Websites and Online Resources relating to Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC (AAC) AAC)

AAC - Augmentative or Alternative Communication, any strategy that is used to assist (augment) or replace (as an alternative to) speech for communication. Please note that these websites have been compiled to demonstrate some of the resources available on the internet. Several examples are product promotions from manufacturers. The SCCN project des not promote any of these methods/systems in particular. All AAC solutions should be based upon thorough assessment of an individual and the setups personalized to meet their individual needs.

General Websites relating to AAC AAC Tech Connect Provides information on major communication device suppliers. Sells two valuable products that can assist you to compare features of different devices and AAC products: • ‘Device Assistant’ software helps you search for AAC devices, based on required features, from a database of nearly 100 devices, giving you a side-by-side comparison. Free demo available. • ‘Lite-tech Low-cost AAC Chart’ lists information about low cost (less than $US1500) AAC products including 100 non-electronic products and 250 voice output products on 67 downloadable pages. www.aacTechConnect.com Communication Matters website AAC news and resources (UK website) http://www.communicationmatters.org.uk/ • Focus On Series: Seven introductory leaflets related to AAC available in Powerpoint or pdf format. http://www.communicationmatters.org.uk/Publications/Focus_On/focus_on.html Icontalk Resource Guide Useful list of AAC related resources you can make yourself http://www.icontalk.com/downloads/Resource_Guide.pdf ISAAC International Society for AAC: http://www.isaac-online.org/ Kizclub Free worksheets and activities relating to phonics, nursery rhymes, flashcards, stories (including activities relating to stories by popular authors), and specific topics. http://www.kizclub.com/ Linda Burkhart’s web site Contains simplified technology for students with disabilities. Directions for making quick and easy adaptive devices and links to other assistive technology web sites are also included. Also has school-age internet activities. http://www.lburkhart.com © Copyright Novita Children’s Services 2009 Statewide Complex Communication Needs Project NovitaTech 171 Days Road Regency Park SA 5010 PO Box 2438 Regency Park SA 5943 t: 1300 85 55 85 w: www.novitatech.org.au/sccn e: [email protected]

Novita Children’s Services website Information about AAC strategies: http://www.novita.org.au/Content.aspx?p=64 SET BC Learning Centre The SET-BC Learning Centre provides a wealth of classroom resources and training modules on assistive technology. http://setbc.org • Considerations for Using AT to Support the Educational Goals of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (2005) - Kerry Randle (2005) http://setbc.org/setbc/topics/consider.html • Speaking Out & Joining In: Using Voice Output Technology to Enhance the Social Inclusion of Students with ASD (2004). Webcasts, demonstrations and related materials explore voice output technology and strategies that can facilitate the development of social communication by students with autism spectrum disorders. http://setbc.org/setbc/topics/topics_aut_01.html • Visual Schedule systems: http://setbc.org/download/Public/VSS.pdf • Comprehensive list of websites related to using assistive technology with children with ASD http://setbc.org/setbc/topics/res.html Statewide Complex Communication Needs (SCCN) Project website Information about services for people with complex communication needs as well as resource downloads such as core vocabulary boards. www.novitatech.org.au/SCCN Total communication ‘mini book’ A free downloadable book that outlines the different AAC strategies people use to communicate and how we can use each strategy to support a person’s understanding as well as their expression. http://valuingpeople.gov.uk/dynamic/valuingpeople77.jsp Youtube Try a search for youtube videos using key words such as aac, communication device, autism, communication boards www.youtube.com

General Websites relating to Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and/or AAC Autism SA Fact sheets relating to ASD in general as well as communication strategies. http://www.autismsa.org.au/ Beyond Autism Website of over 2700 links to pages related to ASD, compiled by a mother of a child with ASD. http://trainland.tripod.com/index.htm • This link takes you straight to section on communication, assistive technology and AAC links: http://trainland.tripod.com/communication.htm Cindy’s Autistic Support Website of a teacher who supports a class of 8 students with ASD. Has downloadable boardmaker resources such as visual schedules, behaviour support. http://www.cindysautisticsupport.com/ Joanne Cafiero’s website A teacher/consultant with significant involvement in researching AAC solutions for children with ASD. http://www.joannecafiero.com/

