Alexicom Tech

Have you tried this? I hadn't either until COVID came.....

Tue, 19 Jan 2021 05:48:24 -0800

I'll be honest, parent coaching had never been a strength for me as an SLP. I did what I did, connected with my clients, they made progress, I provided home activities and suggestions, then repeat. Well, then COVID hit. Some clients had a smooth transition to teletherapy, but for others I had to think out of the box.

I began "seeing" a new client virtually who had previously qualified for a Speech Generating Device but currently was not using it. The family felt she did not understand it and they only received training to program it not implement it. We explored other AAC options. All this time this client had no interest in interacting with me on the computer. This is where I, as an SLP of over 15 years, began providing therapy to just mom and the provider.

Scary, right?!? I had never worked JUST with a parent and not with a client. Would this work? YES! Our sessions were 100% parent coaching, asking the right questions and sharing the right information about the vocabulary, the pictures, and how to model the new system during different activities. We worked great together to fine tune images, pages, and vocabulary while I checked to make sure the information shared was understood by the family. They were rockin' it!

Fast forward to today, just two months in to therapy, and this client is taking interest in this new AAC system, beginning to request, comment, and command using AAC. Mother and provider are modeling language during more and more interactiosn each week. The client's sister saw she too could communicate with her so requested to have her own activities for modeling language. Previously sister hadn't had much interaction because of behaviors my client presented. Ah, the power of communication and connection!

Who would have thought that therapy could be provided strictly via a parent or provider and still make amazing progress? All credit goes to mom, the provider, and the family!

For the past two years I have been on a...Read More

Why don't all SLP/SLPA's know or use AAC?

Thu, 15 Oct 2020 16:27:39 -0700

Are you an SLP or SLPA who cringes when you get a client who has or needs AAC? Do you know when to refer clients who need AAC? It's not your fault if you said no to one or both of these questions. There has to be some accountability from our credentialed schools and leadership for not promoting and educating us more on AAC. There is hope, it is getting slightly better because we have more people to learn from.

When I was in school, many moons ago, I was offered an optional elective for AAC. I jumped on it because I was working as a provider with an AAC communicator and wanted to learn more. I remember being able to explore the device, reading research by Janice Light, and getting to listen to personal experiences of AAC communicators. Fast forward to graduate school. There was 1 class to take, an optional summer internship which I jumped on and it was amazing, but that was it and I was an SLP. So I don't blame you! We don't get enough exposure or access to classes to learn more and feel confident. AAC is a language. What you feel like an expert after just taking Spanish 101? No!!

Luckly, you don't have to be alone. With so many SLP gurus, social media, free trainings, FREE conferences online, and support from vendors you don't have to be stuck not knowing how to start or where to go. Just reach out to one of these amazing people. Join their blogs, listen to their podcasts, get comfortable and start using AAC. It will creep in to your life as an SLP at some point I promise. Here are some resources below to get you started. Below are by no means all the amazing AAC professionals out there, but they will help get you going in the right direction:-)

YOU GOT THIS!!!

~Staci Neustadt M.S. CCC-SLP C.A.S.

Resources:

Emily Diaz

Chris Bugaj

What is Augmentative and Alternative Communication?

Fri, 09 Oct 2020 11:48:16 -0700

October is Augmentative and Alternative Awareness & Acceptance Month! On our Social Media pages, we have been posting the Who, What, Where, When, and How's of AAC. This is our "What." "What is AAC?" We all use AAC or alternative ways to communicate. Like this written Blog, I'm writing to share my message. Some people MUST use AAC to be understood when communicating. That may be through sign language, text to speech, Picture Exchange Communication systems, or Speech Generating Devices (SGD's). Alexicom Tech provides Speech Generating AAC apps so people can communicate and be understood. The user simply pushes a button and the voice output on the device "speaks." Sounds easy right? Depending on the user's language development, cognitive development, motor abilities, AND partner support, it can be more challenging than is sounds. BUT remember COMMUNICATION IS A HUMAN RIGHT! So, we ethically should be providing every person with a way to communicate and be understood. Stay tuned for our other questions answered about AAC.......

My AAC Journey

Thu, 01 Oct 2020 13:29:22 -0700

Today, October 1st, begins AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) Awareness and Acceptance Month. I began my AAC journey over 20 years ago as a provider for an intelligent young man who used a device that looks nothing like the advanced devices available today. It was plastic and required a piece of paper with images to be slid into a small opening. Each cell with an image then had to be recorded so there could be voice output. He loved to ask for shaving cream and lemons so those paper pages often got dirty:) My next experience was with the Picture Exchange Communication System and I saw how the power of communication opened the doors to self-advocacy for a shy little girl. Those experiences confirmed my desire to become a Speech-Language Pathologist. They also opened the doors to my desire to learn more about AAC and how I can help people communicate.

Fast forward to 2007 when I was approached by a family I was working with who had an amazing idea. They wondered why devices were so expensive and bulky. They wanted to develop an affordable, portable, easy to use AAC system anyone could use anywhere. After hours of talking with fellow SLP's, reading research, taking ideas from the family and working with a software developer, we developed Alexicom Tech's AAC solutions. Keep in mind, during these times I still ran in to people (SLP's included) that didn't really know what AAC was or felt comfortable with using AAC device. So we knew not only do we need to get in the community to share our development, but also educate people on the importance of AAC.

I am so happy to see so many AAC conferences, AAC bloggers and influencers, and specialists beyond SLP's who are spreading the word about AAC. If you know someone whose current mode of communication cannot be understood by anyone he/she interacts or attempts to communicate with, please conisider AAC. If you know someone who is a hospital and cannot communication for whatever reason, please...Read More

Using Eraser Pic

Thu, 24 Sep 2020 08:44:19 -0700

Alexicom Tech uses real images because they are not only more meaningful but when an AAC user gets to use images of themselves it gives true ownership.

Eraser Pic makes it so easy to erase the background of any image then just upload it on to your AAC app! Whether you use our FREE Alexicom AAC or one of our Elements apps, this process doesn't take more than 3 minutes. If you use Alexicom Pro, the only other step is to reduce the size of the image using the Image Size app then you can upload the image through the Alexicom AAC app.

Watch how to do all of this here: https://youtu.be/ynzb8zay1xw