I am currently working with several school-based speech therapists to introduce some simple communication activities with their students through virtual outreach. Since all are at home right now, I’m spending a lot of time on the phone trying to simplify and explain the process for collecting data so these family members can actively participate. We need to know what works and what doesn’t, but we don’t want them to feel overwhelmed.
Read MoreThis is the third in a series of blog posts highlighting the great work of the University of Memphis graduate students in speech-language pathology. For their AAC class with Vicki Haddix (one of the TN Talks project leads), they choose their own final projects, and many of those final projects are potentially very useful for those of us working with students who use AAC. WIth the students’ permission, the work is being shared here.
Read MoreThis is the first in what will be a series of blog posts highlighting the great work of the University of Memphis graduate students in speech-language pathology. For their AAC class with Vicki Haddix (one of the TN Talks project leads), they choose their own final projects, and many of those final projects are potentially very useful for those of us working with students who use AAC. WIth the students’ permission, the work is being shared here.
Read MoreFree webinar to provide ideas and inspiration for making teletherapy fun and engaging for families and student AAC users!
Read MoreWhile we are all staying safe at home, Tennessee Talks is working to figure out new, innovative ways to provide ongoing services to students, their families, and speech therapists through virtual outreach. And, even more importantly, we are trying to help YOU serve the AAC needs of your students while at home.
Read MoreAs children listen, they learn to speak. Speech helps them learn to read, which helps them read to learn. A perfect snowball, right!? Not always. Many of the students we serve have communication, cognitive and/or physical challenges that impede typical development of speech and language skills…which creates a different kind of snowball.
Read MoreProject Core provides forms to guide teachers in the universal implementation of core in the classroom.
Read MoreInformation and resources shared at the East Tennessee Autism Society Conference, April 27, 2019. Resources are intended to support families and educational teams working with students with Autism who may need augmentative and alternative communication (AAC).
Read MoreWhere do you begin when introducing object symbols for communication? When initiating communication activities for any child with significant disabilities, we must first look at their receptive skills to see what is understood with regards to people, places, objects and specific core vocabulary words.
Read MoreWhich are the best core words to start implementing with your student first?
There’s no one right answer to this question because it depends on the student. The first step is to determine where your student is right now—what they understand and what they can express.
Read MoreDr. Erickson gave the keynote presentation on ‘Why is Literacy Critical in AAC?‘ during Communication Matters International AAC Conference in September 2019 in the U.K.
Read MoreWant to incorporate core words into your daily classroom routine? Not sure where to start? Created by the Assistive Technology Center at LTVEC, this is a guide to (mostly) free resources for implementing core vocabulary in the classroom, including lesson plans, activities, books, and games.
Read MoreAlternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) for School Teams
Janice Reese, M.Ed., OT/L, ATP Director of Assistive Technology Little TN Valley Educational Cooperative TN Talks Project Leader Middle & Upper-Cumberland Regions
Read MoreWhat is Aided Language Stimulation or Aided Language Input? And how do you implement it? The best way to learn this technique is by watching others. Here are video overviews of the concept and many examples of ALS in practice using different types of communication devices and in a variety of situations.
Read MoreThis board is designed for communication via spelling. Some of the letters and numbers share
spaces; there are a few communication words on the board as well. Originally developed for a man with poor dexterity.
Alternative “pencils” were created for students who are unable to hold a traditional pencil or physically manipulate a standard keyboard. Alternative pencils can be used with writers of varying abilities and ages including students who are emerging writers and those who are able to write more conventionally. A student is given all the letters of the alphabet to write with, chooses the letter they want (whether they know the letter or not) and either the partner writes it down for them. Print, Cut into strips, laminate, bind (optional).
Read MorePresentation about: Types of communication displays, Reasons for communication besides requests, Suggestions to create your own communication displays
Read MoreHow to adapt books for easier use by children with dexterity issues.
Read MorePresentation on how to design a communication board.
Read MorePresentation on: reasons why building capacity around AAC is necessary in a school distric, ways to build capacity around AAC, learning objectives for a class for SLPs on learning to implement and consult to others around AAC
Read MoreTennessee Talks Four Regions
Mid Cumberland/Upper Cumberland Region
Janice Reese, ATP
Little Tennessee Valley Educational Cooperative
[email protected]
(865) 458-8900
East TN/First TN Region
Nancy Wofford
SPARK
[email protected]
(865) 219-0130
Molly Ricks
SPARK
[email protected]
(865) 219-0130
South Central/Southeast Region
Beth Warren, ATP
Signal Centers Assistive Technology Services
[email protected]
(423) 298-8991
Northwest/Southwest Region
Vicki Haddix, M.S., CCC-SLP
University of Memphis
[email protected]
(901) 678-5800
Carol B. Wright
Mid-South Access Center for Technology
[email protected]
(901) 678-1489
Tennessee Talks is a grant project funded by the Tennessee Department of Education.
