John+G.+Leach

http://www.e2t2c2.net/leach/ Here is a link to the John G. Leach School.

Here are the two links assosicated withe the "Can we Chat?" program for social scripts that Debbie mentioned today. The first link gives you guidlines on how to choose a story for a reading overlay for AAC devices. It also has several ideas for holiday activities and how to include students within these activites. http://www.aacintervention.com/index.htm The second website seems to be a supplementary resource to more specific training in this area. Several handouts are included with general information but it is noted that w/o training the strategies/devices mentioned are not meant to be implemented. http://www.lburkhart.com/index.html

__Switches__ we looked at: textured switch, pillow switch, pinch switch, microlight switch, grasp switch, lolly switch, flat switch, jelly beans, finger isolation switch, and the mercury switch.

I thought the pillow switch was interesting for students that would tend to be rough on a switch. I liked the fact that a student could use the pillow switch for their head as well.

__Augmentative Communication Devices__ we looked at: springboard, vantage, dynovox, and minimo. List of many [|AAC] and prices.

Entry level __participatory communication device__: step by steps [|click here]

Here is another resource for step by steps, and other similar devices. Remember, these are a good aid, but not a communication system b/c the devices are pre-programmed with the staff's voice, not the student's voice. The student does not have a choice in what they want to say. http://www.enablemart.com/Catalog/Basic-Communicators

http://www.move-international.org/stories/storyReader$176 This is the MOVE program we learned about.