ABLVOX
has come out with a new app – Able
Jr. AAC - which also offers extensive multi-language support. There are many
different built-in languages as well as customizable symbols and boards. With
the diversity of our students continuing to expand, we need to make sure we
have the right accessible options available for all ages. Access to language early
on is critical and can often contribute to additional delays if not provided
early on. Many previously held beliefs added to these delays as we were continuously
waiting for children to be “ready” for more language and increasingly complex language
systems. These preconceived ideas prevented students from having access to the language
and language systems they needed to engage across all environments. Core, high frequency
and an appropriate balance of content specific vocabulary is an essential
component from day one. Any delay impacts the student’s learning and does such
a disservice.
It is essential to remember that language and communication
occurs within the context of a social interaction. We need to consistently engage
with the student we serve, modeling and using their system with them as they
engage with their world. Assume competence, assume capacity for great things….anything
is possible as long as we make sure full access exists. We have to be attentive to never making the
technology we use an additional barrier. Life is a shared experience.
Below is just a very cool video shared with me by Crystal.
It is exactly the direction we need to continue to move in. We can apply this
to anything including AAC. Why not have other students have access to boards
& symbols to use with their friends who are AAC users? Why not truly make
the world a little more naturally accessible?
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