Tag: Augmentative and Alternative Communication

Posted in Autism, Down syndrome, Dual Diagnosis Down syndrome and autism, Parenting Special Needs, Self-care for special needs parents

Ditch the New Year’s Resolutions:Here’s a Better Idea!

Posted on by Teresa Unnerstall

Ditch the New Year’s Resolutions: Here’s a Better Idea!

2020 plan

Happy New Year! It’s time to clear the decks and start fresh.🙂 How many times have you made a new year’s resolution and failed to keep it? As a 35+year fitness professional and mother of a son with special needs (DS-ASD), here is my advice: Ditch the old school resolutions and try a different approach!

Here’s what I’ve got for you to get started:

*Great self-care tips and easy ways to build in healthy habits.

*Quick, easy and  practical ways to get back into fitness.

*Simple approaches to help your child with special needs to gain independent living skills.

Click on this link to read how to make a new plan for 2020: https://nickspecialneeds.com/tag/ditch-the-new-years-resolutions/

Let’s do this, 2020 is going to be a great year! That’s what is in my noggin this week.

~Teresa 🙂

Follow us on Social Media:

Facebook and Pinterest @Down Syndrome With a Slice of Autism

Instagram @nickdsautism

Twitter @tjunnerstall

 

Posted in Autism, Behavior/ ABA, Down syndrome, Dual Diagnosis Down syndrome and autism, Parenting Special Needs

DS-ASD~What To Do When It’s More Than Just Down Syndrome

Posted on by Teresa Unnerstall

DS-ASD~ What To Do When It’s More Than Just Down Syndrome

If you are a parent, teacher, caregiver of extended family member of an individual who has Down syndrome, you are aware of how challenging it is to hit those developmental milestones. There are even more speech deficits, sensory integration problems and challenging behaviors associated with a dual diagnosis of Down syndrome and autism (DS-ASD). My son Nick is 25 years old and has DS-ASD. Years ago we suspected that his behaviors and speech delays were perhaps more than just Down syndrome. We got a clinical, medical evaluation to determine that he also had autism. Getting the secondary diagnosis enabled us to receive additional services and support.

DS-ASD Ribbon

Additional Services and Support for DS-ASD:

Speech and Augmentative Alternative Communication

Behavior Support Plan (BSP) and Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)

Specialized Training for Toileting

Federal and State Funding for Respite Care and Equipment

Support Groups for DS-ASD families online and on Facebook

Besides the additional services and support, we got validation that our son’s challenging behaviors and speech deficits were more than just Down syndrome. This gave us a peace of mind as a family, that we were no longer alone on this new path.

To read more about additional services, support and links related to a dual diagnosis of Down syndrome and autism (DS-ASD) click here:

https://nickspecialneeds.com/2016/09/12/blog-155more-than-just-down-syndrome/

Getting the secondary diagnosis of autism opened up new avenues for our son to get help with communication and tackle the unique behaviors that hindered his progress both at home and school. This made a huge difference in all aspects of his life and ours. It’s a very different path than just Down syndrome, but with support your child and family can navigate it more smoothly.  That’s what is in my noggin this week.

~Teresa 🙂

Follow Nick:

Facebook and Pinterest @Down Syndrome With A Slice Of Autism

Instagram #nickdsautism

Twitter @tjunnerstall

 

 

Posted in Autism, Down syndrome, Dual Diagnosis Down syndrome and autism, Parenting Special Needs

Blog #227~Ditch the New Year’s Resolutions:Here’s a Better Idea

Posted on by Teresa Unnerstall

Blog #227~Ditch the New Year’s Resolutions: Here’s a Better Idea

How many times have you made a new year’s resolution and failed to reach it?

new-year-resolutions-825x549

New Year’s resolutions can be daunting and difficult to keep.  This year, I am changing  my tune.  I’ve adopted a new principle personally and for my son, Nick who is 24 years old, and has a dual diagnosis of Down syndrome and autism (DS-ASD).  As a fitness professional for 35 years, my job is to motivate, challenge and inspire my clients.  Being fit and healthy isn’t just about eating right and exercising.  To feel your best, you must take care of the mind, body and spirit collectively.  As a parent of a child with special needs, there are more demands, that can wear on you both physically and emotionally.  It is essential to take care of your physical and mental needs to reduce stress and avoid burning yourself out. Bottom line, it’s about self-care so that you can be the best version of yourself and your family!

