by Cassandra Stafford, MS, CCC-SLP/L, ATP (Speech-Language Pathologist and Assistive Technology Professional), NWACS Board Member reading time: 2 minutes The views expressed in this post are that of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of NWACS. No endorsement by NWACS is implied regarding any device, manufacturer, resource, or strategy mentioned. Life is full of transitions. We start encountering transitions early in life. And they keep coming. Some transitions involve more planning and more people than others. Transition planning is particularly important for chi ..read more

by Adam Coe, M.S., CCC-SLP (Speech-Language Pathologist); NWACS board member reading time: 1 minute Let’s define our term: NAACHO stands for Networking for AAC and Hang Out. NWACS is here to help create some social events for us to be a more fun and connected community! People who work with AAC in their professions or as users almost always have: stories to share experience worth passing on or mutual struggles. Sometimes we have a need for support from colleagues in our community. For advice, for referrals, to commiserate or celebrate, so let’s get to know each other! This year we can ..read more

By Cassandra Stafford, MS, CCC-SLP/L, ATP; NWACS Board Member reading time: 1 minute The views expressed in this post are that of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of NWACS. No endorsement by NWACS is implied regarding any device, manufacturer, resource, or strategy mentioned. We communicate for a lot of different reasons. These reasons serve different functions or purposes. Sometimes our communication is for the purpose of meeting our needs. More often our communication is for other purposes. Let’s take a look at different communicative functions. For Social C ..read more

AAC Spotlight is a series of interviews. Reading about other people who are interested in AAC (augmentative-alternative communication) can help us connect with each other and share experiences and concerns. NWACS will occasionally interview people to help all of us learn more about each other and AAC. By Molly Menzie, MS, CCC-SLP; NWACS Board Member reading time: 2 minutes The views expressed in this post are that of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of NWACS. No endorsement by NWACS is implied regarding any device, manufacturer, resource, or strategy mentioned ..read more

by Kathy Smith, MSPA, SLP (Speech-Language Pathologist, retired); NWACS Vice President reading time: 4 minutes Kathy recently interview Barb Lark about a special project she has been working on for the Special Education Technology Center (SETC). This project is a collection of books and activities. The aim is to provide meaningful experiences with accessible print for students with emergent literacy skills. The project can be found on the SETC website.   I know you are an SLP specializing in AAC communication, but please describe your professional AAC experiences. How did you get interes ..read more

by Cassandra Stafford, MS, CCC-SLP/L, ATP (Speech-Language Pathologist and Assistive Technology Professional), NWACS Board Member reading time: 4 minutes The views expressed in this post are that of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of NWACS. No endorsement by NWACS is implied regarding any device, manufacturer, resource, or strategy mentioned. Babies start learning language and communication skills at birth. And there are things we can do to help that development. Even when they are still infants and toddlers! Sometimes we know early on that a child is likely t ..read more

by Cassandra Stafford, MS, CCC-SLP/L, ATP (Speech-Language Pathologist and Assistive Technology Professional), NWACS Board Member reading time: 3 minutes The views expressed in this post are that of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of NWACS. No endorsement by NWACS is implied regarding any device, manufacturer, resource, or strategy mentioned. We are preconditioned to expect people to be able to use spoken language. It can be emotional and unexpected when a child has a disability that affects their ability to use spoken language. Or when an adult loses the abil ..read more

by Alicia Alverson, MS, CCC-SLP, ATP (speech/language pathologist); NWACS board member reading time: 2 minutes Image of a pineapple wearing a party hat and sunglasses Happy New Year! I’m excited to embark on our 2023 NWACS theme: AAC Across the Lifespan. This is such a large topic and I look forward to hearing everyone’s contributions to our theme. What is AAC Across the Lifespan, you ask? We will be covering six different age groups. Each over the course of two months. January and February: AAC in the birth to three population We look forward to learning about: AAC supports for language a ..read more

by Alicia Alverson, MS, CCC-SLP, ATP (speech/language pathologist); NWACS board member reading time: 7 minutes Wow! 2022 is wrapping up. We were busy at NWACS this year covering the Communication Bill of Rights. This sparked a lot of great conversation. And provided new information for our blog. We dove into the conversations that are materializing around equity and access to communication. We renewed our torch of advocacy at NWACS. In this post, you will find a review of the Communication Bill of Rights and helpful tips related to each right. If you’d like to review the history, see our intr ..read more

Welcome back to Let's Talk AAC - a series of questions and topics for discussion. NWACS will occasionally post a question or topic with related information. Join in the conversation! Add your experiences, resources, related research, etc. in the comments so we can all learn and benefit from each other's knowledge and experience. by Jo Ristow, MS, CCC-SLP (speech/language pathologist); NWACS blogger reading time: 3 minutes We are wrapping up the year with Right #15 of the Communication Bill of Rights. It reads: The right to have clear, meaningful, and culturally and linguistically appropriate ..read more