Hello! My name is Parr Burton, and I will be writing blogs for the AAC Language Lab for the next semester. I’m 21 and a student at Kennesaw State in Marietta, GA.   I have a job at an animal rescue. It's called Mostly Mutts. It's near my school. I work there three to four times a week. My counselor Sarah fr...

I think girl talk is important We girls talk about stuff that guys don't deal with. Sometimes we share stuff that's serious and sometimes we share stuff that's silly. Without my computer I couldn't talk and share. I have two cousins, Claire and Chloe. We get together to go to the beach in the summer and at Christmas. At ni...

By Parr Burton, PRC-Saltillo Blogger I like sports. I have tried many sports like baseball, basketball, soccer, sled hockey, dance, running races, and horseback riding. Then my friend Matt told me about snow skiing and I gave it a shot. I went to Park City, Utah with my family. I was excited about going. I skied with some...

By Parr Burton, PRC-Saltillo Blogger I started using my device by just playing with it. My mom called the speech therapist and said, "she is not using it, she is just playing with it." The therapist said, "she is playing with it to see how to use it." The first real thing I said was "fox." My mom asked, "what are you talki...

By Parr Burton, PRC-Saltillo Blogger My friend John was always outgoing, and his smile was so contagious.  He was always happy.  We met over 10 years ago at a day camp called Camp Team, which was an outside camp.  One summer, his mom was sending him off to overnight camp for the first time, and my mom told m...

By Parr Burton, PRC-Saltillo Blogger Teamwork is really important to me because people can help me do stuff. When you work together, like when I run or play basketball, everybody helps each other and we all get active and get out there. It's also more fun working and playing with others. That way you can share memories and...

By Parr Burton, PRC-Saltillo Blogger One thing I love to do is watch movies. My favorite movies are the Harry Potter movies, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Pinocchio. Let me tell you why. I like Harry Potter because I like Ron Weasly and the magic world is so fun. When I was little, my mom and I used to read the book...

By Parr Burton, PRC-Saltillo Blogger Let's talk about road trips. Road trips can be fun and sometimes not so fun. A bad road trip to me is when you find nothing to do except stop for food. A good road trip is when you find places to stop or other fun things to do on the way to your destination. I have had both. My family ...

By Parr Burton, PRC-Saltillo Blogger Another thing I do with my computer is I have these meetings with people all over the country. We meet once or twice a month on Zoom. We all use computers to communicate. We talk at the meeting about anything. My friend John, who I have talked about before, told me about it. We all use...

By Parr Burton, PRC-Saltillo Blogger Another job I would like to do is to be a food critic. I would like to go all over the world and taste different food, rate it and write about it. I could combine all my favorite things like food, travel, and eating out. I could even do this job without traveling very far. I could comp...

By Parr Burton, PRC-Saltillo Blogger What are some things that bother me when I am using my device to talk to somebody?  The one thing I would like people to know is that most computer users don't like it when people don’t let them finish what they are typing before they start guessing what the user is saying.&n...

By Parr Burton, PRC-Saltillo Blogger I love birthdays. My mom always makes sure mine is the best. My favorite birthday memory is when I had a Harry Potter birthday party. I was fifteen. It started in the bathroom when I got up. It was written on the bathroom mirror that “the birthday chamber has been opened.” ...

By Parr Burton, PRC-Saltillo Blogger Anyone that knows me, knows that I love animals. Animals help us and we help them. An example is Tux a horse. I helped him and he helped me. I met Tux at the barn where I rode for therapy. I rode for years and years and he was my horse the whole time. He was a big, white, beautiful the...

By Parr Burton, PRC-Saltillo Blogger Camp is coming up next weekend and I'm excited about it. The Kyle Pease Foundation sets it up. The camp is in Winder, Georgia. It's called Camp Wheel Away because we all ride bikes together. That makes it different from other camps. The camp is kind of back in the woods. There are cabi...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC Blogger Many people say, “You should go to my church.” My parents come from different religious backgrounds. My dad was raised Assembly of God, and my mom was raised Catholic. Although our home church is Calvary Chapel, my family and I still like to visit other churches. We have met ma...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, prc-saltillo Blogger We all make judgments about things we encounter such as animals, people, places, ideas, things, and even food. We judge those things by how they look or sound. If I am in a doctor’s office and the nurse comes in with a shot. I am going to get out of there as fast as I can! No...

_By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC Blogger Who has been to the brand new coffee shop here in Eldon on Business 54? For many months my family waited for the Brew brothers’ opening. I mean they opened early to our soldiers, police, and firemen, anyone who is important. Not to say that we aren’t important. Twelve days lat...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC Blogger Have you heard of baptism? Some churches baptize babies. Some sprinkle you with tiny droplets of water. Others pour a bucket of water over your head. My church pushes you totally under water. No matter how your church does it, baptism is a pretty cool thing. I have been a Christian for 13 y...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC blogger This week I wanted to give thanks to our law enforcement. They are really great heroes. Whether solving crimes, chasing down bad guys or helping with emergencies, they seem to face most anything with no fear. A few months ago my mom, brother, and I were driving in our van. We were heading ...

_By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC Blogger Having CP isn’t a walk in the park. I have my ups and downs. I have big struggles and I have small struggles. Basically, you can say I am very human. For example getting dressed can take me a long while. Just to put my shirt on, I have to lay the whole shirt flat; make an opening; re...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC Blogger Apple cider, hot cocoa, creamy soup, homemade bread, macaroni and cheese, fluffy warm blankets, cozy fires, snow ball fights, snowmen, and sledding down a hill are all things that make us think of winter. Like it or not winter is here! What other season can you throw a frozen ball of rain a...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC Blogger Old Scrunchie New Scrunchie “Well,” the regretful words came out of my dad’s mouth as he handed me my blue bath sponge, “I think it is time to get a new scrunchie.” I sadly looked down at my old bath buddy with its thinning cloth. It did look pretty worn. I had ...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC Blogger The Stronger Men’s Conference was finally here with some literal lightning and thunder welcoming it. I am not talking about my ear infection either. What is better than starting the day with a caramel corn macchiato at Brew Brothers and a coffee cake muffin of course? Later, while we...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC Blogger I wanted to give a shout out to all the people who wished me well and sent me cards following my kidney stone surgery. Thank you very much, and I am feeling better every day. I am honored and touched. Last Friday I went to a Brew Brothers ’coffee shop Worship event in my hometown. It w...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC Blogger Today, I want to tell you about my communication devices and what they mean to me. You already know that I write a weekly blog for PRC’s AAC Language Lab, but it might surprise you that I, also, write for my local newspaper. I am able to write and store these articles on notebooks, w...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC Blogger The day for my triathlon finally arrived, although I didn’t get to train as much as I would have liked. My dad was busy working on his own marathon. However when that was finished, the weather wouldn’t cooperate. And then I had that nasty kidney stone. I was nervous that I might...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC Blogger Do you have a dream? Have you always wanted go skydiving or snorkeling? All of us probably dream of doing some exciting things. I have some dreams. One dream is to publish a book. Another is to see the ocean and go surfing. This was my year to see a dream actually come true. I was nominate...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC Blogger Warning! Warning! My mom is a shopper. She bulks up things and stores them up like a squirrel storing up nuts for winter. Some may call it hoarding, but mom calls it smart shopping. When an item is on sale, it pays to stock up. Such as the Great Sugar Heist of 2017, my mom has certain item...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC Blogger I have had many firsts this year such as graduating from high school; applying and getting accepted to Columbia College; flying on an airplane; surfing on the ocean; and finding DASA, which stands for Disabled Athlete Sports Association. Becoming a member of DASA has given me lots of oppor...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC Blogger Sometimes life can be unfair. Life can throw you face down in front of that finish line you are running towards. Life can definitely be unpredictable. And many times things do not work out as planned. It was Independence Day 2017! My family had a plan to go to a church picnic followed by an ...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC Blogger You already know that I went to camp where I gained so much confidence. I was able to do many things that I had never dreamed I could do. When I first heard about camp, I wasn’t sure about it. The idea of being away from my family for a week was a little scary, even though tree climb...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC Blogger My parents often say” they don’t make things like they used too” and they are right. Many items are made more cheaply and don’t last as long, but some things are a lot better than they used to be like candy for instance. My dad loved the wax lips, or wax bottles with...

Have you ever had a craving for a particular food, and could not let go of it until your craving was satisfied? This happens to me all the time. Sometimes I crave ice cream after supper. Years ago we lived near Springfield Missouri where we would go to Braum’s ice cream store for their amazing frozen custard. Many tim...