mind body spirit

I was listening to a Sirius XM radio interview with Teddi Mellencamp (yes the daughter of John Mellencamp). Teddi is an accountability coach. She gave a better alternative, instead of making new year’s resolutions.  Teddi suggested that you pick 3 things each day that will take care of you personally, and hold yourself accountable.  Write them down, and try it for just 5 days.  These should be centered around helping you to feel better, both physically and emotionally.  By doing this, you begin to create good habits, that leads to confidence, and ultimately changing your lifestyle.

So, I tried it by writing down 2 things each day (3 seemed too much with my busy schedule).  Here are a few things I did:

*Cleaner eating- Replace Sun Chips with almonds and make a chicken wrap with only avocado and lettuce.

*Relax, stretch and be mindful of breathing to relax and calm the body,

*Bump up home workout weights from 10 to 12 pounds.

*Be mindful of the gratitude you receive throughout the day

*Eat an extra piece of fruit.

*Turn off the TV and listen to music I enjoy.

*Be more kind and smile at the people you pass and encounter each day.

*Drink one less cup of coffee and replace with more water.

*Go upstairs, every time I needed something, instead of waiting until things have accumulated.  (This increased my steps significantly).

*Apply one of the principles of Feng Shui.  De-clutter home and clean 8+ years of dust off the high cabinets to increase the flow of chi energy.

*Pray more throughout the day.

*Shop on the outer edges of the grocery store as much as possible. (This is where the nutrient dense, clean and less processed foods are located).

*Respond, and don’t react when I get angry.

*Meditate for 10 minutes.

I have to say, there is a feeling of personal accomplishment when you hold yourself accountable, and do just 2 things a day to promote personal health both physically and emotionally.

relax

My quick and easy tips to get back into fitness:

As a fitness professional, here’s what I suggest on how to start a new fitness program.  Don’t set yourself up for failure. Replace the resolution of going to go to the gym 5 days a week with a more reasonable goal. Change the mindset to, doing some physical activity 3-5 days a week.  If you can’t make it to the gym, or you are too tired, then get out and walk or tone with weights or an exer-tube for just 10 minutes.  Add an extra minute to each workout.  It will all add up, and you will build confidence and feel less guilty.  Break it down to smaller pieces and you will set yourself up for success! 🙂

My plan to work a little more with my son Nick, who has DS-ASD:

This got me thinking that maybe I should apply this principle with my son, Nick who has Down syndrome and autism.  Being a parent, we often feel like we are not doing enough to help our child learn and develop skills.  Housework, our jobs, time schedules/demands, and just plain exhaustion gets in our way, which leads to feelings of guilt.  So, I am going to just focus on one thing that will help my son be more independent each day.

I started yesterday, by encouraging Nick to use his AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) device.  Nick successfully used it to request breakfast and lunch, along with a few other highly preferred rewards he enjoys.

Today, I will continue to focus on Nick using his AAC device by requesting foods and after dinner getting him to ask to take a shower.  These are little steps, but they can add up and enable my son to realize the power of using his voice, via his talker.  I have to constantly remind myself to be disciplined with not only myself, but with my son.  Ultimately, our goal as parents is to guide our children to be as independent as possible and in the process, help them gain more confidence as individuals. There are many jobs around the home that can help your child gain more skills. Nick helps by unloading the dishwasher/groceries, vacuuming, recycling, rolling out garbage cans to the curb, and helps me carry and load the laundry. All of these jobs help to organize and regulate his sensory needs. Just try one thing at a time and give lots of praise for successes!

Nick vacumme thanksgiving

My final takeaways for self-care for the new year:

*Say goodbye to New Year’s resolutions, that are often impossible to keep for 365 days, feels liberating.

*Shift the mindset to smaller goals is more realistic.

*Little changes add up to building healthy habits.

*A little self-care will help you feel better physically and emotionally each day.  Plus, it’s attainable and a more reasonable approach to making positive changes.

*Break things down into smaller pieces builds success and confidence.

