Continue reading »]]> Supporting Students to Communicate Successfully

A practical course for families, schools, pre-schools and Early Intervention teams, based on the C.A.M.P. framework (Create communication opportunities, Add AAC, Model, and Prompt).

This nine hour course covers:

• Creating communication opportunities
• Including assistive technology (AAC)
• Modelling communication to maximise independence
• Prompts: identifying how and when

The CAMP training is run on three consecutive sessions with at least two weeks between sessions. The information covered on the course will cover the aspects of good communication which are universal and are not dependent on the use of any particular form of AAC. However practice will be tailored by the therapist to the clients involved and the particular AAC they are using.

The attendees will bring information regarding the client’s communication to the group and suggestions on how they can continue to help them to develop language and communicative skills will be discussed. Then targeted practice will help to ensure carry-over into daily routines. It is desirable that a therapist (SEA, EIT or SLT) will also attend the course and that at least two or more team members supporting this client also attend. We will consider:

CAMP

Create opportunities to communicate

• Requires all communicative input to be delivered using Visuals paired to the action.
• Visuals must be to hand to ensure the adults are using them regularly throughout the day

Add AAC

• Utilising a multi-modality approach, using both hi-tech, mid-tech & all available visuals.

Model

• Requires us to use core vocabulary, (more, finish etc.) consistently linked to the function to ensure understanding.
• Modelling of use of visuals throughout day by all communication partners.

Prompt

• Prompting of communication
• Table of Prompting used and understood

Feedback from previous course participants

“Fantastic- very inspiring” – Teacher aide, Tahatai coast school Papamoa

“Awesome we are now on the right path” – SENCO Omokorua Primary school Tauranga

“Giving her the power to communicate” – Parent

To register please select Register below.

Register

Continue reading »]]> Creating Communication Opportunities throughout the school day

 A practical course for education and health professionals, families, whanau and other interested people. This workshop looks at ways to maximise the use of low tech communication tools to support student’s expressive and receptive communication skills.

This workshop covers:

• Core vocabulary:   what it is and how to help children learn to use it

• Developing a communication toolkit
• The essential skills you need to be a good communication partner.
• Communication books and boards:   what to put in them and how to make sure they are useful and used

• Scripted and aided language routines
• Games for communication

Lots of practical tools, resources, tips and tricks will be shared.

Cost: $25.00 per person, parents and whanau are free.

Whangarei

Wednesday March 14, 10am-2pm

Ministry of Education, 10 Awaroa River Road, Whangarei.

Details for upcoming courses in the following cities to be added throughout the year:

Auckland

Wellington

New Plymouth

Stratford

Palmerson North

Hamilton

Christchurch

To register please select the appropriate form below e.g. school/organisation choose professional.

 Family

Professional

.

Continue reading »]]> The Balanced Literacy Approach:

Positive Communication and Literacy Outcomes for All Children

This workshop will describe the rationale and principles underlying the balanced literacy approach and how it can be applied to children with complex communication and learning needs. The balanced literacy approach ensures that schools provide children with daily opportunities to engage in four key areas of literacy learning: guided reading for vocabulary and language comprehension skills, word instruction for phonics and sight word skills, self-directed reading for learning to choose books and read for pleasure, and writing instruction for targeting written language skills. All of these are critical for children with disabilities to develop conventional reading and writing skills. Specific strategies and adaptations will be outlined. Multi-level activities, which can be implemented with all students in a classroom, will be highlighted, as will ideas for older students who are beginning readers.

This workshop will be highly relevant to teachers, speech-language therapists, occupational therapists, support staff, parents, and others who work with children with developmental disabilities (e.g., cerebral palsy, autism, Down syndrome).

Sally is a speech-language therapist and a consultant in the area of literacy for children with significant disabilities particularly those with complex communication needs. She is a Research Affiliate of the Centre for Literacy and Disability Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA

Sally has presented nationally and internationally. She has also consulted with various groups including working with companies to develop literacy programmes for children with severe disabilities and working with AAC device manufacturers to develop the language systems within their AAC devices. Sally is currently working with schools to implement a comprehensive approach to literacy instruction with their students.

Morning and afternoon tea provided BYO lunch.

Cost: $40.00 per person, parents and whanau are free.

