+36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg6PdxelqzIlbD6KR1OnULAZ26F0yQ_79ZEFN4gRdG1cTR3P-X5fosk7l1dk746FMbStxfAfhO6OiQl4ag15L66BF1DH-k7ljohesx6-cugbkZAH0E0fsYprkYu493IlFLUm1nlHPKIzBp/s400/FullSizeRender+36.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>image is a close-up of another section of the mosaic, featuring a bright pink matchbox-style car</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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So, art as a communication support. How brilliant is that?</div>
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<br /></div>
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Eventually it was time to leave (we had lunch at a great spot within walking distance, fyi). Before we left we asked Val what the theater needed most---and the answer surprised us: it needs more patrons and more publicity. More folks walking through the door to see movies. I imagine that more special events, more birthday (and other) parties, more people stopping by to get coffee or buy a t-shirt would also be very welcome. BUT WAIT---if you're too far away to stop by regularly (or ever), you can still support their mission. And it's easy to do!</div>
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First, follow the Prospector Theater on social media. Even if you don't live close to the theater, someone that you know might live close by. Or someone that you know may like or share the information with someone that they know who lives nearby. So, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/theprospectorridgefield/">click here to like their Facebook page</a>, and then go click "like" on a few recent posts. When you see them post stuff, like it (it doesn't matter if you like whatever movie is being promoted, you're clicking like to support their mission . . . although honestly they show all of the best current movies. Plus they're showing <i>Goonies</i> and <i>ET</i> this summer. <i><b>Goonies</b></i> and <i><b>ET</b></i>, people.) That should get the FB algorithm to bump it onto a few of your friend's feeds, and to show you some of their upcoming posts. You can also find them <a href="https://twitter.com/prospectorct">on Twitter (here),</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/prospectortheater/">Instagram (here)</a>, and probably on other social media spots that I'm too old/out-of-the-loop enough to know about (what's a "snapchat"?). </div>
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<br /></div>
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Next, share the heck out of this.Share this post, or <a href="http://www.prospectortheater.org/">the theater's website.</a> More people should know about this place, and there should be more places like this.</div>
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Also, if you're within a reasonable distance, go see some movies. As I mentioned, it's about an hour's drive for us---but a pretty drive. In the fall it must be stunning. The theaters are beautiful and underpopulated, and there are multiple meal options within a block or two. Take a drive and make a day/night of it. (Or, if you're not within driving distance, do you know someone who is? <a href="http://www.prospectortheater.org/gift-cards/">Be a stellar friend and buy them a gift card.)</a></div>
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Finally, the Prospector can host events---they have private party space. Do you know businesses looking for unique event space? Or people looking for a cool spot to host something? Or a unique birthday party idea? Here it is.</div>
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We can't wait to go back.</div>
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Maya, the flier she was reading about upcoming events, and Val</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhayxbJ-nv4jijpcVQa_OnacMGJo8K2m2oQ1L6C8KpdJUvHN6Z04geH4POEj0H9pJRVUdQWiVx5uekGy00YwdWFqXrtP8OV9GgWDFO6eumAFZG-E_c4AhI16b2dSGjv3_e52_sOmdddqUa5/s1600/FullSizeRender+39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhayxbJ-nv4jijpcVQa_OnacMGJo8K2m2oQ1L6C8KpdJUvHN6Z04geH4POEj0H9pJRVUdQWiVx5uekGy00YwdWFqXrtP8OV9GgWDFO6eumAFZG-E_c4AhI16b2dSGjv3_e52_sOmdddqUa5/s640/FullSizeRender+39.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<i>image is Maya standing next to Val, who is kneeling. They are jointly holding a flier with this week's movie offerings. The wooden risers of the lobby are behind them.</i></div>
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<i>Again, not sponsored in any way--no goods or services have been provided to me. We (happily) bought tickets, concessions, and a t-shirt, and we had never spoken to anyone at the theater prior to today. </i></div>
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<i>*description and statistic taken from the theater's website and promotional flier</i></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675590510792979183.post-25088432922744133812016-01-14T11:46:00.000-05:002016-01-14T12:07:56.145-05:00The Wins Between Our Losses<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You know when times are kind of challenging, but you’re fighting the
good fight, and then some things start to go right and you win a few small
victories, and you feel pretty good about yourself? When you see memes like this:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge5tEWzBpVbsmRG6spUPGAkb5VnlP_lCVy99VwUHIbw4Q3xz3Fsy56z3EggM5MqM6_XCWApDsUFNud1Wo7da0BXsHZQ-ILPHmeYuyIWXbjd_0KOEE6iLSvnc9trOb5RfPfaq8n1vA5P0C8/s1600/quote-life-is-like_7648-2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge5tEWzBpVbsmRG6spUPGAkb5VnlP_lCVy99VwUHIbw4Q3xz3Fsy56z3EggM5MqM6_XCWApDsUFNud1Wo7da0BXsHZQ-ILPHmeYuyIWXbjd_0KOEE6iLSvnc9trOb5RfPfaq8n1vA5P0C8/s320/quote-life-is-like_7648-2.png" width="320" /></a><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="goog_751841770"></span><span id="goog_751841771"></span> </span></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsvYFezfeGU0vsNTn1zOx33y1bFMQUcUsD53TEW72I-auwBP-aoY8YNomoCCI_2PjvOKlsYYVZ1_K1qo5baC8ntZpwPCcywbz8rdny6Tylpgqa0z8JkPMitzTtbJpue4PKyOj8gI4pHqnf/s1600/Play+the+hand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsvYFezfeGU0vsNTn1zOx33y1bFMQUcUsD53TEW72I-auwBP-aoY8YNomoCCI_2PjvOKlsYYVZ1_K1qo5baC8ntZpwPCcywbz8rdny6Tylpgqa0z8JkPMitzTtbJpue4PKyOj8gI4pHqnf/s1600/Play+the+hand.jpg" /></a><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> . . . and think “Yeah, that’s
right! I’m not giving up, I’m not discouraged, and I’m playing the hell out of
my hand right now!”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This post is not for you. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">(not right now,
anyway)<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Go enjoy your victories. Celebrate them, roll around in them, delight
in the fact that your skill and cleverness in playing your hand has pulled the
chips in your direction. You are fantastic! You are working hard and it’s
paying off! You deserve the breaks you’re getting! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">(But maybe bookmark
this for later. Not that I’m suggesting that this lucky streak is bound to end
or anything, but, well, you know, life.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The rest of you, the ones who see those memes right now and roll your
eyes, or mutter to yourself, or narrowly resist the urge to click this window
closed and quit reading this. . . this is for you.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Let’s talk about poker.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Yes, poker. The card game. Texas Hold’em, to be specific. For those
reading who may not be card players, I offer a (very simple) overview to the
game: Each player is dealt two cards (which are kept secret from the other
players) and five communal cards are dealt face up to the table (in baby steps: 3 first,
then 1, then the final card). Each player makes the best 5 card poker hand that
they can (they must use their two “pocket” cards, and can use any three of the
shared cards on the table). So if we consider this image below, the person
seated across the table has pocket Ace-King, and their final hand would be two
pairs, kings and tens (ace, king of spades, king of diamonds, ten of spades,
ten of clubs). The player seated closer to use would have a full house, the
winning hand (king-clubs, king-hearts, king-diamonds, ten-spades, ten-clubs).