Take a few minutes each day for self-care and let go of the feelings of guilt that you aren’t doing enough. Try working in small steps to help your child become more independent and build their skillset around the house. I would love to hear your ideas 2-3 things you might add to improve your mind, body and spirit each day!

That’s what is in my noggin this week.

~Teresa 🙂

Follow Nick on Social Media:

Facebook and Pinterest @Down Syndrome With A Slice Of Autism

Instagram #nickdsautism

Twitter @tjunnerstall

Posted in Adult Day Programs for Special Needs, Autism, Down syndrome, Dual Diagnosis Down syndrome and autism, Recreation/Leisure and Special Needs

Fall Update: Nick DS-ASD

Posted on by Teresa Unnerstall

Fall Update: Nick DS-ASD

Time flies when you are having fun, and Nick is having a blast this fall.  My son, Nick is 23 years old and has a dual diagnosis of Down syndrome and autism.  He attends an adult day program which provides a wide variety of activities.  Community outings this fall included volunteer jobs, bowling, visits to local parks, fire station, grocery shopping and going out to eat.  His group also works in-house doing gardening, cooking, skill along with communication building using their Augmentative Alternative Communication (AAC) devices.  Nick uses a program called Touch Chat on an iPad for communication.

Nick cooking at his day program…..

Nick cooking meatballs

Nick was very excited to visit the fire station 🙂  He wasted no time buckling up right away….

Nick fire truck

Outside his adult day program, Nick enjoys community visits to the library, mall, parks, shopping, the movies and eating out.  He continues to have “date nights” meeting up with his buddy, Christopher.  We are very grateful to have such caring respite workers, to take him out several times each week.

Fun at the Halloween Store…..

Nick crown

Buddy Up Tennis, see Blog #190 to read all about it @https://nickspecialneeds.com/?s=buddy+up

Nick buddy tennis 2

Nick relaxing at the library.  Make yourself at home there, Big Guy….. 🙂

Nick library

That’s Nick’s world and update for this fall.  I would like to take a moment to thank our respite workers, Lara, Jodi and Kelsey for all they do for Nick and our family.  My son has a full and rich life, and we are grateful to have these supports in place to make this possible.

That’s what is in my noggin this week. 🙂

~Teresa 🙂

Want to see more pictures of Nick?  We have a lot more on social media:

Facebook and Pinterest @Down Syndrome With A Slice Of Autism

Instagram #nickdsautism

Twitter @tjunnerstall

 

 

Posted in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Behavior/ ABA, Down syndrome, Dual Diagnosis Down syndrome and autism

Blog #184~ Addressing Problem Behaviors in Individuals with DS/ASD

Posted on by Teresa Unnerstall

Blog #184~Addressing Problem Behaviors in Individuals with DS/ASD

Problem behaviors in individuals with Down syndrome and autism (DS/ASD), are very common.  Speech deficits, make it difficult to communicate wants and needs.  Often individuals with DS/ASD, may exhibit problem behaviors to communicate something.  Last week I participated in a webinar about addressing such behaviors, led by Sam Towers (http://sam@towersbehavior.com), that was hosted by The Down Syndrome Association of Minnesota.  Here is a summary of this webinar on addressing problem behaviors in individuals with DS/ASD.

First of all, it is important to build rapport.   Establish a friendship with kindness, and positive activities that the individual enjoys.  This will provide the basis for teaching the person, that there are other ways, besides problem behavior, for achieving goals.  Sam suggested a 10:1 ratio of praising good behaviors.  Praise encourages the individual to do it again.

Why do people use problem behaviors?

1.Get attention

2.Get something

3.Escape or avoid something unpleasant

4.Get a pleasant sensation

All behaviors allow a person to achieve a goal, because the payoff is reinforcement.  You get what you pay more attention to.  The idea is to avoid letting problem behaviors have a payoff.  So, focus ALOT more on addressing the good behaviors.  This can be done by building skills, through teaching replacement behaviors.  If a child is throwing things to get attention, the replacement behavior could be to teach them to tap you on the shoulder or use their communication device.