Nelson

Tuesday March 6, 9am – 4 pm,

The Convention Centre, Tahuna Beach holiday Park, 70 Beach Road, Tahunanui, Nelson

http://www.tahunabeachholidaypark.co.nz/conferences

Greymouth

Wednesday March 7, 9am – 3:15 pm,

Holy Trinity Church Hall, Tainui St, Greymouth

Dunedin

Tuesday May 29, 9am – 4pm

Ministry of Education, 414 Moray Place, Dunedin

Details for upcoming courses in the following cities to be added throughout the year:

Wellington

Auckland

Whangarei

Gisborne

Palmerston North

Taranaki

Christchurch

To register please select the appropriate form below e.g. school/organisation choose professional.

Family

Professional

Continue reading »]]>

Following a very successful 2011 TalkLink is pleased to announce that we will be continuing to run a number of AAC related courses during 2012. We hope to run these courses throughout New Zealand and we welcome contact from people who would be interested in helping to organise a course in their region. These courses are subsidized by a Ministry of Health grant to the Assistive Technology Alliance of NZ (ATANZ).

The courses include:

Creating Communication Opportunties Throughout the School Day

Creating Communication Opportunties for Young Children

Supporting Students to Communicate Successfully

Supporting Adults to Communicate Successfully

Learn to use Boardmaker Software

Dynavox:  Introduction to Series 5 Software

In addition Dr Sally Clendon will be running a number of literacy related courses. The Balanced Literacy Approach: Positive Communication and Literacy Outcomes for All Children workshop will describe the rationale and principles underlying the balanced literacy approach and how it can be applied to children with complex communication and learning needs.  Sally is a speech-language therapist and a consultant in the area of literacy for children with significant disabilities particularly those with complex communication needs. She is a Research Affiliate of the Centre for Literacy and Disability Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA.

Further information including a course timetable and registration information will be added to the website throughout 2012

Continue reading »]]> School Holidays are at and end and as a family plenty of photos were taken.  Photos are a great motivator to get people talking and telling stories and what better way get kids  involved in story writing but to use the photos.  Over the years I have used various types of software applications to create books and do story writing activities with Holly.  Some of these have been quick and painless, others have been exhaustive but in the end we achieve the end result, she is able to share her story and photos.   Literacy activities with a child with disabilities can be a challenge but I have found that writing stories around photos that mean something to the child are a great motivator.  This summer I thought I would go looking for an easy to use App for the Ipad.  I found My Stories by SimpliedTouch.

This App is cheap (Cost is $4.19) and very easy to use, especially if you have the Ipad2 as you are are able to take photos instantly to use in your stories.  You can create original, relevant, and meaningful stories for your child or students using your pictures, your text, and your audio in MyStories.  MyStories gives you the power to craft original stories for teaching or for just fun! The options for making one of a kind stories are endless, allowing stories to grow and change as the child grows and changes.  Here is a link to the website. http://www.simplifiedtouch.com/SimplifiedTouch/MyStories.html

Continue reading »]]> I had my 30th birthday on 24th August 2011, with a party to celebrate last Thursday.  The party had music and happiness and I had a date at the party – that date is now my boyfriend ).  My family came to the party and were surprised to meet my boyfriend, and I was all shy about it.

Salome at TalkLink Auckland

Continue reading »]]>

Ting Chi Huang brought her crochet into CAGS and told us all about what she has made.  There was a range of bags, a pencil case, a belt, a hat and a pair of slippers.  We all agreed they were very pretty and she had made some wonderful things.

Ting Chi Huang commented that she feels they are not pretty enough but she enjoys making them.  The group disagreed and voted the bags and the hat as really great.

Her next piece of crochet is a green scarf, it will take her about a month to complete.

Continue reading »]]> This press release is very exciting

http://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/communications-upgrade-hearing-and-speech-impaired-communities

It means that a video assisted speech-to-speech relay service will be available from around October 2011. People with speech difficulties will be able to use video to help the NZ Relay,  relay assistant understand what they are saying. You will need a computer with a camera to use this service.  It enables the use of multiple modes of communication when making telephone calls.  I am sure that NZ Relay will be updating their website soon. This links explains how VRS works for people who are deaf. http://www.nzrelay.co.nz/How/VRS/

Video Relay

Continue reading »]]> The good:

Communication devices are good for talking with friends.

The devices helps us to learn to read.

They make it easier to meet and talk to people.

We’re grateful for having devices to use, they’re awesome!

The Bad:

It’s annoying when they break down.

Batteries run out fast sometimes.

The ugly:

Coumputerised voices don’t sounds so great!