I am a Speech-Language Pathologist providing services in a public school district for moderate-severely delayed students who are in special education classrooms. Some of these students are non-verbal/lack verbal language skills and have a variety of disabilities, ranging from Autism, Developmental Delays to Intellectual Disability. I currently use a variety of modalities to increase functional communication with these students, including sign language, picture exchange, and communication boards, however, for many of these students, no-tech modes of communication are significantly limiting or are difficult to access because of students’ concurrent motor impairments.
My project is to provide communication tools including high-tech augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) tools, articulation and language processing apps through an iPad. The AAC communication tools I have can be used with my limited to non-verbal students who are unable or may not be responsive to low-tech communication tools (i.e. picture exchange), communication boards, or sign language to effectively communicate with others. Because these students do not have an effective method of communicating, they regularly rely on their behaviors to get their needs met, which has resulted in significantly reducing their participation in activities within the classroom, and significantly reducing positive social experiences with their peers within their educational environment. Having language applications targeting articulation and language processing will offer more unique tools to address specific individualized student language goals.
About my class
I am a Speech-Language Pathologist providing services in a public school district for moderate-severely delayed students who are in special education classrooms. Some of these students are non-verbal/lack verbal language skills and have a variety of disabilities, ranging from Autism, Developmental Delays to Intellectual Disability. I currently use a variety of modalities to increase functional communication with these students, including sign language, picture exchange, and communication boards, however, for many of these students, no-tech modes of communication are significantly limiting or are difficult to access because of students’ concurrent motor impairments.
My project is to provide communication tools including high-tech augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) tools, articulation and language processing apps through an iPad. The AAC communication tools I have can be used with my limited to non-verbal students who are unable or may not be responsive to low-tech communication tools (i.e. picture exchange), communication boards, or sign language to effectively communicate with others. Because these students do not have an effective method of communicating, they regularly rely on their behaviors to get their needs met, which has resulted in significantly reducing their participation in activities within the classroom, and significantly reducing positive social experiences with their peers within their educational environment. Having language applications targeting articulation and language processing will offer more unique tools to address specific individualized student language goals.
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