My son Nick is 23 years old and has a dual diagnosis of DS/ASD.  He has many behaviors that are used to get attention or something, and provide a pleasant sensation.  Part of the autism piece is sensory related.  Flushing the toilet repeatedly, pushing the microwave fan or phone intercom buttons are ways that he stims, which is a form of self-entertainment.  One suggestion, for this would be to teach other ways for him to entertain himself.  Some supports that I recommend, are to use social stories, redirect to an AAC (Aumentative Alternative Communication) device, PECS (Picture Exchange Communication) book, or create a choice board.

Choice Boards:

choice boards

If an individual is trying to get out of an activity, they may exhibit behaviors like self-injury, yelling, or stop-drop and plop.  In these cases, it’s important to provide supports like, a first-then charts, “take a break” card, noise cancelling headphones, a visual schedule, or a timed timer.

timer app    first then  1,2,3,4 Sprite

Bottom line, you can’t let the problem behavior become the payoff.  The single most effective way to get rid of a problem behavior, is to arrange things so that there is no payoff (reinforcement) for the behavior. Completely withholding reinforcement can be difficult, and often leads to an increase in the behavior.  This is called an extinction boost.  But if you stick to your guns, this will result in the behavior decreasing.  The key is to be consistent in not rewarding the undesirable behavior.  If it is reinforced intermittently, it will cause the behavior to be more long-lasting, because there is still some payoff for the individual.

Understanding the reasons people use problem behaviors, building skills and supports to teach replacement behaviors, praising 10:1 good behaviors, and arranging things so that there is no payoff for the problem behavior are all great tools for addressing problem behaviors in individuals with DS/ASD.  Here are a few resources which may also help:

Edward Carr Book    Social Story Book  visual strategies book

When Down Syndrome and Autism Intersect,
edited by Margaret Froehlke and Robin Zaborek:  

down syndrome and autism intersect

A special thank you to the Down Syndrome Association of Minnesota and Sam Towers of Towers Behavior Services for an informative webinar.  Now, it’s time to make a new choice board for Nick.  Have a great week, everyone.

That’s what is in my noggin this week! 🙂

~Teresa

Follow Nick:

Down Syndrome With A Slice Of Autism on Facebook and Pinterest

#nickdsautism on Instagram

@tjunnerstall on Twitter

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Autism, Down syndrome, Dual Diagnosis Down syndrome and autism, Education and Special Needs, IEP (Indivdualized Education Plan)

Blog #157~Making Inclusion Work

Posted on by Teresa Unnerstall

Blog #157~Making Inclusion Work

Is inclusion right for your child?  That was the question I addressed in last week’s post.  Inclusion simply stated, means that a student is supported in the general education classroom setting with given supports outlined in the IEP.  The IEP is an Individualized Education Plan, is a document for special education students.  This document identifies how the student will learn, what services the school will provide, and how their progress is measured.  My son Nick, was in an inclusion classroom during his elementary school years. He has Down syndrome and autism, and benefited greatly from the experience.  How do you make the inclusion setting work for your child with special needs?

The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), amended version 2004, does not actually list the word inclusion. The law actually requires that children with disabilities be educated in the “least restrictive environment appropriate” to meet their “unique needs.” The “least restrictive environment” typically means placement in the regular education classroom which typically means ‘Inclusion’ when ever possible. (Source taken from about.com)

The IEP team works with the parents to determine the least restrictive environment and builds the placement around this concept.  What will the child need to be successful in a regular education classroom?   The IEP team and parents should collaborate to identify supports needed.

Classroom Supports:

*Modified Curriculum:  (Regular education teacher and support/case manager) work together to adapt the current assignments for the child.  Make a plan to address what will be learned in the regular classroom, and how will the student will learn that similar information?

visual work board

*Staffing:  Does the child need a paraprofessional (classroom aide)?  What is the ratio? What additional training will be needed?

*Equipment:  Physical environment (modified desk, chair, adaptive equipment/school supplies, sensory supports)

*Assistive Technology:  Communication (Alternative Augmentative Communication “AAC” device, Picture Exchange Communication System “PECS”, Sign Language/Interpreter), or other devices using apps for to navigate schedules and assignments.

alphabet tracing  ipad-touch-chat

*Sensory Breaks: What space will be provided, is there a sensory area in the school?  How will the student request a break (need a break icon, button on AAC device)?  What equipment is needed, (noise cancelling head phones, figit toys, nubby cushion, music, weighted vest or blanket, bean bag chair, swing, trampoline)?

figit toys   nubby therapy cushion

In addition to identifying classroom supports, the team should address these questions at the IEP Meeting:

* What are the student’s strengths, and how do we build a plan around them?