© Copyright Novita Children’s Services 2009 Statewide Complex Communication Needs Project - NovitaTech

Help with Autism, Asperger's syndrome & related disorders Extensive fact sheets relating to ASD in general as well as communication strategies. http://www.autism-help.org/ Indiana Resource Center for Autism training articles written by staff members http://www.isdd.indiana.edu/irca/IRCAarticles/fcommunicationarticles.html Scottish Autism Service Network Link to their ‘books and resources’ section: http://www.scottishautismnetwork.org.uk/sasn_cms/bookslist.php • Autistic Spectrum Disorder: A Practical Approach at Home for Parents and Carers (free download) http://www.scottishautismnetwork.org.uk/autismleaflet.pdf • Aspergers Syndrome: A Practical Approach at Home for Parents and Carers (free download) http://www.scottishautismnetwork.org.uk/asbergersleaflet.pdf Special Education Services – Autism: Interventions & Strategies for Success Six very informative articles on ASD authored by autism consultant Susan Stokes. Includes information on AAC and assistive technology as well as strategies for encouraging expressive language for both verbal and nonverbal children with ASD.http://www.specialed.us/autism/index2.htm Story Builder Shell A computer system designed to make it easy for parents and carers of young people with autism and Asperger Syndrome to write “stories” for everyday activities. Software can be downloaded free from this link: Can create a story, add pictures and then view it on a computer and print it out. http://www.leedsmet.ac.uk/inn/usabilityservices/download2.htm ZAC Browser - Zone for Autistic Children Internet browser developed specifically for children with ASD, created by grandparents of a child with ASD. Includes pre-loaded activities and games. Free to download. Also includes a search engine specifically for sites relating to ASD. Same authors as KIDZ CD web browser. http://www.zacbrowser.com

Websites written written by people with autism This Way of Life Site created by a person with autism, Joel Smith. There is a section on non-speech communication, and descriptions on what it is like living with autism. Joel is happy to share a text-to-speech software application he developed called Jtalk (free download, could load onto a computer and use as communication software). http://www.thiswayoflife.org/index.html

Assessment Tools Communication Matrix A free assessment tool designed to pinpoint exactly how a child is currently communicating and to provide a framework for determining logical communication goals. Designed for both parents and professionals. http://www.communicationmatrix.org Pragmatics Profile Free downloadable assessment tool. Helps to gain an insight into how an individual typically communicates in day to day interaction in familiar settings with people he or she knows well. Designed primarily for professionals or teachers. http://wwwedit.wmin.ac.uk/psychology/pp/

© Copyright Novita Children’s Services 2009 Statewide Complex Communication Needs Project - NovitaTech

