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Mrs. Needham’s Classroom Edit display name

  • Museum Academy
  • Bloomfield, CT
  • More than half of students from low‑income households

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An iPad with an Augmentative Communication app is an extremely powerful tool that is used to help children who cannot speak. Two of the children with whom I work are significantly language impaired and do not produce words and phrases independently. As a Speech Language Pathologist, I would be working with them using the iPad as a "speech generating device", with a specific Augmentative Communication app (from Apple). The app that would be used on the iPad allows a child to learn what words are and that words have meaning that allow us to communicate with others. They would learn to select picture symbols on the iPad during structured activities. Once they select the picture symbol, they hear the word and see by the reactions of others that they have communicated a message (e.g. made a request). From these experiences, the children are learning about language and become inspired to continue communicating. They also hear and begin to imitate the spoken word that they (and the iPad) are producing. This is how they learn to speak the words! The language learning comes first, then speech! The iPad is not only a powerful tool, but when a child starts communicating and talking, it’s truly magical!. Their lives are changed! No child should be non-verbal when there are powerful, effective options to help them to communicate with their families and with the world!

About my class

An iPad with an Augmentative Communication app is an extremely powerful tool that is used to help children who cannot speak. Two of the children with whom I work are significantly language impaired and do not produce words and phrases independently. As a Speech Language Pathologist, I would be working with them using the iPad as a "speech generating device", with a specific Augmentative Communication app (from Apple). The app that would be used on the iPad allows a child to learn what words are and that words have meaning that allow us to communicate with others. They would learn to select picture symbols on the iPad during structured activities. Once they select the picture symbol, they hear the word and see by the reactions of others that they have communicated a message (e.g. made a request). From these experiences, the children are learning about language and become inspired to continue communicating. They also hear and begin to imitate the spoken word that they (and the iPad) are producing. This is how they learn to speak the words! The language learning comes first, then speech! The iPad is not only a powerful tool, but when a child starts communicating and talking, it’s truly magical!. Their lives are changed! No child should be non-verbal when there are powerful, effective options to help them to communicate with their families and with the world!

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About my class

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