*How does the student learn best?

*What behavior support is needed to help the student learn the best, and operate comfortably in the general education classroom?

Identifying supports needed and how to best accommodate the student will set a good foundation to success in the inclusion classroom setting.  The student will benefit by having access to the general curriculum and build social relationships in this community in the least restrictive, inclusion environment.  That’s what is in my noggin this week.

~Teresa

Follow Nick:

scan0016

Facebook and Pinterest @Down Syndrome With A Slice Of Autism

Instagram: #nickdsautism

Twitter: @tjunnerstall

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), Autism, Down syndrome, Education and Special Needs, Tech Stuff/Apps and Video Based Instruction

Blog #125~Success Stories with the AAC Talker Device

Posted on by Teresa Unnerstall

Blog #125~Success Stories with the AAC Talker Device

Nick has been using his new talker for about 5 months now. People with severe speech or language problems often use an AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) to supplement existing speech or replace speech that is not functional. In addition, picture symbols called PECS (Picture Exchange System) and sign language are used to help individuals express themselves.

Nick’s PECS Book…..

IMG01 (13)

During the spring, the staff at Nick’s school along with his private speech therapists met to look at what type of device would work best for him to communicate. Nick is 21 years old and has Down syndrome and autism. A series of 3 meetings were held to address the student’s abilities, gather data and consider options for appropriate inclusive technology products. This process is called the SETT Framework. SETT is an acronym for Student, Environment, Tasks and Tools. To read more about this process go to the archives and read Blog #113~Ready, SETT, Go and Blog #116~A New Talker for Nick.

Since the SETT meetings, Nick has been using an iPad with and iAdapter case. The program installed is called, Touch Chat. The initial update I gave on this device is in the archives posted on 5/18/15.   We had a few goals in mind. One was to be able to request items like food, movies, music, going out into the community. Secondly we wanted Nick to use the talker to gain attention appropriately. Finally, we hoped that Nick would be able to express his feelings (happy, angry, and frustrated).

Nick has been requesting food items very well along with items of interest to him like tennis balls, sprite, music, people he wants to see, tired etc.. on a consistent basis. In addition, he has been using it to gain attention. When he burps or farts he pushes the “excuse me” or “that’s gross”. If you try and find a certain button on his talker, he will hit “excuse me” as if to say, back off this device is mine. Last week he pushed the button with a keyboard on it. He wanted me to know he had played the keyboard at school that day.

Brian, his private speech therapists spends a lot of time working with Nick and his AAC device. The two go trolling around the speech clinic looking for ladies. Brian added a new button which Nick has been pushing, “You look pretty today, hubba-hubba!” That one has been a big hit 🙂

Nick’s talker, note the bumper pads the team installed.  Nick likes to send it airborne on occasion 🙂

IMG_5231

Last week, there was a major breakthrough with Nick using his talker. One trigger that often leads to a major meltdown for Nick is a crying baby or child. He will begin to pinch himself on his cheeks, followed by pinching anyone near him when this happens. This happened at an airport, leading to a severe meltdown the summer before last. While on a community trip at IHOP on Friday, a child began to cry at a table near them and Nick began to pinch himself. His teacher pointed to the talker instructing Nick to use it. Nick immediately took it and began to push the “stop” button. The first two times he hit the stop button the child stopped screaming. The look on Nick’s face was priceless. It might have been just a coincidence, but in that moment Nick realized using the talker really does work. His teacher cheered and praised him. He was so proud. It was as if he realized that he had power over the situation.

Yay Nick!!!

IMG_5116

It reminds me of many years ago, when the staff got trained to use PECS with Nick. His world of limited speech left him frustrated in those days during puberty. This resulted in many horrific meltdowns.  Using the PECS pictures gave him power; it gave him a voice (much like the talker is starting to do now). The key to the AAC device being successful will be getting everybody on board. Everyone that works with Nick needs to encourage him to use it (and praise him when he does). I look forward to sharing more of his successes with the talker and building on to this. I know he has much more to tell us all. That’s what is in my noggin this week.