Visual Aids Baltimore City School Database of books adapted for use with Boardmaker http://www.baltimorecityschools.org/BoardMaker/adapted_library.asp CALL Centre (Communication Aids for Language and Learning) Free Resources including a number of Boardmaker boards http://callcentre.education.ed.ac.uk/Resources/resources.html Special access technology http://www.callcentre.education.ed.ac.uk/About_CALL/Publications_CAA/Books_CAB/SAT_CAC/sat_cac.html Clear Communication People Free templates and booklets to download. Very readable and useful. • Hospital Communication Book Under ‘training handbooks’: • Using Microsoft Word: Inserting photos, resizing and adding text • Using Microsoft Powerpoint to design person centred plans and communication passports http://communicationpeople.co.uk/index.htm Communication Signal Inventory – Uni of Nebraska Gives an example of what is also known as a ‘personal communication dictionary’ – a way to record your child’s communicative behaviours, what they do and how others should respond. http://www.unl.edu/barkley/present/cress/csichart.shtml Do To Learn Free downloadable and online activities as well as purchasable resources. Has a free interactive ‘emotions’ activity that allows you to manipulate facial expressions on an animated character http://dotolearn.com/index.htm Nursery Rhymes to sing, see and sign SCOPE website Free downloads for 14 nursery rhymes – Key Word Signs and symbol boards http://www.scopevic.org.au/therapy_crc_r&p_nrsss.htm SPELL Books package Stories to Promote Emergent Literacy and Language – information for parents about literacy for young children. SPELL Books pack can be purchased through Novita Children’s Services, and additional free resources downloadable from Novita website. http://www.novita.org.au/Content.aspx?p=576 SPELL Music package Songs to Promote Early Language and Learning – information for parents about literacy for young children. SPELL Music pack can be purchased through Novita Children’s Services, and additional free resources and songboards downloadable from Novita website. http://www.novita.org.au/Content.aspx?p=107#spell_music Time Timer The Time Timer is a simple visual timer to help depict elapsed time. Can be purchased in Australia via Spectronics (see suppliers list). http://www.timetimer.com/

© Copyright Novita Children’s Services 2009 Statewide Complex Communication Needs Project - NovitaTech

Literacy Starfall Free access to a number of early literacy activities that children can use online, or download for use later. http://www.starfall.com

Pictures, Symbols, Photos and Sounds Clipart • Microsoft Office Online: Free clipart: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/clipart/default.aspx • Disney clipart – also free: http://clipart.disneysites.com/ Crayola free colouring pages over 1000 coloring pages for you to print and color: http://www.crayola.com/free-coloring-pages/ ESL Library Picture resource site designed for language teachers. Membership fee but can print limited free sample pages. https://www.esl-library.com/ Find Sounds Free sounds that you can download and use in Powerpoint slideshows, on communication devices, etc. www.findsounds.com Free Digital Photos Thousands of royalty free photos: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/ Graphxkingdom Thousands of clipart, icons, backgrounds, bars, interfaces, and other free graphics. Good for finding an obscure image or one that is more detailed than the Boardmaker version. http://www.graphxkingdom.com/ Greengrocer.com.au Clear photos (already cropped on a white background!) of many everyday supermarket items http://www.greengrocer.com.au/ Pics for Learning Copyright free photos organized by category, educational focus: http://pics.tech4learning.com/ Sclera picto's Over 2000 black and white pictograms free to download and use. A great start for communication boards and simple PowerPoint games. Can also be used on almost any type of AAC device. Instructions on how to convert pictograms to colour, add borders and invert images using Microsoft Word and Paint programs. http://www.sclera.be/English/index.htm Symbol Selection - UW Augcomm Augmentative and Alternative Communication at the University of Washington, Seattle Information on the types of symbol sets available. http://depts.washington.edu/augcomm/original_modules/module_customizing/selecting_symbols.htm Tangible symbols Information on different types of symbols, ie objects or pictures that stand for or represent something about which we need to communicate. Also sell products to support symbol use. http://www.designtolearn.com/pages/ts.html

© Copyright Novita Children’s Services 2009 Statewide Complex Communication Needs Project - NovitaTech

The Visual Dictionary Free images, animations, videos on a series of topics such as the human body, biology, music, transport and clothing. http://www.infovisual.info/

