In this episode Eva Sweeney, filmmaker and consultant for ABC’s Speechless - as well as author, activist, AAC user, and overall dynamo - talks with Rachel and Lucas about her AAC device, the importance of aides (and giving them breaks), her work as an activist on sexuality in the disability community, and more. Meanwhile, Lucas briefly flies solo to talk about the importance of a whole-person approach to AAC assessment and intervention - and our work generally. For more on Eva, check out...

In this week’s show Chris sits down with Leanna Fox, a Speech-Language Pathologist based out of Sydney who works as a consultant with Liberator, the Australian arm of the Prentke Romich Company, as well as other settings. The discuss international work (she’s previously also practiced in Ireland and New South Wales), funding in Australia and the local AAC community, and the need for constant professional development due to the rapidly changing nature of the field. Meanwhile, Lucas, Rachel,...

In this episode Vicki Clarke of Dynamic Therapy Associates and @AACchicks joins us to share advice and talk through clinical considerations related to AAC assessment and selection of a communication system. Meanwhile, Lucas and Rachel discuss the ethical considerations - and potential advantages - related to cultivating vendor relationships. For more from Vicki, follow her on Twitter at @AACchicks, on Facebook at Dynamic Therapy Associates, or her website www.mydynamictherapy.com. Like...

In this episode the incomparable Lauren Enders, SLP and AAC specialist, joins Talking With Tech’s Lucas Steuber and Chris Bugaj to talk practical tips for implementation and consultation in the schools. Meanwhile, Lucas and Rachel discuss some of the resources Lauren has created, including the “dos and dont’s” of AAC instruction. Thanks so much for listening! For more on Lauren check out her frequent submissions to PrAACtical AAC as well as prolific posts on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook,...

In this episode Rachel Madel and Chris Bugaj (and later just Chris) take over the episode to talk about accessible gaming! We welcome Mark Barlet of AbleGamers to talk about their work in making recreation available to everyone. Like what we do at Talking With Tech? Make sure to subscribe and rate on iTunes - and check out Chris’s new book coming out soon: http://bit.ly/thenewatforall Interview Notes:

Jayne Clare, a thirty-year veteran teacher in special education, has been a leader in introducing educational technology into the classroom. She is co-founder of TeachersWithApps, a National School Boards Association “20 to Watch;” Leader Advancing Education Technology, and weekly host of EdAppTalk, an open table Facebook Group. She has worked with Brainpop facilitating webinars, served as an educational curator for many organizations and is an avid blogger. School reform, diversity, reading...

In a small departure from form, the gang - Rachel, Chris, and Lucas - decided that they had so much to say about core words (especially after speaking to Jane Odom last week) that an interview wasn’t even necessary. Let us know what you think about this format, as we’re considering alternating between strictly educational content like this interspersed with thought leaders like those we normally have. Click here to visit the Patreon mentioned in the episode. Also, check out...

This week Rachel and Lucas are joined by the brilliant Jane Odom, director of PRC’s LanguageLab! The conversation covers the importance of presuming competence, incorporating user interests and age-relevant material in AAC, PRC’s LanguageLab and Realize Language, family and peer training, and specific instructional strategies for the classroom. Check it out - and if you like it, don’t forget to rate us and subscribe on iTunes! For more information, see: PRC AAC LanguageLab Realize...

In this episode Talking with Tech’s Rachel Madel interviews Kevin Chaja of Color Black’s Moment AR app to discuss brand new app that helps children with autism learn social skills. Also discussed: Clinical applications for augmented reality and the future of AR/VR in education. Name: Kevin Chaja E-mail: kevin@colorblack.tv Website: www.colorblackmoment.com twitter: @el_chakka instagram: @madcatprimus facebook: @kevin.chaja Merge VR Cube: https://mergevr.com/ Developer: [...]

Erin Compton is a mom to 13 children who blogs about family life, adoption, special needs and AAC learning. As a homeschool instructor she has over 20 years of experience working with young language learners. Through the recent adoption of two sons with cerebral palsy, the family has started on an AAC journey to find voices for their sons. For more, see Erin’s YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook! Interview Show Notes: Adopting two sons with cerebral palsy from an orphanage in China In the...

