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Winter Colds

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None of us like winter colds. It can often feel that we stand next to one wrong person in line at the grocery store and suddenly we have a week or two of fighting off an unrelenting cold. These colds always seem to interrupt our sleep, make our thoughts fuzzy, tire us out more easily, and just generally slow us down. Still, we tend to be able to continue to function, advocate for our basic needs, and tell others just how crummy we feel. One articulate first grader who was learning to speak English came into my classroom years ago and announced that her head was full of nose juice that made her feel like she was underwater. I’ve never heard a more specific description.

Of course, for Joey, and students like him, colds mean so much more. Colds threaten his general health as his body has a harder time fighting off germs. Recovery time for him can be so much longer than the rest of us. His sleep and daily rhythm are interrupted. Just saying hello or asking for help becomes a heavy chore.

When I am taking data on Joey’s communication abilities, I am constantly looking for trends. Is his communication increasing? What types of communication is he using? What encourages him to engage more? The data will reflect increases in his ability, and then, it will stop. Is he regressing? Often, there is something interfering. Colds are frequently a culprit at slowing him down.  [Read more…]

Exploring Similar Sounding Words – Looking Deeper into Components of Learning to Read on the AAC Device

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Joey and I were happily reading “There is a Bird on Your Head” by Mo Willems when we stopped to count the birds on poor Gerald’s head. I prompted Joey to use his page with numbers to tell me that there were two birds. He did, and we went on. Yet as I was reading, I kept hearing “To. Too. Two”. Each “to” was from a different place on the device. Some were the numbers, some were the word to. Of course, each sounded exactly the same.

Joey was carefully going through every place on his device that has any form of the word to, and was selecting it. He has the number two in at least three different places, and then of course there is the regular word to, which is in two different places.  [Read more…]

Learning to Read on an AAC Device

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Joey and I have been working on reading predictable pattern books that are typically introduced at this time of year in kindergarten. Joey is doing well with these books, and shows an understanding of using the words and pictures to recognize unfamiliar words. It’s exciting to watch him grow in these abilities, but there are certainly challenges that arise from making sure Joey has appropriate access to leveled reading materials. 

One challenge is simply selecting the right books for him. I like to use a computer program from Pioneer Valley that lets you put the child’s name into the book. It gives the child at least one firm, known word, and who doesn’t like reading a book about themselves? Yet, when I first began with these books, I realized Joey didn’t have his name on his device. He could say the phrase “My name is Joey”, but couldn’t just say “Joey.” I had to cross out Joey and write “I” over each word. (Joey was quickly added and he can now read his own name, and is working on saying it!).  [Read more…]

Art and Agency

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A few weeks ago, I posted about Joey’s monster. 

Joey’s mother recently sent me this picture, and I teared up. Joey’s great-aunt made him gloves with his monster on them. I was surprised by my tears. After all, it had just been an art project, right?

Art is a way we all express ourselves, though (like so much of communication) it involves motor planning and motor control. As children move through development, their art becomes more intentional. They understand the choices and control they can make as they work, and their art is a true expression of themselves. [Read more…]

The Power of Names

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I opened the door to Joey’s house and found him waiting for me at his device. He looked at me, grinned, turned back to his computer, and said “Hi Miss Ann-Bailey. My name is Joey.” I can’t tell you how exciting it was to hear him say my name – and based on the grin on his face, it seemed like he was pretty excited to say it too.

I hadn’t thought much about the need to add names to Joey’s device. It didn’t seem to be such a priority, considering the need for other highly used words. So I was surprised at how natural it made Joey’s conversation when he suddenly had access to our names. [Read more…]

Saturday Serenade

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Test post for Saturday Serenades https://www.musichealsglennjan.com/saturday-serenades

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