Talking With Tech AAC Podcast

Oct 30 2024 334 ep. 53 mins 235

Talking With Tech AAC Podcast artwork

How do people with complex communication needs learn to use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)? Join speech-language pathologists (SLPs) Rachel and Chris as they answer your questions, discuss relevant research and give you updates on the latest and greatest developments in the field of AAC! Interviews with industry thought-leaders, clinicians, parents, researchers, users, and app developers help you stay up-to-date on the latest devices and apps, best practices for device selection and implementation, ideas for working with communication partners, and more!

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Kristen Hughes & Amy Kennedy: Building a Collaborative AAC Framework in Schools to Streamline Selection, Support, and Success

Oct 30 2024 85 mins

This week, we share Chris’s interview with Kristen Hughes and Amy Kennedy! Kristen and Amy both work for Baldwin County Public Schools; Kristen as a speech-language pathologist and Amy as a special education resource consultant. Kristen is also a parent of a six-year-old son who uses AAC. Kristen is transitioning into a new role as an AAC specialist within her school district, an

Exploring AI’s Impact on Storytelling and Learning: A Dive into Notebook LM

Oct 23 2024 43 mins

This week, Chris and Rachel share about NotebookLM.google.com, an AI website that will do things like create an actual “podcast episode” about an uploaded document or webpage! Chris and Rachel share some of the things they have created with this tool and ideas about how to quickly create engaging materials for your students. Key Ideas this Week: 🔑 AI-generated content fo

Anand & Amanda Murthy: Advocacy and Hope in the Face of Infantile Spasms

Oct 09 2024 58 mins

This week, we share Rachel’s interview with Anand (@anandmurthy) and Amanda Murthy (@amandajanemurthy)! Anand and Amanda’s son, Maverick, is affected by infantile spasms, a rare form of epilepsy. Maverick has undergone multiple brain surgeries and faced numerous challenges related to his condition. Anand and Amanda share about their journey to raise awareness about infantile sp

Jaclyn Lewis & Jessica Gerth: Supporting Communication and Inclusion with Tabletop Gaming

Sep 25 2024 76 mins

Jessica Gerth and Jaclyn Lewis This week, we share Chris’s interview with Jessica Gerth and Jaclyn Lewis! Jessica (@chaoscommunicationconverse) is a speech pathologist who utilizes TTRPGs to enhance communication and social skills among her students. Jaclyn (@wranglerofchaos) is a writer, youth worker, and game master who wrote "Rolling with the Youth," a book focusing on foste

Amanda Diekman: Lowering Parental Demands to Increase Connection and Calm

Sep 19 2024 59 mins

This week, we share Rachel’s interview with Amanda Diekman! Amanda (@lowdemandamanda)is an autistic adult and parent of three neurodivergent children who advocates for a shift away from traditional parenting models that prioritize control and demands. She suggests that accommodating children's needs and reducing expectations can foster better emotional connections. The interview

Brianna Hughes & Tiffany Rezvani: Creating a Free AAC Screening Tool

Sep 11 2024 36 mins

This week, we interview Brianna Hughes and Tiffany Rezvani! Brianna and Tiffany are Speech-Language Pathologists and AAC Specialists based in Northern California. They share all about the free AAC screening tool they created, called AAC Screening, that helps educators and clinicians efficiently identify students who may benefit from AAC devices! Before the interview, Chris shares

Marnina Allis & Marisa Portanova: Empowering Communication & Collaboration at Blythedale Children's Hospital

Sep 04 2024 67 mins

This week, Chris interviews Marnina Allis and Marisa Portanova, two speech-language pathologists at Blythedale Children’s Hospital, the only independent specialty children’s hospital in New York State! Marnina and Marisa share about their role on the core assistive technology (AT) team, ideas for supporting AAC users and their families outside the hospital, taking a team-based

Amy Mayer, Judy Schoonover, Remi Moran, & Tiffany Zaugg: Small Talks VIII

Aug 28 2024 38 mins

This week, we share a series of “Small Talks,” e.g. short recordings (less than 15 minutes) about a single topic of interest with guests Amy Mayer, Judy Schoonover, Remi Moran, and Tiffany Zaugg! Before the Small Talks, Rachel discusses presenting ant an online autism summit about some of the fundamentals of AAC. Meanwhile, Chris shares about recording some trainings on the �

Carole Zangari, Tabi Jones-Wohleber, Rachel Langley, & Michaela Ball: The "Stepping Into AAC" Project

Aug 15 2024 63 mins

This week, Rachel and Chris interview the superstar members of the “Stepping Into AAC” project - Carole Zangari, Tabi Jones-Wohleber, Rachel Langley, and Michaela Ball! The “Stepping Into AAC” team shares about the core mission of the project: to introduce people to AAC, to guide them through the early months of using these new communication tools and strategies, and to off

Recast: Rachel Dorsey: Taking a Neurodiversity-Affirming Approach to Therapy

Aug 07 2024 63 mins

This week, we present a Recast episode of Rachel's interview with Rachel Dorsey, an amazing autistic SLP who teaches courses on neurodiversity and goal writing. Recast episodes are previous episodes of TWT that Chris and Rachel want to highlight. In this Recast, Rachel Dorsey shares her perspectives on neurodiversity, how to help shift the perspectives of others to better affirm ne