Got it? </span></span></div>
</div>
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<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwgzy-VEYTwMipY1WwLQKbh6bEGdUzzSsJAJQd0BWjPS6yoPYzcecvLsIxeAJD58SEAqitrP6HsM2Iz8K5m77ezqbQv5w0AWrd70OeWuR9_a3uQQyZCxRhgd1X2AYvh5Z8tQApQonSMrUx/s1600/sample+hand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwgzy-VEYTwMipY1WwLQKbh6bEGdUzzSsJAJQd0BWjPS6yoPYzcecvLsIxeAJD58SEAqitrP6HsM2Iz8K5m77ezqbQv5w0AWrd70OeWuR9_a3uQQyZCxRhgd1X2AYvh5Z8tQApQonSMrUx/s400/sample+hand.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Poker, a game that requires skill and intelligence, but also
incorporates chance, is a pretty solid parallel for many aspects of life. Almost all of the aspects, really, if you’re willing to think outside the box and
really stretch your metaphor-making muscles. I’m going to narrow my view to
special needs/AAC parenting, but if you think a bit wider the points that I’m
about to make can apply pretty broadly. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">When you’re new to the world of AAC, you are a new poker player. You
have found yourself with a seat in an upcoming tournament, and there’s no
backing out. You’ve never played before . . . actually, until yesterday you had
never even heard of the game. So now what?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You read and research. You watch YouTube videos of other players, read
poker blogs, and lurk in online forums where strategy and game play are
discussed and analyzed. You learn the odds, and how to play in a way that will
optimize the likelihood of your success. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And then the day of the tournament arrives, and it’s time to play. You’ve
put in your time researching, and you know the best practices of playing poker.
You have learned from the work of some of the top players in the field, and you
are ready to get in the game. When the tournament director calls “Shuffle up
and deal!” you are nervous, but confident. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You play conservatively at first. You fold a few hands, kind of
hanging back. You’re in the game, but you’re starting slow, watching
and learning. At the start of the next hand you check your pocket cards and see
a pair of aces (it doesn’t get better than that, folks). You have the cards
that you need and you know how you should play them. You bet smartly. Other
players fold, and you are left facing only one opponent, who has pushed all in
(bet all of her chips). You both turn over your cards and see this:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEptmFd9VP0C6M7l-DhfF4SBpBP61qdGkp6_6IO8J6ihBc9AKMVqeJTdbQ_-B0bU-jSVPYhHASwjQD1i_pBqI1B687wPOJ8uZ7W5GEle85RA2l31_V6jsum8A4yZi-Q25uMNNvsCUJmlm3/s1600/IMG_2538.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEptmFd9VP0C6M7l-DhfF4SBpBP61qdGkp6_6IO8J6ihBc9AKMVqeJTdbQ_-B0bU-jSVPYhHASwjQD1i_pBqI1B687wPOJ8uZ7W5GEle85RA2l31_V6jsum8A4yZi-Q25uMNNvsCUJmlm3/s320/IMG_2538.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: #fefefe;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You have a pair of aces, your opponent has ace-ten. The likelihood of you winning this hand is 92%. </span></span><span style="background-color: #fefefe;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s time for the communal cards to be dealt. First the flop:</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmD1o9Tq8IR_oT_-Tdainyr_TkpiuH7jL8djqyOvNqnGYw7b-rukBHXgFzkQ8TM17u7VyiiioECsFYcZFK6iyiBV47T4uAqvhwL9gviZJF_KjwapFfqgRQ307HIawWfJ4LcJn66ypOcDWM/s1600/IMG_2539.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmD1o9Tq8IR_oT_-Tdainyr_TkpiuH7jL8djqyOvNqnGYw7b-rukBHXgFzkQ8TM17u7VyiiioECsFYcZFK6iyiBV47T4uAqvhwL9gviZJF_KjwapFfqgRQ307HIawWfJ4LcJn66ypOcDWM/s320/IMG_2539.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fefefe;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Now you have 3 aces, while your opponent only has a pair of aces. The likelihood of you winning this hand is 98%. The next card is dealt:</span></span><br />
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<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It's still 3 aces vs. a pair of aces. The likelihood of you winning is 91%. Final card:</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLO4XHP0EeQDX0m2uGOI-h93amG71PqXxz875n3N7SMvour_VtIRkypjed5eub1XJ_0GUNuHSKI-_-j49GT9D9fleKodUBukdGt1ZYbPEvfOThE1p6aTKxkKW7Z_2lY9oLdYsxkKt8x0wZ/s1600/IMG_2541.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLO4XHP0EeQDX0m2uGOI-h93amG71PqXxz875n3N7SMvour_VtIRkypjed5eub1XJ_0GUNuHSKI-_-j49GT9D9fleKodUBukdGt1ZYbPEvfOThE1p6aTKxkKW7Z_2lY9oLdYsxkKt8x0wZ/s320/IMG_2541.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You end the game with 3 aces while your opponent has beat the (formerly
staggering) odds and has a straight (ten, jack, queen, king, ace).<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You lose.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span></span></div>
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<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You had the right cards, you played smartly and boldly, you made the
same correct decisions that anyone in your position would have made, and you
lost anyway. Because, in poker, sometimes you lose anyway. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhAd3tNN9cKB6_We8vdfJVgaFSDolKXaKPZDJMq9wukJtgBG0qdGpnDW0Rxj_HmF8Hm42B0xK19N9kkXt0WXyMejzuR5hRTkS1iMB3CEYizd19LbiVK8CLwcJdF4RGhCIncAn3akaOBnow/s1600/If+you+play+the+cards+meme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhAd3tNN9cKB6_We8vdfJVgaFSDolKXaKPZDJMq9wukJtgBG0qdGpnDW0Rxj_HmF8Hm42B0xK19N9kkXt0WXyMejzuR5hRTkS1iMB3CEYizd19LbiVK8CLwcJdF4RGhCIncAn3akaOBnow/s400/If+you+play+the+cards+meme.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It’s a game in which a poor hand can, indeed, be played well and triumph
in the end. But it’s also a game in
which you can play your heart out---skillfully and cleverly and artfully---and
then get beat. Beat from behind, beat by a hand that was overwhelmingly favored
to lose, beat badly.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In fact, this is
called a <b>bad beat</b>. A bad beat is a
situation in which you have the cards that mathematically should have won, but
they didn’t. It’s almost like the term a “bad break” but also fundamentally
different : a bad break is something that you haven’t worked for and that occurs
totally by chance. For example, if I know that Maya needs an AAC evaluation and
I’m hoping that we are assigned Sarah (who is fantastic) but we are assigned
Britney (who is awful), that’s a bad break. But if, during the evaluation, I
present Britney with 40 pages of research about why I think a certain system
would be most appropriate, and I have letters from doctors and therapists to
support my ask, and Maya can demonstrate competency on the desired system, but
Britney chooses to ignore this information and recommend something different?
