Avaz Inc. presents ‘Insights with Avaz’, a free webinar series all through October to celebrate AAC Awareness Month.
Date: Sep 30, 2021
THU, 5 – 6 PM IST
7:30 – 8:30 AM EST/EDT
4:30 – 5:30 AM PST/PDT
Critical Role of Family in the Child’s Communication Journey
Communication is a continuous process and the role of communication partner is as crucial as communication opportunities and demands. The session would look at these three important areas in transforming an emergent communicator to an independent communicator.
About Kalpana Rao
Principal of the Day Center and Head of the Communication Department at Vidya Sagar, Chennai. She is an expert in AAC with over 20 years experience and has conducted various training programs on AAC in Vietnam, Srilanka and Oman. She has presented many papers in International Conferences on AAC. She has been the secretary of ISAAC(International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication), India chapter, and has been a faculty for AAC for the Certificate course in Assistive Technology solutions held by NISH. Her dream is to have a world where no one is left behind for want of a mode of communication.”
Date: Oct 7, 2021
THU, 5 – 6 PM IST
7:30 – 8:30 AM EST/EDT
4:30 – 5:30 AM PST/PDT
Common AAC Implementation Pitfalls and Helpful Strategies to Correct Them
Parents often face challenges while introducing AAC to their children. There are several common pitfalls that can (unintentionally) limit the motivation and progress of AAC learners. In this webinar, we will explore a set of common pitfalls as well as effective strategies that can replace those pitfalls.
About Lauren S Enders
Lauren S. Enders, MA, CCC-SLP is an Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) and Assistive Technology (AT) Consultant working for the Bucks County, Pennsylvania, USA. She has more than 25 years of experience and is passionate about providing access to communication, and empowering parents and caregivers! She presents at leading national and international conferences, and has 10k followers on Facebook and 34K followers on Pinterest!
Date: Oct 14, 2021
THU, 5 – 6 PM IST
7:30 – 8:30 AM EST/EDT
4:30 – 5:30 AM PST/PDT
AAC through the day – ideas for implementing AAC at home
Home is where the heart of AAC implementation is and parents know their child best! This webinar will guide you on how you can make use of your daily routines and home schedules to teach language to your child using AAC. This includes easy to implement tips, activity ideas and implementation examples.
About Anjana Sathyabodha
Anjana Sathyabodha is an RCI certified Speech-Language Pathologist specialized in Autism and Augmentative & Alternative Communication (AAC). With over 10 years of experience, including 5 years in the UK, she now works as an independent practitioner in Bangalore, India providing tele-therapy services to families in need of AAC intervention. She works closely with organisations to offer an ongoing coaching support to implement AAC for students in need and is involved in creating courses and training programmes related to AAC. She is passionate about advocating for AAC and facilitating communication using a multimodal communication approach.”
Date: Oct 21, 2021
THU, 5 – 6 PM IST
7:30 – 8:30 AM EST/EDT
4:30 – 5:30 AM PST/PDT
Strategies for Helping Children Express and Deal with Emotions using AAC
Individuals with complex communication needs often struggle to communicate their emotions and feelings, sometimes resulting in challenging behaviors. This webinar will guide you with strategies to help them use AAC to:
- become aware of their feelings and emotions and express them
- deal with difficult feelings like anger and frustration
- learn coping mechanisms to deal with these feelings
About Akila Vaidyanathan
Akila Vaidyanathan holds a Masters in Psychology and has extensive experience working with children and Adults with Autism. She is the Founder-Director, AMAZE Charitable Trust (Coimbatore), an NGO focused on helping families navigate the disability maze through skill training programs and capacity building. She is the Vice President South, Founding Member, Autism Society of India. Mother to Nishant, an adult with Autism, she is a great advocate for the use of AAC and has helped many individuals, families and institutions across India implement AAC and AT solutions/programs successfully. She has conducted several training programs related to Behaviour management , Emotional Awareness and coping strategies as well.