Today I would like to tell you about my grandpa. My grandpa likes to tease. He has a special sense of humor. But my grandpa DOESN’T sit around the house. He is a working man. Whenever we asked him to help us fix things, he does it in a flash. One time after coming home from a family outing, our van suddenly died with...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC Blogger The cave was amazing even though it had some very steep places which made it a tricky situation for my dad. He had to push my stroller up and down these steep, slick walkways. My dad’s calves were burning by the time the tour was over. But the things I saw were awesome. There were hug...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC Blogger Going to college has been one of my dreams since I was about 12. I didn’t know if I would ever get to go. Many people assumed that I would do online classes, but I wanted the college experience. Although, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to stay in a dorm like my brother, being accepte...

By Kyle Dinwiddie,  PRC-Saltillo Blogger I was asked to go to Tan Tara resort to work with Gretchen Bright at a  Prentke Romich’s booth for the Missouri Speech and Hearing Association’s conference to talk about my communication device. I was so honored and of course, I said YES!   So early on a ...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger One year ago, my whole family was chosen by The Dream Factory to make a dream come true.  The Dream Factory is an amazing organization that makes the dreams of children with illnesses or disabilities come true.  One day a wonderful woman named Maureen came over to our house...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger My dad wanted to eat in Saint Louis on The Hill.  So, we decided to eat at Mamas on the Hill.  Except when we got there, we learned there was going to be a 40-minute wait.  Maybe we should go somewhere else, but my dad wanted to wait.  I guess it wasn't too bad.&n...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger Our home is heated by a woodstove.  It keeps our home so warm and toasty except when dad opens the front door to bring in more wood.  After dad buttons his coat up to his chin, he holds his breath as he opens the door to the North Pole.  Brrrr!  That icy gust of a...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger Everyone likes superheroes, but what is a superhero? There are more than 8,000 characters in Marvel comics and Marvel Studios, not even counting DC.  And what makes a hero?  For David Banner, it was caused by gamma rays.  For Tony Stark, it was due to an injury to his ...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger Recently my mom and I went to St James, Missouri to celebrate a family member’s birthday.  My great aunt lives alone in a small house with her cats. She loves food and shopping.  She often buys too much food.  Her refrigerator is packed with leftovers.  Each...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger With a thump, my dad jumped on my bed and began hopping up and down. I groaned, “What time it is?”  “Nine o’clock,” he cheerfully replies. I buried my head deeper in my pillow. “It’s DASA’s Super Sports Sunday,” announces...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger   Chicken Run Have you ever wondered about those things you see on the side of the road?  How did they get there?  And what becomes of them?  If only things could talk, we would probably hear some interesting stories. My mom is quick to notice these things alon...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, prc-saltillo Blogger In June, I had the opportunity to go to camp for the second time.  I had even more exciting adventures and made lots of new friends.  The camp is called Camp WeCanDu, and it is in St. Louis, Missouri.  A whole week filled with fun activities from the moment you open yo...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, prc-saltillo blogger OVERCOMER I really like the song by Mandisa called "Overcomer."  It talks about how we can overcome things when they seem impossible.  And every time it's on the radio, I boldly sing it in my loudest voice.  It is an awesome song. Labor Day weekend 2 years ago, my da...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger Whenever I meet someone that is going to college, I usually ask them what they are studying.  I also ask what school they are going to. However when people learned that I was going to college, they asked, “Oh! Are you taking online classes?” Why is this always their...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger      Imagine yourself lying on a pristine beach. Your toes are dug into the warm white sand. A gentle  breeze softly touches your face and blows through your hair. You gaze out and see the most gorgeous sunset you have ever seen. Now you're totally relaxed without...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger Staying in a hospital can be a little boring. While staying at St. Louis Children’s hospital this week, my parents and I sometimes go exploring.  Once this week there was an art class in the garden and we had to check it out.  There was a table covered with hundreds o...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger I had spinal surgery on my neck August 5th, and I get to wear a fancy collar every-day for 6 to 10 weeks. I look like an old-fashioned Englishman now.  It is like a fashion statement. I just need a top hat and walking stick to complete the ensemble. I have been having Occupation...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger Both my brother and I were homeschooled; however, when I was nine years old I did go to public school for a year.  I had an assigned helper that helped me with things such as carrying my books or writing things down. Going to school was a bit overwhelming.  A new place fil...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger The doctor gave me the okay to go home from the hospital earlier than planned.  My parents were very excited.  Even though everyone assured me that I was strong enough to go home, I wasn't sure.  Scary thoughts flooded my mind.  What if I fall or hurt myself again...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger I really like the song by Mandisa called Overcomer.  It talks about how we can overcome things when they seem impossible.  And every time it's on the radio, I boldly sing it in my loudest voice.  It is an awesome song. Labor Day weekend 2 years ago, my dad and I took ...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger As I watched white, fluffy clouds floating by from my airplane window, I rehashed my whole adventure from the past week. Gretchen Bright had asked me if I would work at PRC’s booth in Minnesota for the “Closing the Gap” Conference.  I have never been to Minneso...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger When we left Missouri the weather was 86 degrees and sunny, but when we arrived in Minnesota it was 46 degrees and raining.  What a difference! Our shuttle didn't arrive to pick us up from the airport until an hour and a half after our flight landed.  We watched lots of pe...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger We have this overweight, orange, tabby cat that lives in our house.  His name is Alfredo and he will be eighteen years old in February.  And throughout all of these years, he has been a joy to us. Recently, I was asked to Skype with a class for PRC.  Even though I hav...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger Flies, ants, spiders, bees, and bugs have always freaked me out. I don’t like anything that can crawl on my body, or run in our house. When I see an insect in our house, I need someone else to kill it because I have climbed on top of our television to avoid the multi-legged bea...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger Two months ago, I found out that I needed surgery on my neck after an MRI.  I had to have the surgery because I had a bulging disc that was pressing on my spinal cord and slowly paralyzing me. On the 5th of August, the surgery was a success, but I got a neck brace collar that se...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger Coming out of my room, I moved a toy out of my normal walking path, when the sound of crying caused me to pause and reflect on all of the changes that have happened recently in our life. We are fostering two kids who are family members. Their ages are three and one.  Thankfully...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogge It has been over four months since I had spinal surgery removing a disc that was pressing on my spinal cord.  Thankfully the surgery gave me my old life back again.  But the doctor wanted me to come back and have another MRI to check the healing.  Those four months slip...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger Change can sometimes be difficult, but sometimes it can also be wonderful. A good change recently came into my life. About a week ago, I got a power wheelchair! This isn’t my first power-chair. I had a chair when I was in the third grade. It was really fun navigating down the h...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger Day in and day out, chickens seem to live life without a care in the world.  Whatever happens, it seems as if chickens just keep on pecking.  I believe that we should be more like chickens.  This past year began great for me.  I had lots of big plans for 2019.&nb...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger We have the best neighbors in the world.  We look out for one another and are always ready to lend a hand when needed.  Every year we usually exchange cookies, but a couple of our close neighbors bring us gifts. This year one neighbor gave us a basket filled with all kinds ...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo blogger  This past week I went to a dance.  It was called a New Year’s Cosmic Glow Party.  I hadn’t danced for a long time, and this sounded like a lot of fun.  So we packed up my walker and drove to a strange, dark, and somewhat foreboding building.  Com...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger In 2019, I decided to grow my hair out long. Actually I had long hair once before, and my mom said she liked it. But then I slowly got sick of it and cut my hair.  Since then I have kept my hairstyle the same length up until my late teens. When I was nineteen, I wanted the long ...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger Sometimes we win, and sometimes we don't in this adventure that we call life. Last week I lost my step-grandpa unexpectedly.  My parents and I were there visiting him in the hospital when he passed. It was quite a shock. My mom, aunts, and Uncle had to quickly put together a...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger Last Sunday, we visited a new church.  My dad had heard about it through friends.  So, even though the church was farther than we usually go, we went.  And as usual, I had my Accent 1000 with me. Everyone at the church seemed very nice.  One woman came over to in...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger Have you ever seen Abbott and Costello’s Who’s on first comedy routine? It is a classic comedy of misunderstanding where two people discuss a baseball game. At times it’s as if they both are speaking a different language. Using an AAC language device can seem like a...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger In this time of more people staying at home: many of us are online using social media to connect with friends and family. Some are watching more tv or streaming movies. A couple of weeks ago, we decided to upload the brand new Disney Plus on our Roku streaming stick.  I was rea...