That’s a bad beat. I worked shrewdly and tenaciously to make all of the right
moves, and I should have been successful, and I got beat. A bad break feels
unfortunate, a bad beat feels unfair. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Foot-stompingly, heart-breakingly, tears-of-frustration unfair. Upend
the table, send the chips skittering across the floor, and quit the game
unfair.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So then what? What happens after a bad beat? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Or, to take it over to AAC, what happens when you are pretty certain
that you have the “right” AAC system and the “right” implementation strategies,
and you’re not having success? What happens when you are targeting motivating
and meaningful vocabulary, when you are modeling skillfully and often, when you
are keeping things light and fun and positive, and your child seems uninterested or unable to participate? What happens when you see and hear other families with the
same materials that you have, making the same implementation decisions that you
are making, and they are sharing win after win, while you aren’t winning at
all? </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You keep playing.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you need to, you sit out a hand. If you have trouble not taking it
personally (because you’re new to the game or because you’ve had a string of
bad beats recently and it’s just. so. hard.) then you take a walk and have a
cry or punch a wall or something. And then you sit back down and ante up. And
you play.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And before I talk about why you keep playing, and how to recenter your
mindset a bit, I’ll let you in on a secret. That bad beat hand that I described
above, the one with the pocket aces? That really happened (mostly, anyway-I
simplified the intro a bit, but the cards are real). Watch the whole thing
unfold below:</span></span><br />
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<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KYSRmTgqTY0?rel=0" width="480"></iframe></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
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<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’ve watched this video an embarrassing number of times. At first I
just enjoyed the shock and chaos after that king landed. Then I watched again
to see Annie Duke’s celebration and apologies (if only life’s bad beats came
with a “you don’t deserve that” acknowledgement and an apology). And then, I
watched again, several times, and focused on Paul Wasicka. The loser. The
victim of a big, bad beat. After the crowd quiets a little the camera swings
over to him, sitting and smiling, and he speaks. Did you catch what he said?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“It’s not over yet.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);">It’s not over yet</span></i><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"> comes easily to some
people, myself included. I’m generally stubborn and sure-footed, more likely to
stand my ground and fight back than to retreat and lick my wounds. But his
demeanor, the zen-ish, probably-a-little-shaken-but-also-doing-just-fine smile
. . .that does not come easily. When I see someone try something that I’ve
suggested, to be met with greater success than I myself am having, little seeds
of jealously, anxiety, self-doubt, and frustration sprout and take root. If I don’t complain aloud, I certainly
complain internally. (Shockingly, this
complaining does nothing to improve my situation.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">To recenter and move forward in the most clear-headed, non-emotional way
possible, let’s consider this tag-team quote, which comes from Howard Lederer and
Annie Duke (siblings and professional poker players). </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtNVhjfAO1DW-dFer-MJH54oc_On54cbtU2WvF4UVH23n3hrWlSNlO1-LRJmiKY4SSCELu65NXGh7mzysD1bmBmMicNHE1j2-L3S4TB49aGq7XtwNQLMX1KAyX39NtJxU9aqn7DWe_Nai3/s1600/Lederer+%2526+Duke.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtNVhjfAO1DW-dFer-MJH54oc_On54cbtU2WvF4UVH23n3hrWlSNlO1-LRJmiKY4SSCELu65NXGh7mzysD1bmBmMicNHE1j2-L3S4TB49aGq7XtwNQLMX1KAyX39NtJxU9aqn7DWe_Nai3/s400/Lederer+%2526+Duke.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">First, let’s take a look at that “<i>If”</i>
because, in our shoes, it’s an important
word. When recovering from a bad beat, it makes sense to analyze your play.
Step back and self-evaluate: are you really applying best practices? Is there
anything that you could have done differently? After your self-analysis, reach
out for help (or just for confirmation). Call on someone who is more
experienced and has a generally good degree of success, and ask for their
input. Are you using the correct materials, and the correct approach? Is there
anything that you need to adjust? Walk
your way around that “if” and examine it from every angle until you’re sure
enough to stomp it down. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Now you’re left with “You’re making good decisions.” Yes. You are
making good decisions. You suspected it to be true, and any doubts that may
have sprouted after the bad beat have been stomped back down with expert
confirmation (or you’ve made appropriate revisions to optimize the correctness
of your decisions). In the game of poker, some things are left to chance. In AAC implementation there is a large amount chance, due to about a hundred variables that are just not in our control. The oscillating health of the AAC users that we are supporting, fatigue, sensory and attention challenges, access challenges, sporadic interest, environmental issues, lack of consistent support at school, and other things that we probably don't even perceive . . . we can work our best to understand the elements at play and seek to minimize the chance associated with these factors, but we cannot control these things. What we can control is the decisions that we personally make about implementation, advocacy, and support. And although you may not have much to show for it right now,
you are making winning decisions. The best thing for you to do is keep playing.
Which brings us to this:</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We are playing the long game, folks. In poker, in life, in advocating
for our children, in implementing an AAC system and supporting autonomous
communication . . . the game is long. We cannot expect that each day (week,
month, year) will feel victorious. I would guess that poker players who expect
to win every hand are more likely to be shaken by a loss, while those who take
their seats expecting to play several winning and several losing hands will
have an easier time brushing one off and moving forward. In the video clip
above, Paul Wasicka actually says “It’s not over” twice: once before the flop,
when he had a 92% chance of winning the hand . . . and again after he lost. He’s
playing the long game. He knows that the loss of this hand, while currently
crushing, won’t matter at all if he’s able to win the overall game. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">AAC implementation is a long, long game. After system selection,
acquisition, and initial programming come exposure, motivation, modeling,
enticing, teaching, supporting, modifying, and more programming. There is no
shortage of language goals, either, with expanding vocabulary, expanding
utterance length, targeting the many functions of speech, moving up the
hierarchy of grammar, etc. There is always another thing-to-be-considered,
there is always another hand to play.
