Assistive Technology

Role:

• I provide 1:1 speech therapy services, working to progress target goals areas in expressive, receptive, and pragmatic language. Additionally, as needed and when available, I collaborate with various support staff to program, update, and troubleshoot student’s Augmentative & Alternative Communication (AAC) systems.

Education:

• Speech-Language Pathology Assistant Certificate, Northern Arizona University, 2014
• B.S. in Speech Sciences and Technology, Northern Arizona University, 2014

Specific Treatment Strategies, Equipment, or Expertise Utilized:

• Specific focus in Augmentative & Alternative Communication (AAC)
• Proficient in programming and use of various AAC programs including TouchChat, NovaChat, Proloquo2Go, LAMP, and GoTalkNow
• Teaching and modeling AAC use in classroom and clinical therapy settings

Continuing Education:

• Various AAC courses and in-person conference
• Intro to Assistive Technology for Pediatrics
• Out of Sync Child with Carol Stock Kronowitz

Career History:

• I started at L.I.F.E. in 2015 working first as a community direct support professional before coming on campus as a founding member of the Academy Resource Team and providing alternative and augmentive communication support. Recently, I transitioned to providing 1:1 speech therapy services and I continue to provide AAC support for the Academy. Before L.I.F.E. I worked in both public and private school settings, as well as a dedicated speech therapy clinic.

Personal Treatment Philosophy:

• I am an advocate for the growing neurodiversity and trauma-informed movements within the therapy and special education world, which has helped shape my own personal treatment ideas and approaches. When it comes to AAC use, I actively utilize and promote Aided Language Input. This is the notion that much like a foreign language, to teach AAC we have to speak it ourselves.

Personal:

• Lauren’s Institute is very important for me personally even outside of my career. My wife Katie has been an OT here for a number of years, and our daughter previously attended the preschool program as a peer model classmate. The idea of L.I.F.E. being a family atmosphere is even more true for me! Outside of work and family, I’m an avid video gamer and comic book reader.