Software: Accessible PowerPoint books http://www.setbc.org/setbc/accessiblebooks/freebooksforyou.html Accessible switch games Several games and stories that are accessible for students with special needs who use switches http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/ Help Kidz learn Free software and resources from inclusive technology including switch games, stories and creative activities http://www.helpkidzlearn.com/ Hiyah A series of educational computer software programs that children can operate on their own by simply pressing the spacebar. Developed by a parent. Free. http://hiyah.net/ Intellitools The Activity Exchange link of this web site provides hundreds of activities to use with Intellitools applications and IntelliKeys that have been created by teachers, parents, and specialists. http://www.intellitools.com Kidz CD Browser for children and Teenagers Free internet browser. Four versions available according to age group and feature access. http://kidzcd.com Kneebouncers Games and activities stimulate cause and effect: www.kneebouncers.com Mini Clip There are 100s of games on this site. Search for single click or single switch for simple games. http://www.miniclip.com Oatsoft – Open Source Assistive Technology Software A large number of free software programs designed for use to support people with disabilities. http://www.oatsoft.org/ One Switch One Switch has over 70 free switch games to download: http://www.oneswitch.org.uk/2/switch-downloads.htm Powerpoint Games PowerPoint Cause and Effect puzzle template. Simply change the background for another puzzle. Click here download puzzle template. More ideas on the web site. www.speechtx.com/Technology/powerpoint_games.htm

© Copyright Novita Children’s Services 2009 Statewide Complex Communication Needs Project - NovitaTech

Priory Woods School This school in the united kingdom has made some great activities for students with special needs. You can access them for free on this website. Go to the ‘resources’ and ‘kids only” sections for fun games and activities. http://www.priorywoods.middlesbrough.sch.uk/ Senswitcher – Northern Grid for Learning Free early switching program with a range of levels and settings: http://www.northerngrid.org/ngflwebsite/sen/intro.htm Talking Faces - Inclusive Technology Allows you to record speech and then plays it back through a choice of 7 characters with moving lips, including a person, santa, or an alien. Several other programs also on this site for free download. http://www.inclusive.co.uk/downloads/downloads.shtml Tar Heel Reader A free collection of easy-to-read books on a wide variety of topics. Each book is switch accessible and speech enabled, and can be downloaded as a slide show in PowerPoint, Impress, or Flash format. If you don’t find a book that suits your reader’s interests you can easily make your own book. http://tarheelreader.org/

Resources Resources for Adults with CCN Aphasia Assessment Materials Free assessment resources which also look at potential for using AAC for a person with aphasia. By Kathryn Garrett & Joanne Lasker. http://aac.unl.edu/screen/screen.html Visual Scene resources Free templates you can use Microsoft Publisher to create personalized communication books for people (for example adults with aphasia) using photographs. http://aac.unl.edu/intervention.html

Motor Neurone Disease / Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis State of the art communication for PALS A movie split into sections which describes various communication strategies for people with ALS as well as various access technologies. In foreign language with subtitles. http://www.als-communication.dk/ Turning Points in ALS The purpose of this web site is to provide stories from PALS (People with ALS) and care givers about turning points in their illness and how they handled these issues so others can find information, help, and encouragement. www.tpals.org

© Copyright Novita Children’s Services 2009 Statewide Complex Communication Needs Project - NovitaTech

Resource suppliers: Augmentative Resources Materials, aids and AAC devices to enhance communication and language. Catalogue can be downloaded from the website free of charge. Based in US http://www.augresources.com/ Attainment Company Sell a wide range of AAC resources. Based in US http://www.attainmentcompany.com/xcart/home.php Crick Sells Clicker 5 and other software for reading and writing. http://www.cricksoft.com Liberator Pty Ltd Supplier and repairs for Prentke Romich devices, eg Vantage, Springboard, Liberator 14. Adelaide based. www.liberator.net.au Mayer Johnson Supplier for Boardmaker software and other resource materials. www.mayerjohnson.com Novitatech Sell and repair a wide range of AAC products. Adelaide based www.novitatech.org.au Portacom Sells products for storing devices, symbols, boards. The Portacom System is a product line designed to take your AAC with you as you live your life at home, in school or out into the community. http://www.portacom.bc.ca/index.html Spectronics Supplier for a number of AAC products and communication devices. Australian based http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/ Technical Solutions Specialising in electronic devices for people with a disability. Australian based http://www.tecsol.com.au/ Last updated 26/02/09

© Copyright Novita Children’s Services 2009 Statewide Complex Communication Needs Project - NovitaTech