And progress . . . it’s often inconsistent, slow, or unpredictable. We
spent years (literally, years) modeling spontaneous, complete sentences
without seeing similar production from Maya, until one Tuesday night, when suddenly
she was creating spontaneous complete sentences. <a href="http://niederfamily.blogspot.com/2015/05/knowing-vs-showing.html">On that night, as I listened in awe</a>, I no longer cared one bit about the three years of not hearing long,
spontaneous sentences. I didn’t lament the time and effort that I had put in,
or the months that we suffered the repeated bad beat of zero “progress” despite
smart decisions and concerted effort. That night we won an important hand and
collected a huge pot (the “pot” is the
sum of the chips bet during a hand.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Let’s talk about the pot for a moment. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A poker game will be comprised of many hands and the size of the pot
will vary each hand (depending on how many people play the hand and how much
they choose to bet). When a player is deciding to play a hand, they ideally
create a mental ratio by comparing the pot size to the size of the bet that they
need to stay in the game (this is called <i>pot
odds</i>). (This is a little mathy, but stick with me, I’ll rephrase.)
Generally speaking, if your odds of winning the hand are greater than or equal
to the pot odds, you should stay in the game. Here’s a simple explanation from
my statistician friend:</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"></span><br />
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<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If
you have a 20% of winning your current hand, you would expect to make your hand
20% of the time, or one in 5 hands. If the pot odds don't suggest you would
recoup your money in 5 hands, you wouldn't consider it worth the bet.</span></span></i></span></div>
<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);">
</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #fefefe;">In plain, non-numerical language, Annie Duke explains it like this,
“The amount of the pot determines how sure you have to be that your hand is
good.” As the size of the potential bounty increases, compared to a relatively
small amount to risk, the more mathematically encouraged you are to play.
Because you are paying in so little and standing to win so much, you can win
only very occasionally and still break even or move ahead. For example, if it costs $10 to stay in a hand and you stand to win $100 in the pot, you could lose nine consecutive hands (-$90), win the tenth (+$90: the $100 pot minus your $10 bet), and break even. You could lose 90% of the time in that scenario and still
be in decent shape. Ninety percent! That means that losing anything less than 90% of the time will have you actually increasing your chip pool over the course of the long game, slowly but
surely. </span><span style="background-color: #fefefe;"> </span><span style="background-color: #fefefe;">If it doesn’t cost much to stay
in the game and the pot is very large, your hand doesn’t have to be all that
strong for it to make sense to play.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The wins between our losses just have to be big enough to keep us
moving forward.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>(And we have to stay in the game and believe that a win will come, eventually.)</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In considering AAC implementation, the pots tied to each hand are pretty
damn large.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Spontaneous, autonomous communication. Speaking to anyone, anywhere,
about anything. Making jokes, being bossy, tattling, directing, asking
questions, commanding, requesting, teasing, sharing feelings, telling stories,
self-advocating, having access to all of the words. If you were silenced
tomorrow, how much would it be worth to you to regain your ability to
communicate? The pot is huge.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The bet isn’t that big. It’s showing up, modeling, continuing to learn
about AAC. It’s practicing our implementation and advocating for more people in
our children’s lives to use AAC with them. It’s teaching our teachers and
therapists about total communication. It’s tiring. But it’s not a large bet,
compared to what our children stand to win. (Yes, our children.) Because as
personal as this feels, we’re not really the ones who truly have chips on the
line.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We’re all playing as proxies. I sit at the table and play for Maya,
because she’s not yet able to play for herself. I’ve learned the game to play
in her place, until she might be able to take the seat herself, to direct her
own AAC use and the support that she needs to continue increasing her skills
and fluency. While I am emotionally tied to her winnings and losses, I have
nothing on the line. I’m playing with her chips, trying to manage them as best
I can. It’s a huge responsibility. I am doubly crushed by bad beats---once,
selfishly, in a <i>“but I’m doing everything
that I’m supposed to do and this isn’t fair!”</i> way, and then again in an “<i>I’m sorry, Maya, I’m trying my best and we’re
not winning right now.” </i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Not right now.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Not yet.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But maybe in this next hand.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254);"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Shuffle up and deal.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<u>Related Links</u><br />
<a href="http://www.radiolab.org/story/278173-dealing-doubt/">Dealing with Doubt:</a> Radiolab podcast segment that introduced me to the concepts of bad beats and pot odds.<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yC5yavIrfRE">Big Think interview with Annie Duke</a><br />
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Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675590510792979183.post-19217848004473704622015-12-28T07:40:00.000-05:002015-12-29T18:12:35.002-05:00A New Year's AAC Modeling Resolution (with printable and social networking)Happy almost 2016!<br />
<br />
With the new year often comes a renewed energy to tackle new projects, or to re-tackle old ones. And what better project to focus on than modeling for the AAC users in our lives? We all know that it's the most important thing that we can do to support people who are learning to use (or learning to master) AAC (supported by both anecdotal evidence and by research) and yet <a href="http://niederfamily.blogspot.com/2015/08/21-days-of-aac-challenge.html">sometimes it's hard to make it work</a>. It takes time, it can feel awkward (if you're struggling to find words), and it can be overwhelming (what to model? how many words? how often? etc).<br />
<br />
But you have to do it. You just have to.<br />
<br />
So do I.<br />
<br />
Over the summer <a href="http://niederfamily.blogspot.com/2015/09/21-days-of-aac-challenge-whole-thing.html">I hosted a modeling challenge that was great</a>---I learned things, Maya gained a bunch of new words, my fluency increased dramatically, and I became so used to having a talker with me that it actually felt strange when I didn't have it nearby.<br />
<br />
But I couldn't keep it going.<br />
<br />
Like many other abandoned projects (or resolutions), a few off-kilter days turned into a few non-attempted days and then it just slipped away. The thing about a few bad days is that they make it hard to remember how good the good days were---how many days you had worked hard for, the effort that you put in.<br />
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You know what makes things easier to remember? Data. (Oh man, I love data.)<br />
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Resolutions (and other projects) are much more likely to stick if there is some sort of data being tracked. Some sort of check-in. Something that keeps you accountable, and also serves as a confirmation that you are working on something---you have goals. You are doing big things. You are awesome. The tricky thing about the data collection is that it needs to very carefully balance between being-meaningful-enough-to-really-collect-data and not-being-a-lot-of-work-because-really.<br />
