Final Comments

Thank you so much, Barb. I have learned so much useful information about the AT world. I will continue to use Board Maker, hopefully it will be Board Maker plus. I also love the idea of creating video social stories. Video social stories are far more engaging and also have the potential to look more realistic and provides the creator with a thorough means of showing the student what their behaviour or what the situation will actually look like. You have also convinced me that iPod touch is the way to go for my student who is becoming non-verbal with his degenerative condition. The Jabbala, though a good match right now, is not a good option in the long run - mostly due to the cost, but iPod Touch with Proloquo2go is far more affordable. With practice for pressure of touch, etc. the student certainly could be successful using the iPod.

The most important message for me that you made me more keenly aware of is to "Presume Ability". This is a concept that we all need to adopt in our everyday lives. When we see someone with a disability on the street, when we have students in our classrooms who aren't verbal - we need to help them the best way we can to communicate, when we are simply speaking to someone or developing their curriculum - it needs to be age appropriate. I thank you especially for this message. It is quickly becoming a major aspect of my teaching philosophy.