By Kye Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger We are seeing a different world. Social distancing and bare shelves in the grocery stores have become commonplace.  It seems that our reality changes every day. Last week, our local coffee shop was hosting a comedy show. I enjoy humor and watching comedians on TV.  The idea...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger A couple of days ago, my family drove to the grocery store. My mom went in while my dad and I stayed safely in our van.  When my mom came back, she told us all about her shopping experience. She remarked that all of the shoppers looked frightened as passersby were confronted wi...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger I have spent 17 years of my life dreaming about adulthood.  Finally, it arrived, but now I find myself dreaming about childhood.  This 'becoming of age' isn't all it is cut out to be.  It's a trap!   I like making my own decisions, but the number of those dec...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger I have always had a difficult time falling to sleep.  I think it's because of my overactive mind.  Many times I do feel sleepy at bedtime, but as soon as my head hits the pillow I become wide awake!  I have battled this issue most of my life and have tried various thin...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger With the COVID-19 virus keeping us at home, we have time to reflect back on our lives.  We can remember and ponder things that we didn’t think about before, or reflect on the good old days. One memory I have would be when my family went to Florida.  I was nominated t...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger My brother is very talented musically, and for many years practiced his musical talents with piano, drums, and the guitar. Cameron also enjoys playing many different styles of music. Because of that, I have a broad appreciation of all sorts of music.  Last year I had spine surg...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger & college student “It’s a new dawn, it’s a new day, it’s a new life, and I’m feeling good’’ -Nina Simone.  This describes my feelings as the state of Missouri begins to reopen.   I long for my original life. Each year is l...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger I have always been fascinated by color.  Did you know that the human eye is able to see color because light produces different wavelengths and energies?  A simple experiment using a bright light, a prism, and a sheet of paper will demonstrate this perfectly.  If a brig...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger It is amazing how you can think that something is all over, and then life can completely switch to a new way of living.  We can choose to change with the times or fight against the changes. Recently, my life has had a ton of changes. But one of the good changes was that we rec...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger When I was six years old, my speech therapist recommended me to have an evaluation with Mid Missouri Assistive Technology in Mount Vernon, Missouri. I tried multiple types of communication tools during this evaluation.  As she watched me, the therapist told my parents that my sp...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger On a bright and early Saturday morning, I greeted the day by jumping out of bed.  You would think that I was a morning person, but you'd be wrong.  Mornings aren't my thing since my day normally begins around noon.  And getting up early on a Saturday...well...that's ju...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger One day my dad and I were sitting on our outside swing talking and enjoying a peaceful evening. We could see our neighbor’s calves calmly grazing in the pasture to our left. Some were off in the field walking around; and many were simply laying in the grass. I was showing my da...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger I would like to tell you about my brother, Cameron.  Even though he is seven years older than me, you’d never guess it.  Our relationship is like most brothers.  And like most good brothers, Cameron includes me in all kinds of things.  He takes me to Starbuc...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger In my lifetime, I have had two things happen involving my nose.  Last year I had surgery on my neck.  But before surgery, the doctor wanted to check my vocal cords. He explained that he was going to put a scope into my nose that would go down my throat to look at my vocal c...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger Life has become very different today.  With everyone feeling uncertain about the future, people appear to be anxious and impatient.  Maybe that is why there are so many grouchy and apprehensive people walking around ready to point a suspicious finger.  If you go out in...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger Life without a way to communicate is very difficult. Communication devices are such a blessing and have opened the world for so many, including myself. My first device was the Vanguard II. In the beginning I did not use it to communicate, but only to write stories. One day I discover...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC-Saltillo Blogger This week, I will be back attending college full-time again.  Long before our lives had been impacted by COVID 19, my spinal cord injury had caused me do some rethinking.  And attending college was something I decided to put on hold last year.  But since I usually like...

_By Alex Frank, M.S., CCC-SLP/L _ Everyday consists of various expectations. Expectations for yourself, expectations for your family members, expectations for your coworkers, and the list goes on. Expectations exist not to highlight weakness or a need for improvement, but to provide direction to what we want to accompli...

By:  Anthony Ordile, M.S., CCC-SLP – PRC-Saltillo Regional Consultant, New Jersey In the world of AAC, there’s nothing like new device day. The box comes in the mail, and whether it’s a first device or a replacement, there are lots of feelings. It’s exciting to crack open the box and pull out s...

By Leanna Fox, Consultant, Liberator What do I do? Suddenly I found myself with a caseload of teenage girls who are much cooler than I ever was. Right, magic basic therapy rule 101 – use their interests and make them your interests also. For example, ‘romance’, ‘love’ and ‘James Arthur’ were identified ...

By Jennifer Herzog, B.S., PRC Regional Consultant Hello from Arkansas and western Tennessee! I’m Jennifer Herzog, the Regional Consultant in the mid-south and have worked for PRC for four years. Before and during my years at PRC, I have routinely found myself helping people learn to do something. Through my experienc...

By Wylanta Jones, CCC-SLP Playground AAC boards have swept social media over the past couple years. Core boards are so much easier to access and print in a variety of ways that AAC folks have been spreading them far and wide along with a message of inclusion. You can get a ready to go unit from PRC, you can print something...

By Benjamin Bond, Consultant, Speech Pathologist (VIC) It’s not often that I am speechless when working alongside our device users. An amazing young man new to LAMP WFL did in fact make me at a loss for words during a mealtime. We had finished a therapy “session” and we were getting ready for lunch. Our cheeky ...

By Jessica Steiner, M.Ed, M.S., CF-SLP Hi fellow AAC lovers! My name is Jessica Steiner and I am so excited to start blogging for AAC Language Lab. A little bit about me, I am a CF working in a public separate day school for children with severe and profound disabilities, Pre-K through High School. I absolutely love my...

Hi! My name is Kim Thompson. I am an Occupational Therapist by training and a mom of four by blessing. I have had the pleasure of working with both adults and children with disabilities for many years. When I became the mom of a child with a speech disorder however, I truly began to understand what putting it all into...

By Sarah Waldman, M.S. CCC-SLP As a bilingual speech-language pathologist working with young kids who are developing language, I constantly hear the misnomer that we should only focus on teaching them English. “They are already delayed in one language, so it will be confusing to immerse them in two different language...

_ Kym Heine, M.S.-CCC-SLP_ In attempts to encourage the use of a communication device in a variety of environments with various communication partners, many students take their devices to Special Area Classes (e.g. music, art, library, PE, and computer). These classes are typically conducted by instructors who have lit...

By Emily Gabrielle, AAC Education & Resources Consultant After 2 years of swearing she wouldn’t be getting anything like this until she was at least 10 years old (I know I’m an idiot) I recently did the unthinkable and bought a tablet for our little girl. At present the well-known android tablet (or ‘hiPad’ ...

By Jessica Steiner, M.Ed., CF- SLP Hello Core and AAC lovers! As promised, let’s talk about core word toys so you can make your own big box of core to enhance your AAC Language Lab lesson plan. I purchased some of the materials at Target but similar materials can be purchased at retailers like WalMart or the Dollar St...

By Liz Heisler, MA, CCC-SLP, PRC-Saltillo Consultant AAC goals are hard, right? They have to be specialized just because the client has an AAC device. You can only use an AAC goal bank and you have to see a lot of success to show growth. These statements are all FALSE! Writing AAC goals can be easy! As SLPs, we can get so...

By Anna-Maria Beard, Mom Extradordinaire We were cleaning out a used fish tank my brother had lent my oldest son Knox. Knox wanted to spend his birthday money on two aquatic turtles and begin a new hobby with a freshwater tank. My sister Alexa had come over to help me lift the tank and empty the existing gravel from the...

By Jessica Steiner, M.Ed., M.S., CF-SLP Our 2 stories of the week were an adapted version of “Go Dog Go” by P.D. Eastman (Check it out on the Paul C. Sherlock Center for Disabilities website) and the AAC Language Lab story “Look, Let’s Go!” Going through Go, Dog, Go with my kiddos, we modeled each of the phr...

_By Cynthia Heryanto, M.S., CCC-SLP I’ve read that the first step to getting over an addiction is admitting there is a problem. Lately I’ve come to realize that I have a “quickly load ‘em up with language” addiction. My thought process is always centered around how I can give the client access to more vocabul...

By Jennifer Monahan, MA, CCC/SLP, Augmentative Communication Specialist About a month ago I enjoyed an afternoon excursion, with my son Everett (age 5) to hear a local jazz band playing an outdoor concert. While the music was certainly entertaining, my son quickly discovered that the trees all around us were dropping acorn...

By Beth Browning, Jennifer Herzog, Megan Kunz, Morgan Mayfield, Samantha Strong, Jenny Vallier, and Nicole Wingate Communication partners play an integral piece of the success of the AAC communicator.  Awareness of the features of a communicator’s AAC system makes it possible to share new language information to...

By Maria Rivera M.S., CCC-SLP & Kirk Behnke, M.Ed., ATP Back to school is such an exciting time for both kids and teachers! Some kids will feel nervous or even a little scared because of all the new changes: new teachers, new friends, and maybe even a new school! However, some kids may feel even more anxieties because ...

By Jennifer Herzog, B.S Many years ago, I wrote one of the first “Stories and Strategies for Success” blog articles and profiled my favorite pair of clown sunglasses and most ridiculous hat. I had just worked with a young man learning to use a device for the first time and relied on these gadgets to elicit communicat...

Michelle Britt-Thompson, M.S., CCC-SLP There are moments in AAC therapy that stop me in my tracks. Those moments strike out of nowhere, usually when I’ve turned away for a moment to scribble some data or glance at my watch. When I turn back to my student, there it will be on the screen. The lightning bolt word. A w...