<br />
So here's my proposal: we (re)commit to modeling, and we collect data. We do it in a way that will yield real accountability (and information), yet also won't be that taxing. I've made some data forms (which you can download, at no charge). Here we go:<br />
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<b><u>The Tracker</u></b><br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR7kGJI8xOZZaJsDwQh5NGIkmSNaLIAxZbYGvxUj8bCCDN0sEv2jjzs69Nymhb1OvbFgRPF8SqWupV7j2iD-4DBRQC1M4KRSHXmfShKtbtd0ohufc2DUWruQV2FLliXd7UhbC95NwZlUfC/s1600/Base+version.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR7kGJI8xOZZaJsDwQh5NGIkmSNaLIAxZbYGvxUj8bCCDN0sEv2jjzs69Nymhb1OvbFgRPF8SqWupV7j2iD-4DBRQC1M4KRSHXmfShKtbtd0ohufc2DUWruQV2FLliXd7UhbC95NwZlUfC/s640/Base+version.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<b><u><br /></u></b>
<b>Components: </b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Daily tracker grid</li>
<li>Week in Review summary chart</li>
<li>"New Stuff" comments box</li>
<li>Reflection comments box</li>
<li>Month in Review summary chart</li>
<li>Monthly reflection box</li>
<li>Monthly goals box</li>
</ul>
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<b>How to use:</b> This is really simple, guys, but I'm going to go ahead and break it down, because why not.</div>
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<u style="font-weight: bold;">Step 1:</u> Fill in the month (blue box) and the week (purple box) and print the tracker. The document has 5 weekly trackers built in for each month (it's a 3 page document). </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLQkrvscSsviBX2hd68IRT-Dpy9X3x-dW1LeJZof4VoBrzi639yDxdcqpRrPVDBmtuc20HIS85M4wFaYE8_U_Nz9bLcagI_Nm0pSy4iSwuuIWmUueu-0wemCkO3qzdqxtl_jJlguyvj0ft/s1600/1-dates.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLQkrvscSsviBX2hd68IRT-Dpy9X3x-dW1LeJZof4VoBrzi639yDxdcqpRrPVDBmtuc20HIS85M4wFaYE8_U_Nz9bLcagI_Nm0pSy4iSwuuIWmUueu-0wemCkO3qzdqxtl_jJlguyvj0ft/s400/1-dates.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<u style="font-weight: bold;">Step 2:</u> At the end of each day, select the appropriate face/rating to reflect your modeling that day (in the blue box).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilv8ihi56pTTsWDxiEYpfRj3MBi8K3nIhRHIiT3rsVolIEkIq59YO8ebu5njCYnVE-vbjYXznmPn2WAEyde1mGiqpWhikrG67R0UruIUSihIGKTNvb765cuModVt-9EAFcWKE8YrRwxHPr/s1600/2-tracker+charts.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilv8ihi56pTTsWDxiEYpfRj3MBi8K3nIhRHIiT3rsVolIEkIq59YO8ebu5njCYnVE-vbjYXznmPn2WAEyde1mGiqpWhikrG67R0UruIUSihIGKTNvb765cuModVt-9EAFcWKE8YrRwxHPr/s400/2-tracker+charts.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here's how to choose:</div>
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<ul>
<li>0/Sad face = It just didn't happen. I didn't touch a talker today.</li>
<li>1/Neutral face = I touched a talker, but not for long. Minimal modeling.</li>
<li>2/Happy face = I did it! It was a good modeling day!</li>
<li>3/Celebration face = I am a modeling superstar! </li>
</ul>
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Pick the face matches that matches your modeling that day (important: this is about <u style="font-weight: bold;">your</u> modeling, not about your child's interest or AAC use---just rate yourself) and circle it or shade it in. That's it! That's the only daily tracking commitment that you have--it takes about 4 seconds.</div>
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<u style="font-weight: bold;">Step 2.5:</u> Yeah, I said 2.5. The next step is to shade in the "Week in Review" chart(the purple box). It makes a little bar graph to summarize how many days you spent in each 0/1/2/3 rating zone. You can either do this on a daily basis or at the end of the week (which is why it's Step 2.5). </div>
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<u style="font-weight: bold;">Step 3:</u> Use the notes boxes. The first box (blue) can be used to track words that you add, combinations or skills that you're targeting, etc. The second box (purple) is a great spot to keep track of victories or failures, make notes about your child's use, etc. You can write in these daily, or at the end of the week. If you need more space, use the back of the page (I recommend printing one-sided to allow for this). </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4brcR327c_VpOsyQ-0-UnTNAwDIqO1oRqJHQthvUIrD1uunnqyT7aksUbzcIkGUrfmCw3i3LXK23ORHU7n1NF_8ynLC9OqsLX9RCJ99rAgmyDO8JUHfs3wl0Jxbnp6C_hhV7pohz09zhJ/s1600/3-notes+areas.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4brcR327c_VpOsyQ-0-UnTNAwDIqO1oRqJHQthvUIrD1uunnqyT7aksUbzcIkGUrfmCw3i3LXK23ORHU7n1NF_8ynLC9OqsLX9RCJ99rAgmyDO8JUHfs3wl0Jxbnp6C_hhV7pohz09zhJ/s400/3-notes+areas.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here's an example of what a completed two weeks could look like: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDMs757AvUTlcR0Zby41lYekfbqfN4LDdgC-Sf-m3C0u1JVisfdCp_N6JbdzsPkJZUg12i4pBtUe7yAelYG2dx15T3icr4aL6uTxlx45GeBzrxu6QREUdCMi3qrDbf-rjFS72EdkpxpyPF/s1600/2015_12_27_20_57_23-page-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDMs757AvUTlcR0Zby41lYekfbqfN4LDdgC-Sf-m3C0u1JVisfdCp_N6JbdzsPkJZUg12i4pBtUe7yAelYG2dx15T3icr4aL6uTxlx45GeBzrxu6QREUdCMi3qrDbf-rjFS72EdkpxpyPF/s640/2015_12_27_20_57_23-page-001.jpg" width="492" /></a></div>
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<u style="font-weight: bold;">Step 4:</u> At the end of the month, fill in the "Month in Review" chart. Then write a few reflections on the month, and set a few goals for the month ahead. Here's a sample of what that could look like:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGEnzEdxtAZwwwObEkdTlH8MsVC5NyHSwvUajIjsNJ3tsSJuhpFioDAKDx2nMnOK8MeSYNPmmtjR9mGb0OofAqYVRFBg1JKHutWXnKywjnIAwI3ZRgHDHN33oFOU7LedjKFgwKpYWJsh8A/s1600/2015_12_27_20_58_11-page-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGEnzEdxtAZwwwObEkdTlH8MsVC5NyHSwvUajIjsNJ3tsSJuhpFioDAKDx2nMnOK8MeSYNPmmtjR9mGb0OofAqYVRFBg1JKHutWXnKywjnIAwI3ZRgHDHN33oFOU7LedjKFgwKpYWJsh8A/s640/2015_12_27_20_58_11-page-001.jpg" width="492" /></a></div>
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<b style="text-decoration: underline;">Step 5:</b> Check in on Facebook. There are a few ways to increase your odds of sticking with a resolution: data tracking is one way (check!) and involving friends/community is another. Let's build a community of AAC family members, friends, and professionals who are committed to daily modeling and data tracking. At a minimum, I will put up a weekly modeling check-in (every Friday morning) on our FB page (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Uncommon-Sense-Blog-123130417730793/">Uncommon Sense Blog</a>), and you can share your successes, questions, struggles, and photos of that week's tracker :)</div>
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<b><u>Tips/Tricks:</u></b></div>
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<ul>
<li>Hang this somewhere that you're going to be confronted with it. I'm taping mine to the cabinet where I keep our daily medicines---unavoidable. I may even tape a pen on a string next to it (kidding-not-kidding). </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>For the first month, your only job is to write on this paper everyday. That's it. If you shade in the "0/Sad face" boxes every day for the first month, you are a success. You have followed through. You have tracked the worst month you will ever track, and you will move on from there. But write on the darn sheet, no matter what. The first month is, at a minimum, about getting AAC modeling on your mind on a daily basis---even if the interaction is "Oh man, I really need to up my modeling game."</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>If you are a January resolution zealot, go with it. Take copious notes. Fill the back of the modeling sheet with details about each day. Staple extra pages to the packet. And know that if you run out of steam some day, and start simply circling that day's face, you are no less successful than you were when you were taking all-of-the-notes.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>It's not accidental that this is collecting pretty minimal data. I wanted the effort to be low enough that any beginner-to-AAC, or any not-really-a-beginner-but-SO-busy-communication-partner, could get started without hesitation. I expect that some people will find this to be simplistic. I'm ready for that. Let's use this for a month or two, trade ideas about what's working and not working, and roll out another version in February/March if it feels necessary. Or, if you decide to make an alternate version, share it in one of our Friday posts. If this works for you, stick with it. Whatever works is awesome.</li>
