''The Biggest Pizza Ever'' by JibJab Jr. is a fun book app that you can use to work on answering ''wh'' questions, teaching verbs, stating emotions and much much more.  Here's how it works: Choose who is going to be the main character of the book and then choose Create Character and add photo, name, and skin type. Now you are ready to ...

Recently, I have been doing workshops on the topic of AAC. One frequent question from parents has been ''Will AAC prevent my child from speaking?'' The answer is no. Decades of research have proven that AAC systems don't impede the development of speech. Rather, AAC provides a means for individuals to communicate and express their wants, needs, ...

Last week I wrote a post about using communication boards in a preschool classroom. This week I wanted to write a brief but hopefully thorough follow-up post about the effective use of such a tool in the classroom setting, and to examine its obvious limitations. One parent responded to last week's blog with the following: ''My daughter used ...

Working with young children with verbal apraxia in a preschool classroom poses many challenges. However, as we all know, there are also numerous opportunities for creative problem solving, especially with various technology and software programs at our fingertips. Today I would like to share a technique that has proven to be quite ...

I've always loved reading classic fairy tales with my students. Not only are they great for their narrative structure, but they also play a big role in our culture.  Well, I really lucked out, because look what our librarian's daughter painted on the wall right outside my office!   As I walk to my room with my younger ...

Books continue to be my heroes in my school position, sometimes showing up to save me from ennui when I least expect it. I was recently doing a pull-over sort of session in the literacy center (the kindergarten class is nearby and my room is, well, not), and spied the colorful cover of Alphabet Rescue, by Audrey Wood and her son, Bruce. ...

Are you aware you can adjust the general settings on your iPad? By controlling the specific settings, you can increase students' attention, decrease frustration and behaviors, and most importantly, make the most use out of your therapy time. Settings allows you to restrict access to certain areas on your iPad and provide SLPs  with ...

  Typically, I don't use lite (free apps) for use in speech therapy. I find the in-app purchases and advertisements to be highly distracting and take away from learning. However, there are always exceptions and the Toca Hair Salon Christmas Gift is one of them. So here is an early Christmas gift from Toca Boca! How it works:  ...

This has been an exciting week for my family and me. On Monday, August 29, we welcomed our third daughter, Talya, into the world! To prepare my other daughters (2 and 3 years old) for the new addition, we have been reading lots of books on having a new baby. Since my daughters love the iPad, I thought I would find some apps to help ...

Employment for AAC users is much more than just a job. For many, it's the building block which can lead to increased self confidence, independence, and inclusion. At best, however, only 15 percent of individuals who use AAC are able to secure and maintain employment. Therefore, I feel it's important to examine an employment success story and ...