TD Snap Motor Plan in the US!

 Hey Tek-ninjas! A number of you are already aware that Tobii Dynavox is releasing a new Motor Plan page set in the US. It was released a month or so back in the UK, and the feedback so far has been pretty terrific.

If this is news to you, here's what Tobii Dynavox has to say about the page set: "TD Snap Motor Plan is an efficient way for learners with complex access needs to develop language. This page set focuses on core words and word-by-word sentence construction. Each word appears only once with a distinct path, or motor plan, to find it. Over time, the communicator will automatically locate words, allowing them to focus more on what they want to say.

The page set comes in 30 and 66 position layouts and are optimised to find words faster, customise vocabulary and grow language with the brand new vocabulary filter. Join us to learn all about how these exciting new page sets can support early language learners and advanced communicators alike."

One of the many aspects I'm excited about here is that if you are already familiar with TD Snap, you already know how to edit and customize the page set because the Motor Plan is run by the same engine. 

Tobii Dynavox has posted on their website that they anticipate the page sets will be released at the end of January. If you'd like to learn more they ask you to fill out and submit this form. 

There are live trainings planned on the following dates via Zoom. Each session has 300 seats, but I'd wager, they will fill up quickly!

Wednesday, January 25th 8-8:45 ET

Thursday, January 26th 3-3:45 ET

Friday, January 27th 12-12:45 ET

These trainings are free of charge. While you are there, check out all of the other great live trainings. 

Happy therapy!

NCACA 40th ANNUAL CONFERENCE VIRTUAL

 Hey Tek-Ninjas! I'm writing today to inform you of the upcoming 40th Annual NCACA Virtual
Conference. It will be Friday, February 24, 2023, 8:00 AM – 3:30 PM EST. The folks at NCACA always put on a great conference, and this year will be no exception. 

If you were at ASHA this year, you may have heard Caroline Gaddy present. If you missed it, well, good news, she is presenting here. Caroline's topic title is: "Applying a Neurodiversity Framework to Supporting Autistic AAC Users". Caroline is an Autistic & multiply neurodivergent SLP and AAC Tobii Dynavox Consultant based in Virginia. I get to brag to people that we work together!

Also presenting is Emily Diaz, Emily is a school-based SLP with a robust Instagram following. I'm a big fan of her IG account, and encourage you to check it out if you have not. Emily's presentation is titled: "Unlocking Their Potential: Coaching Habits That Increase Stakeholder Buy-In for AAC".

The final presenter is Lauren (Enders) Gonzales. Lauren is an SLP and AAC/AT consultant working for the Bucks County Intermediate Unit in Eastern Pennsylvania. Lauren's presentation is titled: "AAC for Me! Considerations for AAC System Personalization".

All three of these presenters have been presenting on the national level and each one of them alone would make a conference great. Having the three of them guarantees a stellar day of learning. Don't miss it! When I registered, there were only 98 slots open. 

Core Skater Shoes!

 Hey Tek-ninjas! I've decided to shut down the Tek-ninja merchandise page, and some of you may notice the tab at the top of the page is no longer there. 

I have enjoyed the experience and sold almost 1,000 pair of Core Skater Shoes. Thank you so much for your support and interest. 

I have a relatively small assortment of women's sizes if anyone is interested, feel free to email me at jim@tek-ninja.com. 

Current Sizes (as of 12/11/2024):

7.5 = 8 pair

9   = 8 pair

10 = 3 pair

I'm asking $55 plus shipping on the remaining stock.

"His vocabulary has grown tremendously...."

Hey Tek-ninjas! A while back, I posted how Kiyah uses her AAC device to effectively navigate her life. More recently, Tobii Dynavox posted a short clip of a boy named Brock and how he uses the TD i110. I've shared it below.

I'm sharing Brock's video, because I believe many folks don't understand the power of AAC, and it is simply a joyous clip!  Similar to the video of Kiyah, this video of Brock provides a terrific look into AAC. On the linked page, Brock's mother is quoted saying: "His vocabulary has grown tremendously, and we love seeing our lil’ man finally being able to speak his mind". Those are powerful words!

Check out the link to read more about Brock's success, what life with Assistive Technology can look like, and the benefits of having a solid team helping our AAC users. 

Happy therapy!

Opportunity for End of Year LEARNING (and CEUs): Deep dive into implementing AAC.

Hey Tek-ninjas, the Tobii Dynavox Learning Team is excited to announce a virtual conference that you and your colleagues won't want to miss! They have great new content that takes a deeper dive into implementing AAC.

When: December 6th and 7th, the Learning Team is hosting a two-day learning event where learners can earn up to 10 PDH or 1.0 ASHA CEUs. Also, they are all free of charge.

Tobii Dynavox is not saying this.... Just me.... I've taken all of the ASHA approved courses and received full credit from AOTA. Just say'n. 

 
Where: use this link to view the conference landing page, and explore the courses offered.

Hope to see you there!

Hurricane Books: Let's get ready!

Hey Tek-ninjas! In light of Hurricane Ian bearing down on many of us on the East coast, I wanted to take a moment and remind you have the collection of printable books Tobii Dynavox makes available that help explain and prepare all communicators for natural disasters, including blizzards, earthquakes, wildfires, and more timely - hurricanes. These books are free and available to anyone. 

Go ahead and log into the Learning Hub - you can use your single sign-in account from Tobii Dynavox's mytobiidynavox, eFunding platform, or Boardmaker online to log in. If you don't have any of these accounts, they are free to make. 

Once logged in, go ahead and search for "natural disasters". This 'course' will provide the downloadable PDFs to support discussion of natural disasters. 

I think both the "We are Ready", and "Hurricanes" books would be useful for families and schools this week. 

To reiterate, I believe these books can be useful for any of your folks who might struggle to understand natural disasters that are coming their way, regardless of the language system they use. 

I hope you all stay safe! 

How the rubber hits the road for teaching and integrating AAC

Hey Tek-ninjas! It's been a minute. So much happening professionally and personally. The two most significant milestones.... my 21 year old son just moved to Portland, Oregon, and my 25 year old son is moving to Berlin in mid-September. Sigh. Such good stuff, but I am going to miss them tremendously. And we will officially be empty-nesters again. Fortunately, my wife and I still really like one another! 

But. that's not what I intended to share today. Long time readers may remember that I blogged about the integration of the Boardmaker Activity Player into TD Snap a few years back. Today, I want to share a new video that was made by the Tobii Dynavox Learning team. The video titled "Communicate and Learn with the Boardmaker Player in TD Snap really does an amazing job at showcasing how well Boardmaker integrates into TD Snap for communication, AND supports occupational performance in all environments. 

Speech Therapists, caregivers, and other professionals are eager to know concrete skills like "how to edit a button" or "link to a page" - but - what is sometimes harder to teach is how to integrate and teach AAC. This video does an amazing job at show-casing both of these tasks leveraging the integrated Boardmaker Player. 

I hope you enjoy it, and feel free to share it with your fellow AAC oriented colleagues! 

Happy Therapy!