By Gail Van Tatenhove,PA, MS, CCC-SLP Patterns are everywhere in our world. Wherever you are right now, look around and identify some patterns in your environment. What do you see? By understanding patterns, we are able to see and understand the way things work together. Math teachers have students do all sorts of tasks i...

by Patrick Fothergill, Ontario AAC Consultant & SLP As an AAC-focused SLP with connections to Quebec and northern & eastern Ontario, among other places, I often hear from people seeking French speech-generating devices (SGDs).  And while they exist, until recently I didn’t think there was anything for fo...

By Kym Heine M.S., CCC-SLP - PRC Regional Consultant Derived from information in Out and About: AAC in the Community (Wagner, Musslewhite and Odom) Developing good active listening skills should be a goal for all communicators, but it is especially important for individuals who use Speech Generating Devices (SGD) as the...

By Penny Jameson, Liberator Australia When taking on the task of teaching language on a communication device, we are often faced with challenges. Some of them include length of time between therapy sessions, hectic classrooms, busy family life, and just not knowing where to start. What if teaching one thing could re...

by Mary Prather M.Ed LEGOs for Learning It’s been said so often that play is the work of childhood. Fred Rogers said, “Play gives children the chance to practice what they are learning.” It makes sense, then, that the most basic of skills for children (including speaking and writing) should be approached throug...

By Christine Kramlich, Kyleigh’s mom Teaching vs. Talking “What color is this?” “What shape is this?” “What body part is this?” “How old are you?” Can’t you just hear the click of the eye rolling from the person being peppered with these questions? Being a teacher for 14 years, I had a v...

by Dan Mills, M.Ed We often hear of speech therapists being asked to program pages in a speech device for this lesson or that activity. This programming can become very time-consuming and it is hard to keep up with a fast paced curriculum. Many people don’t realize that all they really need is the core vocabulary (...

By David Kay M. Ed. OTR, AAC Specialist Prentke Romich Company Let’s get real about the ‘AAC Gap’ I am continuously amazed by the vast array of expertise amongst AAC service providers in the field. As an occupational therapist working as an AAC specialist for an AAC device manufacturer, I get to travel around the ...

By Chesney Ballantyne, M.A., CCC-SLP In my second to last internship during Graduate School to become a Speech Language Pathologist, my supervisor told me, “If you are bored with what you are doing, your students will be bored with it too.” The simplicity and reality of this statement stuck with me and I have ...

By Jennifer Monahan, MA, CCC/SLP Jennifer Monahan Like so many words in our language, the word “scaffolding” isn’t just a noun, used to describe the temporary supports that often surround new buildings as they undergo construction. “Scaffolding”, when applied to education and learning, also refers to a very impo...

By Michelle Retzlaff, M.A., CCC-SLP The holidays are approaching.  During this time, we find ourselves surrounded by family and friends …and maybe some presents.  Catching up with family and friends means that we may: Say “hello” and “goodbye” a bit more Ask questions to connect...

By Christine Kramlich M. Ed, Regional Consultant Christine Kramlich As a mom, I have always seen the importance of having fun while continuing to learn. During my years as teacher, I always viewed schooling as a way to learn new things while continuing to have fun. Now, that I am a PRC consultant, I truly get to embrace b...

By Brian P. Cleary Brian P. Cleary Even though I hated school, I didn’t hate learning. As a little one, I fell hard for the sing-songy rhythmic patterns of Dr. Seuss. Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, and the rest were my introduction to the wonder of words. I had a couple of teachers in grade school when I was...

By Christine Kramlich, M.Ed It’s that time of year when, as a parent, we are out shopping for clothes and school supplies and getting excited that our kids are starting back to school. But for many years, I had double duty because I was preparing my classroom for those eager (and not so eager) learners to come into ...

By Darlette Navrotski, MA, CCC-SLP Darlette Navrotski It has been said that this is an era of awakening. For many, this is a reminder to awaken to our spirit self, a side of ourselves that is so easy to push aside with all that needs to be done, in order to carry on in our daily lives. As a speech pathologist and one ...

By Annie Nichols, MA, CCC-SLP Annie Nichols is a practicing speech-language pathologist in Indiana. She works in the school setting in addition to working with private clients, mainly specializing in the area of augmentative and alternative communication. “Well, I usually know what he wants…” “I th...

By Angie Sheets, Educator Mind blown!Poof!For Real!Granted, I had been up since 4 AM and endured a 3 hour drive with my partner who insists on putting on makeup while driving, but this PRC All Access class was so much more than I had envisioned. I have been a big PRC fan since I was first introduced to their products abou...

By Darcy Lees, M.Ed., CCC-SLP There are some experiences that really stick with you. I remember sitting down to review a video of a student working with her SLP. It was hard to watch the SLP on the screen work with the little girl who was learning to use adjectives on her Vantage Lite. The SLP was talking too much; she...

By Connie McCafferty, M.A., CCC-SLP, PRC-Saltillo Consultant During one of my recent school team trainings for a young teen with a new AAC device I came across the opportunity to demonstrate the difference between referential and descriptive teaching. For those of you who are not familiar, referential teaching simply refer...

By Wylanta Jones, M.A., CCC-SLP I’m Wylanta, a school based SLP from Arizona and California. Love the 2022 PRC Saltillo Literacy planners! Can’t wait to dive in with some beloved stories about animals and explore the core vocabulary with my students. Some of the books (e.g. Dear Zoo) is a favorite and already i...

_By Laura Kessel, M.S., CCC-SLP, AAC Specialist I’m Laura, an SLP and AAC Specialist working with both adults and children. I’m generally curious about everything and in the process of collecting far more picture symbols, apps, and toys than any one person reasonably needs. Getting teams on board with core vo...

Transitions: Moving Along with AAC by Margaret Perkins, CCC-SLP, ATP Transitions, wow, they can be really scary. Transitions mean different things so let’s try to break it down so we can plan: For individuals who use AAC to communicate there are two basic types of transitions that occur throughout their lives. One...

By Meghan Kunz, Augmentative Communication Consultant In preparation for a consultation with a clinician supporting a kiddo being evaluated for AAC, we discussed the child’s interests and I gained insight in how best to prepare for our time together. We talked about which toys were familiar and most likely to motivat...

By: Brittany Toney, MA, CCC-SLP, PRC-Saltillo Regional Consultant Behavior. A hot button issue in the field of AAC and speech-language pathology. An SLP myself, that worked in an ABA center for most of my career, I have often wondered why it is such a tumultuous topic. I highly respect my BCBA colleagues, and although we d...

By Mandy Hall, M.S. CCC-SLP Print your materials. Plan your session. Grab your bag of ‘tricks’ that is sure to engage your student. Set up your room. Find your rewards. Get yourself ready for the best thought out and planned session. Finally, your non(or partially) verbal student with Autism comes in for her 30...

By Joan Sharp B.Ed, Regional Consultant Joan Sharp During the school year schedules are very busy for parents, educators, and speech therapists. This can make it difficult to find time for training. So once you’ve had a vacation and feel relaxed consider taking some time to build or hone your Unity skills. If you hav...

By Jane Lindley, Saltillo Consultant If you’re in the AAC world, you’ve likely heard how important it is to model language (aka Aided Language Input) for those who use AAC -- and it’s true, modeling is absolutely essential! But when you’re just getting started, it can be hard to REMEMBER to do or to...

By Kym Heine, PRC Consultant, Mississippi Wind-up toys are a fun and silly way to engage your AAC learners with a variety of communicative functions.  Here’s how to get started! Order a 24 pack of assorted wind-up toys from Amazon. Group and store two to three toys in snack size baggies according to the ac...

By Gretchen Bright, B.S. As a consultant, I LOVE receiving emails from families and clients using our devices. It’s so exciting to hear how our clients are doing. Getting the chance to hear how some are teasing their siblings, ordering their food at a restaurant, making cards for grandparents, starting a new job or taki...

By Maggie Judson,  M.S., CCC-SLP The other day I found myself in a school cafeteria during lunch, sitting with a group of students.  One student walked up to the table, dropped his food tray down and announced to his friends, “Who wants to see me chug this juice?”  Kids shouted their responses of...

By - Heather Prenovost, M.S., CCC-SLP & Melissa Hoy, ClinScD, CCC-SLP, PRC-Saltillo AAC Consultants If you have not had a chance to check out the 2022 calendar, it is not too late! In fact, the calendar activities can be used at any time and in any order. PRC-Saltillo's calendar most closely supports the WordPower voca...

By Sarah Wilds, M.S., CCC-SLP Last week I got the pleasure of meeting Liam, a bright-blue eyed 3 year old. Liam has severe apraxia and had been working for several months on imitation of vowels and consonants. His speech pathologist thought he might benefit from AAC and asked me to come work with the two of them to see...

