This week, Chris interviews Shelley Anderson! Shelley is a music therapist who works for a private practice in Ft Wayne, IN and runs a business, Notes 2 Live By, that teaches basic communication through sign language and, more recently, through assistive technology. Shelley shares about the ways that music can be used to teach language to everyone, including AAC users, including how music can be used in unique ways to teach core language concepts.
Before the interview, Chris chats with his son Tucker and daughter Maggie about current slang that you may want to consider adding to AAC devices. They talk about slang such as “slay”, “queen”, “give me the tea”, “fit”, “choogie”, and more!
Key ideas this week:
🔑 It can be very motivating to start singing a song and to then stop it at a point that makes the listener want to keep singing. An AAC user can add a word from their device to the song you are singing in the same way, such as us singing “Because I’m” and having them say “happy” to the tune of “Happy” by Pharrell.
🔑 When using music to teach language, it is better if you sing acapella or play an instrument. That way, we can slow down the pace to meet their needs, which is more effective than pausing the music on a pre-recorded track.
🔑 We can use music to teach a particular core word, such as playing “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go” by WHAM! to teach “Go”. You can also contrast the different meanings of a core word using different songs (e.g. “Can’t Stop This Feeling” by Justin Timberlake and “This Train Don't Stop There Anymore” by Elton John).
🔑 If you are using music in therapy, make sure not to overuse a particular song (e.g. play the same song they like every week for months), as this can effect how motivating it is.
Visit talkingwithtech.org to access previous episodes, resources, and CEU credits that you can earn for listening to TWT episodes!
Help us develop new content and keep the podcast going strong! Support our podcast at patreon.com/talkingwithtech!
Kathryn Dorney: Using Core Words and Aided Language Input to Teach Preschool Children with ASD
ATIA 2020 - Part 2: Building AAC Capacity, Dynamic AAC Assessment, Breaking Through Implementation Barriers, and More
ATIA 2020 - Part 1: AAC in the Classroom, Visual Scene Displays, & More
Hannah Foley: Full-Time AAC User & Future AAC Specialist
Jane Odom: Takeaways from the Future of Ed Tech Conference
Matt Levac & David Reno - Partnering with Students to Make New Assistive Technology
Alyssa Hillary Zisk - Experiences of a Part-Time AAC User Researching and Writing About AAC
Interviews from ASHA 2019 - Part 4
XPN Holiday Episode 2019
Interviews from ASHA 2019 - Part 3
Interviews from ASHA 2019 - Part 2
Interviews from ASHA 2019 - Part 1
Nicole Bender - Moving Abroad to Support People with Complex Communication Needs
Small Talks III: Brian Whitmer, Brandi Lee Wentland, Kathy Howery, Shaun Pearson, & Kelly Key
Catherine Fredericks - Increasing AAC Buy-in with Parents and Teachers in the Schools
Amanda Scheriff - Practical Strategies Supporting Literacy & Language for AAC Users
Sarah Gregory - Promoting Authentic Inclusion & Social Belonging for AAC Users
Lisa Erwin-Davidson: Researching Core Language & AAC for Preschool Children
David Tobin: Using Audio-Based, Wordless Stories to Generate Language & Foster Creativity
Brandi Lee Wentland: Strategies for AAC Collaboration with Behavior Analysts, SLPs, & More
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Navigating Life After 40
Teaching Learning Leading K-12
Regenerative Skills
The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast
The Mel Robbins Podcast