Two of our AAC consultants, Gabi and Mary-B, share their experience delivering bespoke training to the Children’s Disability Service, working in the West of Ireland in July. Read below to hear how they got on.

At the beginning of July we had the opportunity to deliver two days of bespoke training to the Children’s Disability Service working in the West of Ireland.

The training was split over two days. Day one provided an overview of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) to the multidisciplinary team including of Occupational Therapists, Social Workers, Psychologists, Speech and Language Therapy Assistants and newly qualified Speech and Language Therapists. The aim was to increase understanding of what AAC is and who it could be beneficial for, as well as increasing familiarity of a range of AAC systems and confidence supporting AAC users. Everybody had a go at modelling without expectation!

Day two was for Speech and Language Therapists and went into a deeper dive of AAC in practise including considerations during AAC assessment, selection and implementation. Dynamic AAC assessment was discussed in relation to case study examples, really highlighting the importance of considering individual needs and the demands of using AAC. Resources to support goal setting and selecting outcome measurements was also explored. There were some lovely conversations occurring between the Speech and Language Therapists, applying the knowledge and skills covered during the session to case examples as well as to their own clinical work.

It was lovely seeing everyone get so stuck in and involved across the two days. Everyone had the opportunity to get hands on with AAC – both paper-based and electronic. All involved got a chance to explore different ways to access electronic devices including eye gaze, head mouse, alternative mice, switches and keyguards. There was lots of discussion about how important it was for individuals to have access to both electronic and paper-based AAC.

 

It was brilliant seeing everyone so excited and enthusiastic about AAC!

We look forward to staying in touch and working alongside the Children’s Disability Services in the West of Ireland in the future – thank you so much for having us!

Our thanks to Gabi and Mary-B for sharing their experience. If you’d be interested in discussing bespoke training for your organisation, please contact us through our Bespoke Training page