By Jamie Leopard, M.S., CCC-SLP & Melissa Malani, PhD, CCC-SLP, BCS-CL Do any of these situations sound familiar? “We are going on vacation to the beach but are not taking the device with us because we don’t want something to happen to it.” “I forgot to charge my device, what can we do in th...

_By Beth Ahmad, , M.A., CCC-SLP Speech-Language Pathologist Regional Consultant, PRC The “Model, Model, Model” Mantra Here’s an all-too-familiar story… I met with a team of a student who uses an Accent 1000. This student has had the device for over a year now, but the team tells me, “He’s not interested in...

By Sandy Baldwin, M.S., CCC-SLP, Regional Consultant for PRC I’ll never forget the day I scheduled an appointment in the park to meet the family of a handsome, energetic 6-year-old boy. This special young fella, whose diagnosis was autism, used no verbal speech, but there was an obvious connection between Elisha and...

By Elizabeth Bortz, MSCCC-SLP, Regional Consultant for Maryland/Delaware Access Issues Anyone??? As an SLP, who had been a part of an Assistive Technology team for years, I was always been challenged with the students who you know could say more if their access issues didn’t “get in the way”. I consist...

By Jane Odom, M.Ed - Director of Implementation Resources, PRC-Saltillo My new favorite podcast is called ‘Invisibilia’ from NPR.  It looks at the unseeable forces that control human behavior.  I learn something new with each episode.  One episode focused on “Expectations”.  The...

By Gretchen Bright, B.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! Well, at least it is for me and about 570 million other folks worldwide in the month of March. Birthdays and holidays are a really fun time to incorporate more language with a communication device. Just think of all the fun things we say during a birthday or other holidays! Ev...

By Helen Canfield, MA, SLP, Augmentative Communication Specialist We teach parents and caregivers the best way to help their child to learn to use a communication device to talk is to respond, respond, respond. That means no matter which button gets pushed and words spoken the parents are to respond as though it was pu...

Jeanne Tuthill, MA, CCC-SLP AT Specialist, Collaborative for Educational Services, Northampton, MA Adjunct Faculty, Simmons College, Boston, MA jtuthillslp@gmail.com Jeanne Tuthill Each time I teach my graduate class I try to invite at least one AAC user in as a guest speaker to share their story with the students in the ...

Punam Desormes, M.A., CCC-SLP, ATP Speech-Language Pathologist and Assistive Technology Professional at the University of Central Florida and Apple Patch Therapy, Inc. The autism spectrum disorder (ASD) classroom - It is a wonder! Full of challenging behaviors and language deficits, BUT also full of excitement, multi-moda...

By Sarah Williams, classroom teacher Some of the realities of teaching in a K-1 (in reality Pre-4th grade), self-contained classroom for students with intellectual disabilities are as follows: Communication is extremely important: receptive and expressive communication from students, communication with parents, commun...

By Tracy Custer, M.Ed, SLP, Regional Consultant, PRC The school year is quickly winding down and the summer months are soon here. One thing I know for sure is that the summer gives us the ability to rest, relax and engage in some of those activities that we never have time for during the school year. It also is the time...

By Brandi Wentland, CCC-SLP I recently took a part time position at Lauren's Institute for Education (LIFE) to supervise an SLPA who is doing a lot of work with AAC. He has also been responsible for helping to facilitate more AAC usage and support in classrooms. After the Demystifying AAC workshop I hosted at the beginning...

By Daniel F. Dardiz M.A. CCC-SLP For the majority of us who have the privilege of working with individuals who may have special needs, we picture the young child beginning their first “communicative steps” learning how to access their devices, communicating those first words and phrases. This is such an awesome time...

By Catherine Snider, PRC-Saltillo Consultant in NYC and surrounding areas The New York City Halloween parade is a 46-year long tradition where puppeteers and artists are given license to run free with their creativity and parade down 6th Avenue in Greenwich Village. PRC is lucky to have Samantha Strong as part of our co...

By: Jennifer Edge-Savage, MS, EdS, OTR/L Did you know that Alexa understands AAC?Yes, she does! Alexa responds to voice…any voice. (As do other Voice Assistants such asGoogle and Siri.) No special cords. No pairing with bluetooth. Nothing extra to do. Just set upyour Alexa as usual and SPEAK. It is likely that you...

by Patrick Fothergill, SLP Patrick is an AAC consultant for Liberator Communications Canada (LCC), which is a division of PRC-Saltillo.  He worked with kids & adults in public Ontario AAC clinics for six years before joining LCC. For me, one of best the things about working in AAC is how there’s always more...

By Diane Kodelja - parent, caregiver, multimedia studio artist, educator My AAC device user is a sixteen-year-old girl with global delays. She is a complex mix of every stage from newborn to her current calendar age, depending on which splinter of her is under the microscope.  When Josh, the star of the new hit televi...

By Carrie Clark, CCC-SLP When children are learning to speak, one of the things they learn is how to answer questions. Some children pick this up easily, and others need a speech therapist or parent to help them through and teach it to them directly. Children who use Augmentative-Alternative Communication AAC are no dif...

By Indrani Solomon I always tend to ask questions at meetings to connect better with people around me, doing the thinking together as we find ladders and chutes in the process. While some call this brainstorming, I call it fine tuning or simply, connecting the dots. So let me start with my first question -• What does...

By Kym Heine, M.S., CCC-SLP Regional Consultant for the Prentke Romich Company With temperatures still rising it’s hard to believe that summer is almost over and, for many, a new school year has already begun. As the pages of books start turning, let’s take some time to examine how reading can be used to teach c...

_ by PRC_ Stephanie Taymuree has witnessed huge advances in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) during her nearly 40 years as a speech-language pathologist (SLP) and special educator, and her implementation of AAC technology in the classroom is unrivaled. But she still finds it thrilling when a student embra...

_ By Marianna du Bosq, Sep 6, 2015 | Bilingual Parenting, Learning English, Learning Spanish, Multilingual Kids, Multilingual Parenting, Raising Multicultural Kids_ Whenever I am asked how to teach and maintain a child’s language proficiency, I always refer to the two “key ingredients,” providing enough exposur...

By Cynthia Heryanto, M.S. CCC-SLP, Regional Consultant for Prentke Romich Company Since it is the beginning of the school year, I thought it would be great to consider how we can make the most out of one of the most common and nearly universal classroom routines- calendar time (or circle time). We all know too well th...

By Jennifer Herzog, B.S., Regional Consultant, Arkansas It’s November. Time for turkey and trimmings, friends and family, and maybe football and all things fun!! It’s that time of year when we embrace all that we have to be thankful for, and this year is no exception for me. I have a ton of reasons to be thank...

_By Ryan Knoblauch, SLP, blogger The Speech Knob As speech language pathologists, we must continue our education and keep on top of current trends and evidence-based treatments. Over the past few years, I’ve attended several professional development conferences and some have stood out over others. I previously spo...

By Merryn Horsfall, Speech-Language Pathologist (B.SpPath) AAC Consultant Liberator Australia In my role as a Speech Pathologist & AAC Consultant with Liberator in Australia, I regularly have the privilege of visiting education settings where professionals are supporting the implementation of speech-generating devices ...

By Elyse Pycraft M.S., CCC-SLP, NE Ohio PRC Consultant Up high, in the sky! Down low… too slow! Ok, so not THAT kind of 5. Gimmie 5 (words) is a simple strategy when adding new vocabulary to an AAC system. Vocabulary selection for a beginning communicator can seem overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. By n...

By Ceclia Marietti, M. Ed, PRC-Saltillo As a PRC-Saltillo Assistive Technology Consultant I have had the joy of working with hundreds of AAC communicators.  In February of 2016, I had the privilege of meeting Meredith Noble in an AAC consultation.  Meredith was a bright 29-year-old woman with Cerebral Palsy worki...

by Penelope Jameson, AAC Consultant Liberator Australia, and Teacher Aide at Coombabah State High School As our school year draws to a close in Australia, my thoughts are with our students using AAC, and how they will cope in the New Year with the possible change of teacher and support staff. With that change, some expe...

By Abigail Harris Have you ever wondered how to teach your staff the importance of aac all while giving them a hands on experience? The SLPs at Boundless were determined to come up with a hands on experience that would provide a lesson on the importance of aac, core words and the use of devices for more language functions ...

By Russell Cross, PRC Director of Clinical Applications One of the reasons using the Unity® language system is so popular is the simple fact that it provides a solid core vocabulary set. And the reason a core vocabulary is so useful is that it contains words used by everyone regardless of age, location, or topic. For ...

By Ryan Knoblauch, M.S. CCC- SLP Here we go. It’s the final season of American Idol. If you have kids of your own or you work with kids, then it’s likely they know a little bit about the show. I personally have watched about four seasons collectively (a couple of the Simon Cowell years and now with Urban, J-L...