</ul>
</div>
<br />
Let's do this.<br />
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First,<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_R1Lf0uysoRUGd0YTBHb3M2T2M/view?usp=sharing"> download the tracking document here </a>(by the way, the preview on Google docs looks sloppy, but the formatting corrects itself when you download the document). (Edited to add: Mac users, the formatting won't work for you. <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_R1Lf0uysoRNl8tTnJCY01zbWs/view?usp=sharing">Download the Mac friendly version here</a>---you'll have to write in "week one" etc in the margin, I couldn't get vertical boxes to work!)Also, if you want to download the directions/rubric/samples included in this post, I've made a <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_R1Lf0uysoRdXBGUHBYY0tseHM/view?usp=sharing">downloaded document that you can get here. </a><br />
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Next, come on over to the Facebook page on Friday (Jan 1) and say hello to your fellow resolutioners. (You can also come by now and say hello on the getting-started thread---but I'll make sure to have a let's-go-do-this post on Friday morning.)<br />
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Last, embrace your awesomeness.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLgnGR3uNLfpMCKK8dgvQSgAI7MueJYAkRHcMPKLyvX9ARsCs4SK7nCTDFIxFff1xotOaVoWUeEfY0AzCXZnRk4podvPR8RbJAdHcP3tWoTMrFMnQ0mu5nuRJ1QhP7z0YBpGl-z04r0hdw/s1600/NYE+pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLgnGR3uNLfpMCKK8dgvQSgAI7MueJYAkRHcMPKLyvX9ARsCs4SK7nCTDFIxFff1xotOaVoWUeEfY0AzCXZnRk4podvPR8RbJAdHcP3tWoTMrFMnQ0mu5nuRJ1QhP7z0YBpGl-z04r0hdw/s320/NYE+pic.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Modeling posts to get you started:</span><br />
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.48px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://niederfamily.blogspot.com/2014/10/getting-started-with-meaningful-modeling.html">Getting Started With Meaningful Modeling</a></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.48px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://niederfamily.blogspot.com/2014/10/take-look-tuesday-aided-language.html">Some modeling videos!</a></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.48px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.speakforyourself.org/2014/01/26/simon-says-model-one-word/">Simon Says: Model One More Word</a></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.48px;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://niederfamily.blogspot.com/2014/10/more-resources-monday-aided-language.html">More Modeling Resources</a></span></div>
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<br />Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675590510792979183.post-67056756619327184982015-10-30T05:53:00.001-04:002015-10-30T07:51:27.360-04:00AAC Family Friday!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Here it is, the final installment of AAC Family pictures, in honor of AAC Awareness Month!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrlzneuToAIeWZZJQ3OOEyrpDJlEgrJXANdUND1wSOa7Vwv5wkEr1B-AugCB3B5nSDqeJDuxQljBfc-U3O-Jyl1o4Rkxi20TCZZSxOADW1_rz5UXqIw7GFgH7gp7gWtuiExWNTzYZ8UOrM/s1600/Talker-First+outing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrlzneuToAIeWZZJQ3OOEyrpDJlEgrJXANdUND1wSOa7Vwv5wkEr1B-AugCB3B5nSDqeJDuxQljBfc-U3O-Jyl1o4Rkxi20TCZZSxOADW1_rz5UXqIw7GFgH7gp7gWtuiExWNTzYZ8UOrM/s400/Talker-First+outing.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lily Grace, age 6, has been using a paper-based PODD book for some time. This weekend, she went on her first outing with her talker (iPad mini with the Compass w/ PODD app)! (cont. below)</span></i></span></div>
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<i style="color: #222222; text-align: start;">She had a lot to say during our trip, including letting us know when she wanted to nosh and when she was ready to head home!</i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">We were out for dinner and Cady's dad was attempting to do some modelling. Apparently he was taking too long, as she pulled the talker closer to her and turned it away from him. You can see she's still holding on to it to make sure he doesn't take it back. :) It's great to see her taking ownership of her voice! </span></span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip-GJ0PSUh-TPjPwKotJqGrT09LqMGUWIVaeVXWfZp0MllWhhwENEdNRI7my5jPHpT-Aa9ByYTUEblHL82bkwmYBPIMKWG-Z_1ND_Xgdqg5n0zSkpLwhPMPCnFrxbQlzFMZTg1IElT7g_y/s1600/h%2527s+5th+birthday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip-GJ0PSUh-TPjPwKotJqGrT09LqMGUWIVaeVXWfZp0MllWhhwENEdNRI7my5jPHpT-Aa9ByYTUEblHL82bkwmYBPIMKWG-Z_1ND_Xgdqg5n0zSkpLwhPMPCnFrxbQlzFMZTg1IElT7g_y/s400/h%2527s+5th+birthday.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Isaac (age 5) enjoying a friend's birthday party at Pump It Up (indoor bouncy house). Bouncing with the talker wasn't really an option, but once we sat down for cupcakes Isaac couldn't stop saying how "good" everything was ("good cake" "good birthday candles"), which is high praise (and great progress for him) since he doesn't comment unprompted very often. He also used the talker to request a drink and select which color of balloon he wanted (in addition to some babbling). </span></i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Charlie, PODD user extraordinaire from Nottingham UK, commenting on YouTube on not one, but two talkers!</span></i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQu17Nyf8W36zZ1TPXzEgTllSDRffwpXqbgy1FZTy-5mcs0SNlvYFmDT0OxGsORM6GoAUr1AKlKOwBFyFw4fPf9Jv952QkdE_fDbgRaeMPuzPBMcO3WpPhxaNKxTUlNgUpsNNR2DZ4Nxv2/s1600/IMG_7549.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQu17Nyf8W36zZ1TPXzEgTllSDRffwpXqbgy1FZTy-5mcs0SNlvYFmDT0OxGsORM6GoAUr1AKlKOwBFyFw4fPf9Jv952QkdE_fDbgRaeMPuzPBMcO3WpPhxaNKxTUlNgUpsNNR2DZ4Nxv2/s400/IMG_7549.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Here are Reuben and Louisa chilling on the couch with Reuben's talker (an iPad mini with Speak for Yourself) and his medal from kiddie bike race over the weekend. Louisa's outfit is due to "mismatch day" at her daycare.</span></span></i></div>
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Anna, from the Netherlands, using PODD. Anna's mom has this to share: </div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Because I'm trying to promote AAC in The Netherlands I have made a movie with my daughter using PODD. Just want to tell people that you can use AAC everywhere. We need to carry the AAC everywhere with us. We had days that Anna will not say a thing when we were out but we also have days when she is just reaching at it to just make a short comment. </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Because I'm Romanian I have made also an English version of the movie. see link below</span></i></div>
