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Sabina LaClair 10/4/22 Sabina LaClair 10/4/22

Introduction and Overview of the AAC Assessment Process

Vicki Haddix a fellow SLP and Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Memphis presented an informative session on the AAC Assessment Process. She introduced us to multiple resources and conducted a hands-on session where we were able to trial various communication apps. If you were at the session and want to review Vicki Haddix’s PPT and the Handouts from Vicki Clarke see the links below.

Janice Reese 10/26/21 Janice Reese 10/26/21

If you’re looking for AAC training opportunities

I miss going to conferences. There’s something so invigorating about getting away from work for a few days, visiting with my colleagues and professionals from the field, putting my hands on technologies, and learning about all that’s new. But, since COVID has put a damper on in-person events, I’ve come to realize just how awesome virtual instruction can be (saving our time, money, and health), by allowing us to learn from home. We want to share information with you about TWO great conferences coming up that will provide amazing instruction on ‘all things AAC’.

Vicki Haddix 2/1/21 Vicki Haddix 2/1/21

So What does an AAC Evaluation Look Like?

Recently, we’ve gotten some questions about what an AAC evaluation looks like, so we decided to create a blog post to answer all (or at least some of) your questions!

Janice Reese 9/2/20 Janice Reese 9/2/20

Core Vocabulary: where do we start?

Not sure where to start when trying to address the AAC needs of very young students or those with complex communication needs? Look at the CORE! Core vocabulary is made of about 300 words, but makes up 80% or more of our communications. Identifying a student’s recognition of basic core words..and deciding where to start if there are none…is key to introducing picture-supported AAC.

Janice Reese 8/20/20 Janice Reese 8/20/20

AAC Webinar Series - the Virtual Institute

The Tennessee Talks project is excited to announce our new series of virtual educational sessions addressing ‘all things AAC’. All activities are FREE and designed to support speech therapy staff, AT Specialists, special education teams, and families of children who use AAC.

Janice Reese 6/22/20 Janice Reese 6/22/20

FREE.......AAC in the Cloud Virtual Conference STARTS TOMORROW!

AAC in the Cloud virtual conference will offer almost 50 educational sessions related to addressing the AAC needs of clients with communication needs. It’s absolutely FREE and CEUs are available…register TODAY!

Janice Reese 5/14/20 Janice Reese 5/14/20

Data Collection with AAC Use

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.

Vicki Haddix 5/13/20 Vicki Haddix 5/13/20

AAC for Pediatricians

This is the second 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.

Janice Reese 5/5/20 Janice Reese 5/5/20

Assessment of Learning Process for AAC

The Assessment of Learning Profile (ALP) is an invaluable tool when attempting to identify alternative means of access for AAC use

Janice Reese 2/27/20 Janice Reese 2/27/20

Staff Self-Assessment AAC Questionnaire

This questionnaire will help us identify specific skill areas that require further training related to assessment and integration of various communication systems for your students with complex communication needs.