This week, TWT interviews Jenna Rayburn Kirk, the ultra-creative school-based SLP, blogger, and TPT contributor! Jenna shares about how she got started creating resources, the kinds of AAC resources and materials that she thinks are effective, and how she continues to try and create resources that people really need! Before the interview, Chris and Rachel discuss their own experiences with making materials and, in Rachel’s case, why she recently decided to create a Teachers Pay Teachers page. Rachel and Chris also talk about some apps that they have used recently in therapy, including Choice Works and AR Dragon. Finally, Chris discusses “core kits,” a low-tech core vocabulary strategy that could save the day when you need a quick therapy idea.
Next, Rachel interviews Jenna Rayburn Kirk! Jenna talks about how she juggles being a full-time school SLP, AAC specialist, and an entrepreneur; why she is motivated to share her ideas; and how she has gotten to be so popular (over 25,000 followers) on Teachers Pay Teachers! Jenna covers useful topics in AAC and materials creation, including:
1) Why parent handouts are such an effective way to improve AAC implementation at home
2) Why it is helpful to be specific about how to get modeling and working on core vocabulary
3) Why we need to be flexible in how we approach asking for help from the circle of support
4) Why getting buy-in from someone is easier when you show them how you are solving a problem they have.
5) Why it is so important to build strong relationships with teachers, caregivers, and parents
6) Why some students need a “short term” assistive technology plan; not everyone who needs AAC needs it for years.
7) How a school can fill the gap between identification of an AAC need and getting a device funded by having devices available to everyone in the classroom.
8) Why “waiting for words” can delay language too much, because “there is no reason to stunt expressive language while we wait for speech sounds.”
To learn more about Jenna & get access to her TPT store, visit https://thespeechroomnews.com.
For access two free resources from Rachel and the Building Sentences board discussed on the podcast, visit http://bit.ly/RachelMadelTPT
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AAC Agreements: Universal Principles for AAC Intervention
Roundtable: Modeling
WPS: Assessment Considerations for AAC and Assessment Authorship
Eva Sweeney: Consultant for ABC's Speechless, Author, Activist, AAC User
Leanna Fox: Professional Development and AAC in Australia
Vicki Clarke: Tips on Making Clinical Decisions in AAC Assessment
Lauren Enders: AAC Implementation and Consultation in the Schools
Mark Barlet: Making Video Games Accessible to All
Jayne Clare: Criterion to Determine the Best Educational Apps
Roundtable: Core Words
Jane Odom: Resources and Strategies for Successful AAC Instruction
Kevin Chaja: Using Augmented Reality to Teach Social Skills
Erin Compton: Adopting Two Children with Cerebral Palsy and Getting Started With AAC
Erek Engar: A Specific Language System First Approach to AAC
Kathy Howery and the Lived Experience of Speaking Through a Device
Karen Owens of We Speak PODD
Alex Pavtoulov and Ofir Harel of Olà Mundo: Their app Socky, Social Reciprocity in AAC, and Building Engaging Tools for ASD
Chris Gibbons: Smartbox & the Evolution of the AAC Industry
Pearson's Q Interactive Team: The Past, Present, and Future of Tablet-Based Assessment
Kate Ahern: Thoughts, Tips, and Wisdom from an AAC Thought Leader
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