~Teresa 🙂

 

Posted in Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), Autism, Down syndrome

Updates on Behavior & AAC Device

Posted on by Teresa Unnerstall

Updates on Behavior & AAC Device

Nick’s behavior has been escalating over the last few months.  He is 21 years old and has Down syndrome and autism.  The incidences of throwing objects has increased.  This also includes his new AAC Device (talker). AAC stands for Augmentative Alternative Communication.  The school district’s autism specialist has done some observations of Nick and data collection of behaviors.  I did this as well at home with Nick’s behaviors.

The school team met last Friday to go over the observations and brainstorm on how to adjust his behavior support plan.  A significant amount of the behaviors are attention seeking.  The team is working on a system to reward Nick for being compliant. In addition, they will be utilizing his new AAC device to seek appropriate attention and making more requests and comments with it.  He has been throwing the device both at home and school.  The iPad is in sturdy enough case to survive a throw from the second floor of the Naperville Library as well as being pitched out the bus onto Montgomery Road at a railroad crossing.

On a positive note, he is using the device well to requests food, rewards as well as making some comments like, “excuse me” when he lets out burps.  He is learning how to navigate it with minimal prompts as well.

ipad touch chat

Nick’s behavior support plan is much like painting the Golden Gate Bridge.  Just when you think it’s all done and figured out, a new behavior pops up and you have to start over again.

paint golden gate bridge

That’s Nick’s world….. the rest of us are just trying to keep up.  That’s what is in my noggin this week.

~Teresa

 

Posted in Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), Autism, Down syndrome, Speech and Occupational Therapy

Blog #116~A New Talker for Nick

Posted on by Teresa Unnerstall

 

Blog #116~ A New Talker for Nick

Nick has a new talker!  The SETT meeting team looked at Nick’s needs as a student along with his environment, tasks he does and what tools would be needed to help him effectively communicate. Nick is using an iPad with the Touch Chat program.  This Augmentative and Alternative Communication device (AAC), is bigger and the buttons are much easier to push.  It has more keys on the home page making it easier for him to navigate.  Each team member went through a training orientation on the device to learn how to sift through the keyboard and customize it to suit Nick’s particular needs.  Nick is 21 years old and has Down syndrome and autism.

Nick’s new AAC Device….

ipad touch chat

Nick’s speech therapist introduced the device at school.  He was very excited along with his peers during group.  The first thing they did was to take a “selfie” of Nick (and he pressed the button) to add his photo to the personal page.  This page also includes his age, the town he lives in and that he has a cat named Kibbie and assisted in getting Nick to “buy in”.

Kibbie 🙂

Kibbie

At home, Nick navigated through the keyboard very well.  Here are some of the requests and comments he made:

*Nick pushed pulled out juice box and requested juice on talker

*Nick pushed “baseball” and walked to cabinet where they were pointing (wanting his can of tennis balls)

*Nick pushed “tired” before laid down for a nap

*Nick pushed “salami and cheese”, after nap and then pushed “soda”

*Nick pushed “salad” “mashed potatoes” as he unloaded dishwasher

*Nick pushed “phone” after his dad got off the phone to his parents and pushed Grandpa/Grandma

*Nick pushed “bathroom, shave, shower” while waiting for dinner

*Nick pushed “dessert”-Cake after dinner

We are off to a good start with Nick using the AAC device.  The iAdapter case is pretty rugged, Nick’s already thrown it a few times (shocker right).  However the stand that props it up has broken after taking a few hits. When he is in a throwing mood, I tuck the device out of sight so it won’t be damaged further. One thing I noticed right away was how territorial he was with it. He also found his way through the keyboard better than I thought he would.  At one point he pushed the category called “Groups”.  Then, he hit “Jobs” and found the “Firefighter” button which he hit a dozen times.  You can view a video of this on the Facebook page: Down Syndrome with a Slice of Autism.  By the way, why is there a “Pirate” is a button in the “jobs” category?  🙂

Nick fell asleep with it on the couch the first night….

