Control Bionics was excited to present on three different topics at this year’s virtual Closing the Gap conference. The conference has extended online access to the presentations, and they are available for on-demand viewing through December 31st, 2021.
After registering for your free exhibit hall pass (through the end of 2021), access the sessions from Control Bionics below:
Accessing AAC: Flexible Options
“Be clear about your goal but be flexible about the process of achieving it” (Brian Tracy). For many individuals who use AAC, the goal is easily identifiable: communicate thoughts, feelings, wants, and needs more fully. Getting to the goal? That requires flexibility!
In this session, we will focus on flexible, or multi-modal, access to AAC. We will address how people with complex bodies use different access methods when fatigued, when position changes, when conditions progress, or simply to improve speed and accuracy. Examples will be provided using touch, the NeuroNode sensor, and eye control independently and in combination.
Xboxes, Robots, Dragons, and More: Tools for Improving Access
What do gaming, controlling robots, operating toys, and using iPhones/iPads have in common? For individuals with significant motor limitations, they provide an opportunity to have fun, be more independent and, in the process, develop a more accurate and efficient means of accessing a computer or communication device!
In this session, we will demonstrate the Context & Effect app with the NeuroNode as a means of playing multi-switch games, operating multi-function toys, controlling various actions on robots, and using iPhones/iPads without switching from device to device. Opportunities to use these tools to help assess access methods for computer or communication device use will be discussed as well.
Assessment and Implementation: One Student’s Profile
Meet J., a 15-year-old student with complex communication needs. In his AAC evaluation report, his SLP wrote, “For the first time in J.’s fourteen years, he had been able to communicate with his family. This has never before been possible.” Wow!
In this session, J.’s parents and school therapists will share the experience evaluating and trialing AAC systems that led to this statement. In addition, they will discuss the process of implementing the chosen AAC system in home and school environments. Come learn from their experience and leave with new ideas to try!
