AAC Camp: Communication Partners, Language Immersion, and Fun

Published: Oct. 26, 2020, 9 a.m.

Get .1 ASHA CEU here

As we reviewed in a previous episode, 2020 has thrown us some serious curveballs and forced many of us to quickly learn the ropes of telepractice. For this episode we had the pleasure of welcoming back Dr. Nerissa Hall PhD. CCC-SLP, ATP, and Hillary Jellison MS, CCC-SLP, ATP of Commūnicāre, LLC, two incredible and inspiring clinicians who are well seasoned in the telepractice game. Not only are Nerissa and Hillary well versed in tele-AAC, but they created an AAC Camp that also transitioned to a virtual experience in the summer of 2020. We came away from this conversation with excitement and enthusiasm we think you will too!

Throughout the course of this episode you will learn about the important role of the stakeholder and communication partner, and how that might be slightly different in a camp setting when compared to a typical treatment environment. Hillary and Nerissa also review themes, immersion, embedded icons, and how these variables were integrated to create an enriching camp experience.

Hillary and Nerissa started Commūnicāre in February of 2011 and provide tailored AAC and AT services, including tele-AAC. They offer AAC/AT assessment, intervention, consultation, training, tele-AAC, run an AAC camp and they have a range of information and webinars housed on their three websites (see links below). You can read their full bio here.

This episode is offered for 1 ASHA CMH (equal to .1 ASHA CEU). If you have questions about CEUs or how this works, please see our How It Works or ASHA Professional Development pages.

Learning Outcomes

1. List 3 primary stakeholders involved in AAC Camp

2. Detail strategies for addressing immersion in AAC Camp

3. Describe embedded icons and list 3 potential benefits of embedded icons

Online Resources:

The AAC Camp Curriculum is available on the Communicare, LLC website

Disclosures:

Financial: Hillary and Nerissa are paid to provide consultation, intervention, training and assessments in the areas of AAC, AT and tele-AAC. Kate Grandbois is the owner / founder of Grandbois Therapy + Consulting, LLC and co-founder of SLP Nerdcast. Amy Wonkka is an employee of a public school system and co-founder of SLP Nerdcast.

Non-financial: Hillary and Nerissa are members of ASHA’s Special Interest Groups 12 and 18 (AAC and Telepractice) and RESNA. Kate and Amy are both members of ASHA, SIG 12, and both serve on the AAC Advisory Group for Massachusetts Advocates for Children. Kate is a member of the Berkshire Association for Behavior Analysis and Therapy (BABAT), MassABA, the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) and the corresponding Speech Pathology and Applied Behavior Analysis SIG.

Time Ordered Agenda:

10 minutes: Introduction, Disclaimers and Disclosures

20 minutes: Review of primary stakeholders involved in AAC camp

15 minutes: Review and discussion of language immersion within AAC Camp

10 minutes: Review and discussion of embedded icons within AAC Camp

5 minutes: Closing Remarks

Disclaimer

The contents of this episode are not meant to replace clinical advice. SLP Nerdcast, its hosts and guests do not represent or endorse specific products or procedures mentioned during our episodes unless otherwise stated. We are NOT PhDs, but we do research our material. We do our best to provide a thorough review and fair representation of each topic that we tackle. That being said, it is always likely that there is an article we’ve missed, or another perspective that isn’t shared. If you have something to add to the conversation, please email us! Wed love to hear from you!

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