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<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/7ilwmahdyq70yrt/PODD%20talking%20ENG.wmv?dl=0">https://www.dropbox.com/s/<wbr></wbr>7ilwmahdyq70yrt/PODD%<wbr></wbr>20talking%20ENG.wmv?dl=0</a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Roo the butterfly babbling on Speak for Yourself while eating pizza!</span></i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmnCKePes1JUcfEKvl3DtsTgN8BHbxvrZg1laDdEi6kS48jdEr4p-xnFTSVlEAeijCXzS5e4xoShKDypFKcOM-GTUGRmeD7tW6cRV68Jse3T3jiAoqRmxJuFtZ8vdX7g2725i_IfY0Ey2D/s1600/image1+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmnCKePes1JUcfEKvl3DtsTgN8BHbxvrZg1laDdEi6kS48jdEr4p-xnFTSVlEAeijCXzS5e4xoShKDypFKcOM-GTUGRmeD7tW6cRV68Jse3T3jiAoqRmxJuFtZ8vdX7g2725i_IfY0Ey2D/s400/image1+%25281%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">Meeting celebrities: </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">Felix has graduated from AAC because Speak For Yourself helped him find his voice. Thank you Heidi and Renee. </span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Aidan and his Dad make a great team on game night. (cont. below)</span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><i> This was the perfect no expectations moment for modeling as Aidan was really excited to roll the dice! </i>See more of Aidan's story over at his mom's blog:<a href="https://www.blogger.com/goog_1635987602"> </a></span></span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12.8px;"><a href="http://familysynapse.com/">http://familysynapse.com</a></span></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Lemmy using Speak for Yourself on an iPad, being held by a modular hose stand.</span></span></i></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lemmy shopping in target with speak for yourself on the iPad. He was tired of shopping.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Dinner time conversation with papa. I feel so lucky to look across the dinner table at these two!</span></i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">How's this for a casual conversation starter? </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">C has really been enjoying her 'social' pages lately. And apparently still has a bit of learning to do about the fine points of small talk.</span></span></i></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">We took a train ride over the weekend. We had to stop at one point to let some more passengers on and she told us TRAIN RIDE STOP and followed it up with boisterously yelling, "[s]top, top, top!" . (cont. below)</span></i></span></div>
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<i>Later her sisters modeled BUMPY. This time she just took it in, but we know (especially with her sisters modeling) that the new vocabulary will be used soon!</i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Here is pirate Finn using his talker (with TouchChat) to say "Argh matey!" (cont. below)</span></span></i></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">And here he is looking very pleased with his success!</span></i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Parker is using Speak For Yourself on an iPad mini during a therapy session with an awesome grad student! (cont. below)</span></span></i></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Parker practicing using SFY to say "Trick or Treat". This will be the first year he will be able to say it. </span></i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Ashlyn using AAC to talk/delay bedtime.</span></span></i></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Ashlyn with her device for a trip to the grocery store.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">James (5 years old) using a Tobii I-12 on our recent trip to Seattle, WA. He got to visit Pike's Market . . . (cont. below)</span></i></span></div>
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<i style="color: #222222; text-align: start;">and talk about the 'flying fish' and ride on a ferry boat, to which he said LIKE LIKE LIKE.</i><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">This is Gav using his talker as he enjoys his two favourite pastimes - eating and playing with his iPad!</span></i></span><br />
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And here's our contribution this week! We went out to my parents' house for pumpkin carving. I don't remember what I'm modeling here, but it must have been interesting for Maya to be attending so closely! (cont. below)</div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">And here she is telling my dad that they need to get a bucket for the pumpkin guts :)</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Thank you so much to everyone who contributed pictures this month! It's been truly delightful to see so many AAC users from around the world. At this point in our AAC journey I'm so used to seeing talkers (in our home and filling my Facebook feed) that part of me forgets that they aren't the norm, but there is still a deep part of me that responds when I see pictures of other families using AAC in their homes and communities. Happy AAC Awareness Month!</span></div>
Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675590510792979183.post-50705503813583699722015-10-23T06:25:00.000-04:002015-10-23T06:25:13.492-04:00AAC Family Friday!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Next week is the final AAC family week----let's make it a giant one :) You can start sending in your pictures now (and it's fall festival/Halloween time---at least in the US---lots of costume potential!) to: uncommonfeedback@gmail.com</div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">We are trying to keep Becca's word book nearby at all times while at home. That means letting it get dirty during meals. In this picture, she is using it to request graham crackers during lunch.</span></span></i></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Spot the talker! (C was 'making cookies')</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Doing a little talking on our dolphin watching cruise!</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Jess and her dad, chatting at home! Jess's mom blogs at: <a href="http://www.youdontsayaac.com/">http://www.youdontsayaac.com/</a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">We carved pumpkins over the weekend. The talker got a little messy, but it was so much fun! </span></i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">My daughter's language has exploded. We started with Speak for Yourself ten months ago with two words open- eat and drink. Soon we added in more and the words kept on coming. We add in anything she shows interest in, anything we're talking about, and we just model, model, model. She's now 2.5. Last month, she passed the milestone of 700 words in the talker. Roughly 500 of those get modeled or used each week. The progress was very slow at first and I wasn't sure I'd made the right decision but it is, without question, worth it. </span></i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">"Pool, orca, pool, orca, swim, jump" . . . w</span></span></i><i style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">hat better place to add and model new words (Orca) than Sea World! (</span></i><i style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Roo, 5 years old, from Houston using Speak for Yourself</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>"New baby coming soon!"</i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Isaac, age 5, at a local farm stand interacting ("hi goat") and feeding their animals. Isaac uses Speak for Yourself and has the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Trident-Industrial-Case-Handle-Retail-Packaging-White/dp/B00HYPC6QK/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1445536962&sr=8-6&keywords=ipad+air+case+handle">Trident Kraken case</a>.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> Here's a photo that represents what AAC means to us. Here is Mateo using using his Dynavox Maestro with Picture Wordpower 100 to talk with, love, admire and antagonize his big sister Madeline all at the same time. We love spending time together as a family -- sometimes in crowded restaurants. When his voice can't be heard over the noise, Mateo simply shows us his screen. He is a passionate independent communicator. He loves his high school where he participates in the drama program and runs on the cross country team. He sings the National Anthem at his high school's basketball and soccer games.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <i>Mateo with his friend Sara taken at Camp ALEC during a literacy session. </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">Mateo's mom is an SLP who works in a hospital and in private practice---and she is also the co-director of Campt ALEC, a literacy camp for children and young adults who use AAC. She blogs at: </span><a href="http://www.voices4all.wordpress.com/">www.voices4all.wordpress.com</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;">Camp ALEC will return to Indian Trails Camp in Grand Rapids, MI, August 14-20, 2016, and more information can be found here: </span><a href="http://www.campalec.wordpress.com/">www.campalec.wordpress.com</a></span></div>