_ By David Kay, M.Ed., OTR, Regional Consultant, PRC_ “True happiness comes from the joy of deeds well done, the zest of creating things new.” Antoine de Saint-Exupery In the world of AAC we work with individuals who are building their ability to communicate. But what about the ability to do? The model of human oc...

Co-written by:  Beth Browning, Senior PRC Consultant, southern Indiana,  Jennifer Herzog, PRC Consultant, Arkansas, Jennifer Vallier, PRC Consultant, Illinois, Meghan Kunz, PRC Consultant, Minnesota, Samantha Strong, PRC Consultant, Colorado, Nicole Wingate, PRC Consultant, northern Indian...

By Jo Misek, author A Promise Broken is the third part of the four-book Adi’s World series. Adi & Arnie still live in Maple Community (inside a hollow sugar maple tree in Vermont). Ayden now lives in Cliff City (a town inside a crevice in the side of a cliff), and his twin, Jayden, lives in Tunnel Town (an underg...

By Emily Gabrielle, AAC Education & Resources Consultant  Liberator UK Language for learning – finding the balance curriculum and communication. A time of optimism One of the most joyous moments of any consultant’s role is when you set up new device for an individual- especially if the individual has...

By Christine Kramlich, M. Ed What exactly is an ambassador? According to Webster’s, an ambassador is “an authorized messenger or representative” and that’s exactly what a PRC ambassador is as well. PRC ambassadors are device users who are willing and able to spread the message of the power of communication....

Jenna Blane, M.S., CCC-SLP There are days when I feel as though my creativity level has plummeted to rock bottom. I look at the giant bucket of blocks in the corner of the preschool classroom, and for some reason, cannot think of an exciting way to play with them. I usually revert to something like, “stack the blocks O...

By Kelly Savage, AAC Consultant, Liberator Australia Let’s be honest! Who isn’t freaking out just a little about doing AAC therapy via Telehealth? This #stayhome scenario is challenging! We are all under tremendous levels of stress at the moment; worrying about the world and finding a new routine for ourselves ...

By Carrie Clark, CCC-SLP, Owner, Speech and Language Kids Establishing a Functional Communication System All children have the right to communicate. No disorder, disease, or physical limitation should be able to take that right away from them. For that reason, it is our obligation to make sure that all children wi...

By Ryan Knoblach, SLP It’s all about core vocabulary. That’s pretty much all I talk about lately. I’m selling fast. Wheelin’ and dealin’. Get on board. Time to get these kids communicating! I don’t care what app/software/device you have, I’m selling you on the idea to st...

By Cortney Maholtz, M.A., CCC-SLP By now you probably know that we communicate in a lot of different ways…with verbal speech, with our facial expressions, with gestures, or with an AAC device. Today, I want to talk about gestures. But not the normal gestures you are probably thinking of right now, like waving or poi...

By Gretchen Bright, BS As a consultant, I work with many speech therapists during a very critical time…AAC EVALUATION TIME! This can be a nerve wracking experience for SLPs. PRC has a fantastic Funding Department and Regional Consultants always available to help make the experience a little more comforting. With many...

_ By Connie McCafferty, M.Ed., M.A., CCC-SLP_ If you are fortunate to live in a climate with moderate temperatures and favorable weather conditions year round you may not be excited as I am to finally have spring in Ohio. However, as the weather is finally improving here in the Midwest, now is a good reminder to take ad...

_ By Jennifer Monahan, M.A., CCC-SLP_ Perhaps you are a speech pathologist reading this blog today? Perhaps you are a teacher? Or maybe a parent? Are you a nurse? No matter what role you may play, if you’re reading this blog it means you are likely supporting an individual who uses a speech generating device as his...

By Lori Holbrook Words can’t always describe what the iPad has done for us! We say all the time it has given Hannah a voice, some independence, and a sense of humor. When it all comes down to it, though, it truly is a gift. We take for granted communication and socializing with others everyday. When you are given a chi...

By Liz Heisler, M.A. CCC-SLP,  PRC-Saltillo Consultant As a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) and as an assistive technology consultant, I often get feedback from communication partners (e.g., anyone who interacts with the person using the AAC system) of our AAC users such as, “He’s just playing with the d...

By Darlette Navortski, M.A.,CCC-SLP When I’m looking for inspiration, I look to nature. Taking a walk through the woods, sitting by a stream, climbing a mountain has helped me through difficult times and have reminded me of the value of being in the moment…….the moment in front of me at this very second. As I...

By Tina Pagnucco, M.S., SLP I’d like to introduce you to the 3 students who changed my course of AAC and ultimately brought me to my current position of regional consultant for Michigan and Toledo-Bowling Green, Ohio. Working as a speech pathologist and AAC consultant in Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor Public Schools for ma...

By Beth Waite-Lafever, MA-CCC/SLP-ATP Shared reading is a strategy used to teach emergent literacy skills. It’s an interactive reading experience that helps teach students the concept of reading. It serves to build social closeness, joint attention to an experience, models of how we treat books and other early literacy ...

By Ryan Knoblauch, CCC-SLP I’m on the verge of being old. My kids, however, are not and keep me informed about what’s current. The other day I saw all three of my kids huddled around one Kindle. That was definitely a red flag that they were up to something no good. Wait. They were all chatting, smiling, and get...

_By Elyse Pycraft, M.S., CCC-SLP As I’m sitting here watching the World Series, I’m thinking about how easy it is to strike out when working with a new AAC user. Whether you are a clinician, teacher, or parent, we’ve all had those days when you feel like you are bringing your best game, but you just keep striking o...

By Laconda Walker Ross M.A., SLT, CTRS As another year end quickly approaches, I am reminded of the many blessings that occur in 365 days. Those blessings include therapists, support staff, families and many others who influence the lives of children who may have complex communication needs. As we reflect upon the ...

By Ben Bond, Speech Pathologist (VIC), Liberator Pty Ltd I was walking around a corner the other day and I ran into someone. The bad type of running into someone, the type where you bang heads and get coffee spilt on you. With coffee on my shirt, I grumbled under my breath and offered a brisk apology and went on my not-s...

By Deanna Severson, M.S.,CCC-SLP One of the greatest side benefits of being a PRC consultant is becoming acquainted with a vast number of people who are not only clients but are the likes of teachers, aides, therapists and family members. Most often, they are generous, kind, bright and inspiring people who always seem to ...

Angie Sheets, Intense Interventions Teacher Nicole Wingate, MA CCC-SLP Amy Shane, SLPA Heather Stoppenhagen, SLPA_ After attending our State convention on assistive technology, my SLP, SLPAs and myself were pumped about attacking core vocabulary with our students. My classroom is comprised of 14 kindergarten through fourt...

Hi! My name is Kim Thompson. I am an Occupational Therapist by training and a mom of four by blessing. I have had the pleasure of working with both adults and children with disabilities for many years. When I became the mom of a child with a speech disorder however, I truly began to understand what putting it all into...

_ By Kim Bond Thompson, M.S. OTR/L_ Prepositions: Not Just Important in English Class I have to admit that I have a weird relationship with prepositions. When I was in 3rd grade, we had to learn the top 50 prepositions and then our teacher had a competition. Whoever could say all of the prepositions the fastest withou...

By Joan Sharp, B.Ed Over 17 years as a PRC Consultant, I have seen children grow year after year not just in size and age but in their communication abilities, and their ability to connect socially through their AAC device. I would like to shine the light on Stephanie Faso! She is a young 26-year-old woman who has grown ev...

By Jordan Hanson, M.S., CCC-SLP from Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center From someone working on AAC with individuals with motor deficits, I find it so important that these individuals receive similar sensory experiences as their neurotypical peers ( hence, my co-workers will often see me running down the halls with my kiddos...

By Jason Smith, PRC Regional Consultant How do I get him to initiate communication with the device? This is a common refrain from parents and caregivers early on in the AAC process. For evaluating therapists and those who consult with them, it can be a rather high-pressure proposition, as you may only have one session in...

By Angie Sheets Seventeen years ago I began teaching in a centralized, mostly self-contained elementary intense interventions classroom. I was the only teacher in two counties serving in this capacity. Students were bussed in from six different school districts to receive my services. The pressure was on! As a fresh ...

Jennifer Thomas, EdS, CCC-SLP In my job as a speech therapist and in my new job as a PRC consultant, I meet daily with parents who say, “I know that it will be good for him to be able to use his device to communicate, but I know what he wants when he points.” “I have four other kids and afternoons are cra...

By Cory Peters, M.S. CCC-SLP Yes that is right….the AAC word. Being a consultant for an AAC company, I live AAC daily. However, this was not always true and not true for everyone. Like most SLPs I went to a graduate school that trains all about assistive technology in a 3 credit course over the summer. Therefore, it...

By Alisa Lego - The Imperial Candidate for Masters in Science of Speech, Language & Hearing Sciences at San Francisco State University Our students want to connect with us and the world around them just as much as we want the same for them. Through communication we are able to join each other in our worlds to connect a...