Nick touch chat

Stay tuned for more about Nick’s communication device.  That’s what is in my noggin this week. 🙂

~Teresa

 

Posted in Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), Autism, Down syndrome, Education and Special Needs

Blog #115~SETT to Talk

Posted on by Teresa Unnerstall

Blog #115~SETT to Talk  

For the past few weeks, I’ve been writing about the SETT meeting process.  Recently, we did a SETT meeting at Nick’s school to re-evaluate the device he uses to communicate. This is called an Augmentative and Alternative Communication device (AAC). Nick is 21 years old and has Down syndrome and autism.

SETT is an acronym for Student, Environment, Task and Tools. The team gathered to ask key questions and get information that will help to pinpoint what technologies would best suit the student.

S= Student (abilities, learning styles, concerns)

E= Environment (What places will the talker be used and how)

T=Tasks (What type of work and learning will the student be doing?)

T=Tools (What tools are needed on the device to make it a success for Nick?)

photo (120)

In Blog #114, I covered Nick’s abilities, learning style, needs and concerns.  The last three areas we brainstormed on were the Nick’s environment, tasks that we wanted Nick to be able to do on the talker and what tools would be needed to make this a success. Take a look at what the team came up with in these areas: 

Environment: 

* Uses a “change” visual

* PECS book at home – items to request, pictures of people, task strips

* Private SLP services – 1:1 for speech and occupational therapy

* Video modeling strategy successful

* Attends ESY (Extended School Year-summer school)

* Bowling, mall, library, out to lunch

* Church

* Job: delivery run to CEC for STEPS

* Shopping at Meijer and Wal-Mart

* Goes to movies, lunch/breakfast, and the park

*Has a respite worker at home

* Production class: shredding, sorting, bagging, cleaning

*Visits to family – grandparents, aunt and uncle

*Older brother, Hank, attends NIU

*Cooking

* Functional reading and math

* Yoga

* Dance party Fridays

* Uses classroom leisure choice board independently

* Small group or 1:1 instruction, especially for unfamiliar tasks

* Adult supervision for safety

* Visual supports

* Cues to stay on task for jobs he knows

* Needs to know expectations, both visually and auditorally- what to do, how many to   do, how many are left

* Does visual schedule for the day

* Benefits from hand‐over‐hand and modeling for fine motor tasks

* Looks for peer models

* Task strip for hygiene routines, with point  prompts, at home

* Visual learner

* Flexible with symbol sets – familiar with PCS, SymbolStix, Proloquo2Go

* 15 buttons on current AAC home page

* Uses visual support to order at restaurants instead of his AAC device

Picture14

Tasks: 

*“That’s gross”

* “I like that”, “I don’t like that”

* “That’s crazy”

* Flirting

* Gain attention

*Need help

* “Stop”

* “I need a break”

* Emotions

* Preferred items and activities

* Requesting

* Sharing his humor

* Order at restaurants

* Communicate what’s bothering him

* Sensory vocabulary – “hot”, “loud”, “crowded”

* “Where is the fire alarm?”

* “I’m tired”

* “I’m mad”

* Ask questions

* Share personal information

*Basic needs – bathroom, drink/thirsty, hungry

* Greetings

* Age‐appropriate vocabulary

* Comments

* Weather and calendar vocabulary

* Names – People past and present

The team looked at what tools would be needed on the device that would work for Nick.  Each member could choose the top three most important aspects to focus on in particular (these have 3 *** by them):

IMG_4318

Tools:

* Portable

* Shoulder or waist strap

* Durable

* Waterproof

* Loud enough for all environments

* Ability to add vocabulary

* Combination of single words and phrases***

* Import photographs

* Easy to program

* Ability to program on the fly

* 7‐8” screen size

* Sturdy case (“bounceproof”)****

* Quick and consistent response from AAC device***

* Category‐based******

* 2‐3 hits to communicate message**

* Online tech support

*Cloud or USB backup

* Warranty

* Cost

*Dedicated communication device

* Ability to hide buttons

* 8‐12 buttons per page

* Keyboard‐sized buttons or larger

*Long battery life

* 1 charger for whole system

* No replacing batteries

The SETT process was enlightening.  The team covered a lot of ground in looking at many aspects of communication for Nick.   As you can see, there are so many things to consider when looking into a voice output device.  Nick just got his new AAC device last Thursday.  I can’t wait to share with you how he is navigating it!  That’s what is in my noggin this week!

~Teresa 🙂