This week, Rachel interviews Anu Garla, a mother of Oliver, a boy with autism and cortical visual impairment who uses AAC to communicate. Anu describes her journey getting a diagnosis, how she started working with Rachel, why coaching with Rachel really jump started progress for her son, and advice that she has for other parents who are starting on an AAC journey (e.g. little “homework” assignments for parents can help).
Before the interview, Chris and Rachel discuss a recent presentation that Rachel did that she almost missed due to clerical error from one of her staff, and how she adjusted to the situation and made the presentation work. They also discuss how they decide how much to charge (or if to charge) for doing presentations, and have advice for people wanting to do more presentations.
Key Ideas This Week:
🔑 Oliver didn't really make a lot of progress until they started working more closely with Rachel during the pandemic. There was an intensive intervention with Rachel and Oliver that led to the discovery that the team needed to give more time for Oliver to initiate.
🔑 Sometimes, intervention in the home environment is more “quality than quantity”. If you have short, high quality interactions and connections with your child, they are still making progress. It doesn’t need to be hours of intense “drill and kill”, it can be based on brief, quality interactions throughout the day.
🔑 Its important to listen to families as much as other professionals on the team of an AAC user. Parents usually know their child better than anyone!
🔑 Before we decide if a child can or cannot do something, we need to make sure motivation is there. Motivation is a current that flows through everything we do as educators and therapists.
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Link from this episode:
Comprehensive Literacy for All by Karen Erickson and David Koppenhaver: https://www.amazon.com/Comprehensive-Literacy-All-Significant-Disabilities/dp/1598576577
Anu's Facebook & Instagram: @oliphantabulousstormilicious
Rebecca Gettings: A Parent’s Journey Supporting AAC, Language, & Literacy
Sydney Elcan Birchfield: Assistive Technology Q&A with Chris Bugaj
Coaching Call with Sarah Seiger: AAC at a Nonpublic/Nonprofit School
Small Talks VII: Darla Ashton, Hank Poore, Sean Sweeney, Shelley Anderson, & Tami Altschuler
Samantha Hagness & Becky Woolley (Part 2) - Strategies for Improving Communication Partner Coaching
Samantha Hagness & Becky Woolley (Part 1) - Modeling AAC in the Classroom Using Grid 3
Alyssa Hillary Zisk and Lily Konyn: Gestalt Language Processing and AAC
Darla Ashton: What Have We Learned About AAC in the Last 10 Years?
Nanny Aut: Autistic Blogger, Advocate, and Teacher
LJ Seiff: 14-Year-Old AAC User
Kristina Edie, Erica Sauer, Joy Mockbee, & Bernadette Wiley: Exploring the Specific Language System First Approach (Part 2)
Kristina Edie, Erica Sauer, Joy Mockbee, & Bernadette Wiley: Exploring the Specific Language System First Approach (Part 1)
Bruce Alter: Pros and Cons of Allowing AI in Schools
Noah Callan: AAC User, Disability Advocate, and Technology Coordinator
Takeaways from ATIA 2023
Coaching Call with Marcella: Benefits of Early AAC Intervention
Dr. Theresa Bartolotta: Supporting AAC for People with Rett Syndrome
Sarah Lockhart: Using Requesting to Teach New Communication Functions
Chris Bugaj: Accessibility and Inclusion at Disney World
Jennifer Hyles: Creating Materials That Better Reflect AAC Users
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