By Jennifer Vallier, MA, CCC-SLP I have 14 delightful nieces and nephews spread between 3 different states, none in Illinois where I live. Visits are extra special, but also pretty short. This makes one particular habit of my nieces especially endearing. The first time I noticed it was a few years back on a weekend visit a...

By Yusa Liu, SLPA What caught my attention were all of the students' various AAC systems in front of them as they sat in a half-circle around my speech-language pathologist (SLP) supervisor. On my first day at my SLP-Assistant (SLPA) internship, I observed a beginning AAC-literacy lesson in a public elementa...

_ By Jackie Edwards, writer_ People with communication difficulties today are fortunate to live in a time when there are so many technological tools to help give them a voice. Yet no matter how good the technology, there are two sides to effective communication, and the benefits of these tools will be lost unless we are pr...

By Valerie Susnick, MS CCC-SLP, PRC-Saltillo Regional Consultant As a PRC-Saltillo consultant, and previously an AAC evaluator, I have had the opportunity to work with many teams. Over the years, I have found that the ease of technology paired with the desire to foster success, has often prompted teams to jump in and start...

By Michelle Mineo, M.S. CCC-SLP, PRC Regional Consultant for Central Ohio and Open Territories I decided post 40, with no real experience as runner, that I wanted to tackle a half marathon, 13.1 consecutive miles.  Several very slow 5Ks later, I thought “I can do this.” But I had no training partner, no i...

As a Regional Consultant for PRC for over 8 years now, some of the most common questions I get asked is how to incorporate parents into the implementation of AAC and the best ways to provide carryover into the home. Parents play a HUGE role in how AAC is perceived and used by a student. And, we can’t underestimate sibling...

_ By Angie Sheets_ In my intense interventions elementary classroom, I love collaborating with my SLP and SLPAs to utilize the word of the week core vocabulary instructional approach. This has been an amazing way to specifically target core words. To supplement word of the week, I have created a systemic approach to voca...

By Brittany Toney, M.A., CCC-SLP, Saltillo Consultant We made it to 2021! So what now? You are unsure whether or not your children will ever go back to school; meanwhile you are trying to navigate teletherapy with your child who uses an AAC device. Although I have heard from some caregivers that this time at home has been ...

By Beth Browning, M.A., CCC-SLP It’s time to take a test. Answer these questions: - Which planet is sixth from the sun, is very big, spins fast but moves around the sun slowly, and has large rings? - What do we call the time between 1760-1840 when life was changed by how things were made? - Name a type of housing th...

Virtually Impossible Possible A High-Tech, High-Touch Approach to AAC in the Age of COVID: 
How one school-based SLP conquered challenges with a ‘hard drive’ and determination By Jami Slotnick It was Friday the 13th. Specifically, March 13th, 2020—a cold and blustery Philly day and I was halfway home ...

_By Ryan Knoblauch, SLP I’m always looking to get kids to engage in learning, and it’s really all about having fun. The core vocabulary movement is taking augmentative and alternative communication by storm and people are always looking for ways to learn and use their AAC systems. Being a speech therapist, I ...

By Betty Carter, M.A., CCC-SLP, PRC Consultant “I learn something new every day!” Most of us have made this statement at one time or another in our lives. In my line of work, it’s definitely true. Although, I’m only 2 years into my role as a PRC consultant, I’ve been a speech therapist for around sixteen y...

By Tracy Custer M.Ed, SLP As we plunge into the beginning of school and get aquainted with our students and their AAC systems it is important that we all quickly get on the “same page” so that families, teachers, and SLPs are working toward common goals. Some helpful tips in getting everyone on the same page incl...

_By Daniel Dardiz, M.A,, CCC-SLP Over the past twenty years, I’ve had the privilege of working with clients and families who come from many different cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Communication is a component that encompasses every aspect of our lives. Spoken and written language is all around us. Family gatheri...

By Wylanta Jones, M.S.- CCC-SLP How do we really measure progress in functional communication for AAC users? In the planet I invite my coworkers and families to join me in, it’s simple. We are getting somewhere when you can use your communication device to get in trouble. I give 10 times the weight in importance to wor...

_By Andy DuBois-White, M.S., Ed. December is a month we all equate with a few things. If you are in most of United States you may think of snow, cold, ice. Maybe a snow day here or there. You could also be thinking about all those holidays we celebrate. December is a month FULL of so many holidays maybe some you didn’...

By Leanna Fox Help! These teenagers are too cool for this therapist! What do I do? Suddenly I found myself with a caseload of teenage girls who are much cooler than I ever was. Right, magic basic therapy rule 101 – use their interests and make them your interests also. For example, ‘romance’, ‘love’ and ‘...

By Hannah Foley, PRC-Saltillo Blogger People are always looking forward to new technological innovations and ways to improve products. As a society, we always think about “new and improved” technology as being great and better than ever before. In the world of AAC, we are constantly thinking and looking for the...

_By Chelsea Hagen, PRC Blogger _ My name is Chelsea Hagen. I was born on a beautiful summer day in the month of July. That day almost didn’t happen for me. My umbilical cord was caught on my arm and I had very little oxygen. My body was the colour of a bluish black. The doctors didn’t know if I would live. ...

By Kip Porter, PRC-Saltillo Blogger Everyone has a friend called Mom,Who looks after us all along.Since the day of our birth,She forgives our errors and forgets.And never stops to love us,Even if we continue our mistakes. For more Poetry, visit Kip's blog - KipPoems

By Kerri Adamic Curtice, PRC Ambassador I’ve been a PRC User for thirty and some years with five different communication devices, and I have been an ambassador for eleven years. I do learn fast about some new features on these wonderful communication devices. It’s pretty amazing to know what the nonverbal people ar...

By Sofia Blunt - PRC-Saltillo Blogger You’ll never guess what happened last night! My black cat, Dot, gave birth to TWO kittens, in my bedroom closet. I didn’t even know she was pregnant. She gave birth at night when I was sleeping, and I didn’t even hear her! In the morning when my sister, Charlotte, we...

By Kim Vuong, PRC-Saltillo Blogger I have been working on getting the police department in my city of Long Beach to have a community forum to discuss the training and protocols dealing with people with disabilities.  Ever since I watched a video on how the Florida sheriff has trained with autistic people, I wanted to ...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC Blogger How would you act if you were to meet someone whom you admire? Some people may cry, some may scream, some may stand in awe, while others may just play it cool. I don’t think anyone know how they would act until they are in the situation. A few years ago one of my favorite authors w...

By Lance McLemore, PRC-Saltillo Blogger I have no idea if this topic will be of any interest to anyone, but I’ve been asked about it before. Some people have asked me what goes on in my head when I communicate. I think I’ll try to explain it as well as I can. First, I want to preface my post with a few things ...

by Margaret Moore,  PRC-Saltillo Blogger In past articles, I discuss using PRC-Saltillo’s Accent 1000 as my Windows 10 tablet as well as my speech device and alternating between the joystick of my motorized wheelchair and PRC-Saltillo’s Look eyegaze module to operate it. To illustrate this process in great...

By Kim Vuong, PRC Ambassador You wouldn’t think that Benjamin Franklin, the 18th Century Founding Father and inventor, and rock star Phil Collins would have much in common. But both had the same idea about the importance of having a role model to help a person in active learning. As Franklin put it, “Tell me and I for...

By Hank Poore, PRC Blogger My first semester of high school was Awesome! I became a manager for the football team which meant that I had to stay after school 3 days a week and I had to go to all of the football games and I had to take salt to the football players. I also had to take a clipboard around with me and documen...

By Mike Hipple  My mom and I started volunteering at our church with Sunday school a few years ago. Our goal is to show people, children and adults that a person who has a disability can teach and understand about God and Jesus too. At our church which is huge, they don't have a special needs program for children who ...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC Blogger Do you know how to swim? If so, did you learn to swim on your own or did you take swimming lessons? I like the water. It doesn’t matter where as long as I have my floating device I’m ready to jump in. Last year I was in a triathlon, where I swam 50 meters, but this year I want...

By Hannah Foley, PRC-Saltillo Blogger What happens when those who use AAC grow up and become adults? What happens when they have new experiences that form them into a more dynamic person than they were when they were a child? What do you do when people who have known you for your entire life still think you are a child bec...

By Darryl Porter, Saltillo Blogger The system needs to change. The system is not perfect or even ok for a disabled person. The system should be for disabled people and their families who require some help and equipment to live their lives in their way. The state requires the disabled population to get certification and...

By Sofia Blunt, PRC-Saltillo Blogger Today at school, my aid and I were talking about how tired we were. Then she said, “Wouldn’t it be cool, if we could take a quick nap?” Then I had an idea! If I were Principal, I would tell all the students to wear pajamas to school because we would all take naps. Napt...

By Carson Covey, PRC-Saltillo blogger Do you know that there is an easier way to program? Click your edit button 2. Click a button 3. Click the add button and click on store text button 4. Go out of edit mode 5. Write out your message up top. Click share text button and hit continue Click a button Watch my video if yo...