It’s time for what might be our most controversial show yet! If you have an opinion - for or against - please comment below or email at us at tech@speechscience.org and we’ll be happy to address your concerns next episode! Problem: School districts are faced with having to consider the AAC needs for many children. The focus has been on selecting the perfect system. Teaching communication partners how to implement all day long has been the challenge. What if we could decrease the amount...

Kathy Howery joins Chris Bugaj to discuss her research on the lived experience of AAC users. Afterward, the team comes back together to talk about the importance of human identity - and humor - in language use. Thanks for listening! As always, contact us at tech@speechscience.org with any feedback and make sure to subscribe and share with your friends! If you’d like to support our work, we always appreciate any gesture via Patreon.

Karen Owens of We Speak PODD joins Rachel Madel for a conversation about parenting children with complex communication disorders. Meanwhile, the group discusses the nature of parents’ relationships with both the schools and broader therapeutic systems and how they - and we - can be strong advocates for their children. Thanks for listening! As always, contact us at tech@speechscience.org with any feedback and make sure to subscribe and share with your friends! If you’d like to support our...

Alex Pavtoulov and Ofir Harel of Olà Mundo join Rachel and Lucas to talk about Socky, a symbol-based two-way communication system for children with Autism as well as their parents and circle of support. The group also discusses social reciprocity in ASD and how to make therapy tools engaging. For more information about Olà Mundo and Socky, visit their site and try out the app, which is available on both iOS and Android - and it’s free! Thanks for listening! As always, contact us at...

In this episode Talking with Tech’s Lucas Steuber, Rachel Madel, and the long-list Chris Bugaj sit down and discuss international development in AAC before welcoming Chris Gibbons of SmartBox to the show. Chris shares beautifully about his many years of experience in the industry, the transition from intervention to the lab to the market, changes over time to the funding model - both good and bad - as well as Grid 3 and some thoughts on what’s to come. For more information about Chris and...

In this episode Talking with Tech’s Lucas Steuber and Rachel Madel sit down with Tom Ladd of SmartStones and :prose and talk about everything from gesture-based communication to brain-computer interfaces (BCI) for augmentative communication. Plus we get to hear the story about how Carly Fleischmann is a user of their app - and how he was backstage to help facilitate a reschedule for her with Stephen Colbert and crew after her interview with Jon Stewart. For more information about...

In this episode Talking with Tech’s Lucas Steuber and Rachel Madel sit down with Pearson’s Dustin Wahlstrom, James Henke, and Kristen Getz to talk about their Q-Interactive tablet-based assessment platform, the impact of the format change (if any) on clinical outcomes, and the current state of critical SLP assessments like the Goldman-Fristoe-3 (Spanish and English), the CELF-5, the PPVT-3, and others that are coming to the platform soon. For more information about Q-Interactive or the...

In this episode Talking with Tech’s Lucas Steuber and Rachel Madel talk to the legendary Kate Ahern about her work with special populations, the importance of presumed competence, and the need to use every skill in our toolkit to properly serve kids - not just the high -tech ones - as well as the importance of learning from teachers. For more information about Kate, see her collected slides and presentations here, her blog here, her highly active Facebook community, and many other places...

In this episode Talking with Tech’s Lucas Steuber goes one-on-one with seasoned AT specialist RJ Cooper, from his early days doing it all himself to the future of the industry and the nature - logistically, philosophically, and ethically - of AT manufacturing. Meanwhile, Luke, Chris, and Rachel talk about plans for the ASHA convention and properly introduce themselves after now airing four back-to-back episodes that have launched Talking With Tech - leading up to live events at ASHA! For...

In this episode Talking with Tech’s Lucas Steuber goes one-on-one with entrepreneur and angel investor Pradeesh Thomas, founder of both SmartEdTech and AlphaVista, and now a member of the Stepping Stones Group. We discuss the present and future of educational technology, the impact that it can have on outcomes for both students and teachers, and EdTech internationally from the perspective of both an engineer, technology thought leader, and past staffing agency CEO.