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<i style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lemmy using his talker before bed, with little brother Linus watching and using his own iPad. Both are using Speak for Yourself.</span></i></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">This is Cady standing in her FunPod in the kitchen and chatting with me while we make supper!</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Our contribution this week: This is Mini, heavily coated with flour (as was the table, floor, and chairs) after a play dough making speech session that went a little awry. </span></span></div>
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Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675590510792979183.post-30714896437155312612015-10-16T06:56:00.000-04:002015-10-16T06:56:54.206-04:00AAC Family Friday!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Happy AAC Family Friday! Thank you to all who have sent in pictures---I seriously love putting this together each week :) (The italicized text is quotes pulled from emails, the plain font stuff is my own commentary). </div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Here's Finn at the park, using his talker to chat about trucks we see on the bridge in the distance!</span></i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Chatting with daddy with PODD, using the Compass app.</span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Lemmy, 4 years old, using his iPad with speak for yourself while we shop. He loves to chat when we're shopping.</span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">C waiting patiently to see the ENT and commenting on a girl's sweatshirt - 'sparkles'. (It was pretty flashy) </span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Aidan with his talker at his brother’s cross country meet. His brother shattered the school record . . .</span></span></i></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> . . . because Aidan was able to give him very clear instructions: LIAM RUN FASTER</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Check out more of Aidan's adventures and his mom's reflections here: </span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><a href="http://familysynapse.com/">http://familysynapse.com/</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i> <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Hosea (age 5) chats during a break from his soccer game.</span></i></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN5lBN42FSScNeXXoQIbNMv5kLkUEL6_GdeoxzHMkDLqwSd9kkrbsVxcGIvCWFnEk0AIg1UgB77URmuKDvaI7-6mTh-t0OcE5wyoPH1q7ACipbW4HtaP1oAnHo7fnuehGeKXJr9RywwmAx/s1600/IMG_7878.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN5lBN42FSScNeXXoQIbNMv5kLkUEL6_GdeoxzHMkDLqwSd9kkrbsVxcGIvCWFnEk0AIg1UgB77URmuKDvaI7-6mTh-t0OcE5wyoPH1q7ACipbW4HtaP1oAnHo7fnuehGeKXJr9RywwmAx/s400/IMG_7878.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Avelina (age 3) enjoying the pumpkin patch.</span></i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Hosea labels the animals in the petting zoo for his little sister.</span></span></i></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Avelina uses her talker at mealtime.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: white;">Hosea and Avelina (of the four fantastic pictures above) both use Speak for Yourself on a ProSlate 8 (iPad mini). They also both </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">have a rare genetic disorder called GAND (GATAD2B-Associated Neurodevelopmental Disorder). You can read more about GAND at </span><a href="http://www.gatad2b.org/" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">www.gatad2b.org</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> or follow the Facebook page at</span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/gatad2b" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">www.facebook.com/gatad2b</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">.</span></span></div>
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This comes from the other side of our AAC family---the professionals! Taken at the "Closing the Gap" conference, this is Renee Collender (co-creator of Speak for Yourself), David Niemeijer (AssistiveWare CEO and founder), and Heidi LoStracco (co-creator of Speak for Yourself).</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; text-align: start;"><i>Max is FaceTime'ing with Grandma - a very motivating activity! With the talker right next to the iPad, Grandma can hear. Max is learning to ask questions and comment. It's been awesome!</i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; text-align: start;">(And since Grandma is not in the home, it fits the theme!)</span></div>
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<i>Alix communicating whilst canoeing.</i></div>
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(Canoeing, people!!!)</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Tia (from Slovenia) in a vineyard, using communication binder (made with Boardmaker), discussing fall and fruits.</i></span></span></div>
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(totally speaks for itself)</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Aidan and I talking about what we are excited to see on the dolphin cruise we were on!</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; text-align: start;"><i>Jay (almost five) enjoying "local summer" in Long Branch, NJ on Columbus Day!</i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <span style="background-color: white;">Daddy helps find a word at the zoo!</span></span></i></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">After spotting a pinwheel in the garage before a walk, she was adamant we take it with us. I took a photo and added the word to her talker. It was a favorite word on the walk and in the weeks following!</span></i></span></div>
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Maya and her talker, laughing it up with the Count and his talker at Sesame Place!</div>
<br />Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4675590510792979183.post-28351370258267755152015-10-13T07:58:00.001-04:002015-10-13T07:58:38.297-04:00Toss-it-back Tuesday: Maya Finds Her VoiceDon't be intimidated by the 10 minute timestamp on this video---once you start watching (it opens with 2 year old Maya signing "open" and making some noise) you kind of get pulled in.<div>
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This was put together for an assistive tech conference that we added two years ago, and it shows highlights from 3 years of Maya's AAC journey (age 2-5). While progress is real life is slow and sometimes inconsistent, this video gives the wide view on what AAC looks like with a new user.</div>
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(It also makes me think, "Oh man, I should be getting more video now, so that I can make a year 5-8 video next.")</div>
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Without further ado . . . <a href="http://niederfamily.blogspot.com/2013/04/maya-finds-her-voice.html">Maya Finds Her Voice.</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-JQiK77ra6sUtt1ywmaQ_pBX6TTwRClXaeQxoAkYqv-oF_q6iz56qCIGQqIzZh_1wQGJsypZJUbVd3GaiW0NO7tr9cwELkhzBBBCA0vmbSGWjiaw3nctN2xe_3Tk5EogAAD8t6dNT1Lhp/s1600/maya+finds+her+voice.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-JQiK77ra6sUtt1ywmaQ_pBX6TTwRClXaeQxoAkYqv-oF_q6iz56qCIGQqIzZh_1wQGJsypZJUbVd3GaiW0NO7tr9cwELkhzBBBCA0vmbSGWjiaw3nctN2xe_3Tk5EogAAD8t6dNT1Lhp/s400/maya+finds+her+voice.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>2.5 years old and so cute! (Click the link above to get to the video)</i></div>
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Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11193445038085911249noreply@blogger.com0