By Kim Vuong, PRC-Saltillo Blogger My name is Kim Vuong.  I am the community liaison at Tichenor Clinic for Children in Long Beach, which provides therapy for young clients up through age 18 and support for their parents.  I started out as a volunteer at Tichenor, and after two years was hired as a staff member....

By Hannah Foley, PRC-Saltillo Blogger Before you continue to read this, I would like you to take a minute and think about how you usually show others that you are interested in getting to know them, being involved in their lives, and having a conversation with them.  What would be the first thing that you would say to...

By Margaret Moore, PRC-Saltillo Blogger From the time I received my first device at four years old until fourth grade, my mother and my speech therapists asked me to think ahead on what I would like to say for presentations so that they could work on programming my device beforehand. When I took over programming my own dev...

Katie Yonker, PRC Ambassador Katie’s Mantra My name is Katie Yonker. I live in Phoenix, Arizona. I have a Cerebral Palsy so my mouth and right side of body does not work right. I am twenty-eight years old. I have had a communication device for a long time and it helps me to talk to the people. I have two frien...

By Anna-Marie Beard, PRC blogger and parent Growing up, I was scolded for one thing far more than any other—talking. I’ve just always had so much I want to say. It’s like the valve between brain and mouth has always been open for me. I studied English throughout college. In a former life, I taught writing and spe...

By Lance McLemore, PRC-Saltillo Blogger Here comes another installment of “What Grinds My Gears” from your friendly neighborhood grouch. It certainly seems like all of my posts are the rantings of a grouchy constipated octogenarian, but I think there’s a place for such things. I would like to talk about s...

By Hank Poore, PRC-Saltillo Blogger Last year I had to come home from school in March due to COVID. I got furloughed from my job at Urban Cookhouse because of it and I had literally nothing to do which sucked because I like to be on the go. However my older sister and one of my brothers had to move back home because their ...

By Hank Poore, PRC Blogger Last Thursday I flew to D.C. with my mom and my brother. My uncle Keith flew in too. My uncle basically rented a giant Lexus . We drove to the hotel. I didn’t go to Washington for just a “get away” – I went because I had some “business to do”. That “business” was a not a hal...

By Brandon Williamson, PRC-Saltillo Blogger I had my old Vantage for 8 years. It was broken and I had outgrown the device. It had a cracked screen and was being held together by duct tape. When we submitted approval for a new device in 2010, my funding source kept denying the funding for a new device. I set up a meeting an...

By Carson Covey, PRC-Saltillo Blogger Using your device in your community Since COVID-19’s requirements are lifted for most of the states, now is a good time to brush up on your AAC skills in your community. You might be rusty on your community skills since March 2019 because I know I am. Like I said before preprogr...

By Margaret Moore, PRC-Saltillo Blogger In a few days, I will be starting my nine-day residency as part of Fairfield University’s Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing Program. This semi-annual retreat has been moved online due to the pandemic. Students attend workshops, seminars, and student-faculty meetings among...

By Jon Feucht, M.S.Ed, Executive Director Authentic Voices of America Doctoral student (On-line Ed.D program) Jon and Sarah Feucht Before I get into my case, I need to preface it by saying there are some minor requirements to take full advantage of this. Obviously in order to do this, people with disabilities need compu...

Presented by Kim Vuong to the City Council in Orange County, CA Good Evening Honorable Mayor and Council Members:My name is Kim Vuong and I live in the 2nd district.  I also am a member of the Citizens’ Advisory Commission on Disabilities for the city. A couple of months ago, I saw a post on the new beach playgr...

By Lance McLemore, PRC-Saltillo Blogger I’m sure that I have addressed this topic to a limited extent in a previous blog post, but I think it deserves more attention. I have to preface this post by saying that I understand that most people supporting an AAC user have the best of intentions. I understand that most of ...

by Koolla Tang & Debra Lee  It's great to interview you today about the impacts of AAC on social interaction. Can you tell us about yourself and your AAC journey? I’m Siobhan Daley, I'm 21. I live in Newcastle and I'm the AAC ambassador at Liberator. I've been using AAC my whole life from sign to PODD book...

By Kim Vuong, PRC Ambassador Kim Vuong For non-disabled people, using the telephone is so easy that they don’t really think much about it. But for those of us with cerebral palsy and other disabilities that impair our ability to speak, communicating over the phone can be a real challenge. That’s true even if we have ...

By Ciara Withero, student Ciara is a 16 year old student who uses the Grid 2 device and is from Dublin, Ireland. Its set in Yorkshire England most things happen in the pub and on the farm. Some of the characters are old and young. Some of the Young are party animals They like to dance in the night club. It is My fav...

By Danny Gonzalez, PRC-Saltillo Blogger It’s Danny G.  The pass few months been rough on me because first I wrecked my van, and I was injured from that but not too bad.  I failed Spring semester because the class was just too hard online. I needed to be in the classroom for this class.  Also, I been g...

By Margaret Moore, PRC-Saltillo Blogger From the time I received my first AAC device at four years old—about 20 years ago now—I have continuously sought ways to optimize my efficiency for using my device for communication and, as I grew older, for working on the Windows side of the device. Certain functions of...

by Laura Kane This summer my son, Peter, began using LAMP Words for Life on his iPad as his primary means of communication. He is completely nonverbal, and we had tried sign language and the Picture Exchange System, but never progressed beyond simple requests. Just two months after introducing the LAMP app to him, we had...

By Johnny Schneider In my neighborhood the city is doing a new playground I emailed them asking if they can put In a adaptive swing for me! They order the swing . Every day I go over there to check out the park process. They’re doing a good job! They said the park process is taking longer than expected.

Carson Covey, PRC-Saltillo Blogger Are any of you looking for employment? Have you thought about actually getting a job? Yes, even those of us who use speech generating devices can be a productive member of society. The world needs our population to be working. I don’t know about you all, but recently I have been us...

By Darryl Porter, Saltillo Blogger AAC Devices. An augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device is any low-tech or high-tech device that provides a nonverbal means of communication. These range from picture cards to electronic devices that emit spoken words and sentenc Imagine you’re a nonverbal person; y...

By Lance McLemore These terms have troubled me for a long time. I’ve done a cursory search to try to understand what they mean. I haven’t been able to find precise definitions, but I think I can definitely see a pattern. It seems to me that a person is considered high or low functioning depending upon how clos...

_ By Chelsea Hagen, PRC Blogger_ I was recently asked to give a speech at a playground fundraiser. I was asked to talk about how having an adapted playground could benefit a child like me. My answer was… Surprise! It was the same! The same for me as it is for every child that hears the recess bell. It was my chance...

By Bob Segalman, Ph.D., D.Sc. (Hon), President Speech Communications Assistance By Telephone, Inc. (SCT) drsts@comcast.net Telephone Relay This invitation is for people interested in improvement Speech-to-Speech, the telephone relay service for AAC users and other people with speech disability (see [www.speechtospeech.org...

By Hank Poore, PRC-Saltillo Blogger My family has had a lot of dogs from yorkies to labs. I’ll be honest i like big dogs better, however my family had a dog named Henry (yes, I named him Henry when I was like a little annoying 6 year old and it actually stuck, surprisingly.) Henry was an interesting little fella. He ...

By Hank Poore, PRC Blogger I have a lot of friends who I love. But the one who is dear to me that is not only like a friend to me but who is basically like my “sister ” is my friend named Shanna . Shanna was one of my babysitters when I was 7, and was my babysitter until I was 12. She didn’t only babysit me, sh...

By Kim Vuong, PRC-Saltillo Blogger As someone with a disability who had to learn how to be an advocate for myself, I know how important it is for disabled people to have a voice in society. We’ve had to struggle to be heard by fully-abled people, who may not understand the challenges we face. And ...

By Carson Covey, PRC-Saltillo Blogger First of all, This blog is not about technology. This is about preprograming sayings if you will. I ran into a heated talk with some people at my step sister’s wedding on July 17th. Long story short some people crashed my sister’s wedding after party. These people talked to...

By David Chapple, PRC Ambassador Kate and David I moved to Austin from Cleveland in April of 2012 to be with my then fiancé Kate. My best friend Mike drove me and my two dogs in a big moving truck across the country with my van being towed behind. Mike said it was like driving a tank with a white elephant pulling us fr...

By Margaret Moore, PRC-Saltillo Blogger With back-to-school season in full swing, I’m reminded of the pearls of knowledge about AAC that I gained in elementary school. Receiving my first device in preschool—20 years ago—I learned very quickly that it took me a while to type what I would like to say and th...

By Kyle Dinwiddie, PRC Blogger Sometimes life can be disappointing and not work out the way you think it will. It is easy to get frustrated and angry, but feeling sorry for yourself and getting bitter hurts only you in the end. Last fall my family and I were at a sporting event in a nearby city when we came across a bo...