Tagged "self study"


Celebrating Autism Awareness Month With A New Course!

Posted by Deborah Grauzam on

"A Systematic Approach to Teaching Speech to Non-Vocal Individuals with Autism" (1.2 CEUs)

 TalkTools | self study

Developing functional speech in non-vocal clients with Autism as well as those with challenging behaviors can be one of the biggest challenges when they do not respond to traditional verbal modeling approaches.

Developed by TalkTools Instructors Renee Roy Hill, MS, CCC-SLP & Risca Solomon, MS, BCBA, this new course is a comprehensive program that combines principles of Applied Behavior Analysis with Oral Placement Therapy and is readily applicable to Speech Language Pathologists, Occupational Therapists and Behavior Analysts. It is available live since 2016, now online and in DVD.

For Behavior Analysts, the course demonstrates the importance of using specific techniques within hierarchies to develop the oral placement skills for speech and feeding. For Speech and Language Pathologists and Occupational Therapists, this course demonstrates techniques developed within the Applied Behavior Analysis field to maximize learning for functional speech using reinforcement based procedures. The course guides all participants through a complete program beginning with developing cooperation and ending with functional vocabulary. 

The course is offered for 1.2 ASHA & AOTA approved CEUs, or 12 Contact Hours.

Learning outcomes:

Participants will be able to: 

  • Describe how the science of Applied Behavior Analysis in conjunction with oral placement and tactile therapies can be used to teach non-verbal or non-imitative clients with autism to speak.
  • Identify the prerequisite skills necessary to teach vocal speech and apply 3-4 techniques in the applied behavior analysis research that have been used to develop vocalizations.
  • Describe the sequential steps of developing functional communication beginning with motivation, reinforcement, motor imitation and specific shaping strategies that can be used to maximize learning of functional speech.
  • Explain how many non-verbal clients with autism have underlying oral motor and motor planning deficits that should be addressed.
  • Apply specific task analyzed techniques to assist the therapist in applying TalkTools hierarchies to individuals with autism.
  • Identify the connection between oral placement skills and the motor aspects of speech
  • Apply specific sequential techniques to transition oral placement skills to functional speech for those clients not responding to traditional verbal modeling and shaping techniques.

Learn more 

And here is the best part: we are giving away 1 FREE online course / month. Enter now to participate!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Read more →

TalkTools News: On-demand Evaluations Now Available

Posted by Deborah Grauzam on

After being available for pre-sale for two weeks, 11 new Speech Clarity Evaluation for Therapy Planning Videos On-Demand were finally released yesterday. TalkTools is proud to be offering this innovative way to help Speech and Language Therapists and other professionals perfect their Continuing Education. We hope this technique will improve the way speech, oral-motor and feeding disorders are being treated, as well as facilitate the understanding of special needs.

Each video includes interviews with the referring SLP and parent of the client, an initial Oral Placement Therapy (OPT) evaluation with program plan, and a four month follow-up with a program plan update. The tool is intuitive and lets you go through your training easily and smoothly. You just have to watch the video and take the quiz online to earn your ASHA/AOTA CEUs.

Each video is unique in regards to the client, the diagnoses, and the program plans. The diagnoses treated are:

- Language and Intelligibility: A four-year-old female with the diagnosis of benign hypotonia with a multiple articulation disorder and hyper-nasality is being treated.

- Bilabial and Tongue-Tip Sounds: A four-year-old female with the diagnosis of benign hypotonia with a multiple articulation disorder characterized by an inter-dental production of bilabial and tongue-tip sounds is being treated.

- Speech and Language Delay - Short Frenum: A four-year-old male with the diagnosis of multiple articulation disorder with associated muscle weakness that reduces intelligibility on the conversational level is being treated.

- Speech/Motor Planning Disorder: A three-year-old male with the diagnosis of multiple articulation disorder with motor planning problems not severe enough to be diagnosed with Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) is being treated.

- Inter-dental Productions: A seven-year-old male with the diagnosis of inter-dental production of /t, d, l, n, s and z/ is being treated.

- Speech and Language Disorder: A three-year-old male with the diagnosis of multiple articulation disorder and a limited food repertoire is being treated. 

- Motor Planning with Dysarthria: A twelve-year-old male with the diagnosis of multiple articulation disorder secondary to a suspected neurological component is being treated.  He presents with a large gap between what he is saying and what the listener can understand.

- Transitioning from OPT to Speech: A six-year-old female with the diagnosis of inter-dental and lateral production of /s/, /z/, /∫/ (sh) and /t∫/ (ch) and “j” is being treated.

- Lateral /s/ and /z/: A six-year-old male with the diagnosis of multiple articulation disorder with lateral production of /s/ and /z/ is being treated.

- Lip Rounding and Tongue Mobility: A three-year-old male with the diagnoses of a) multiple articulation disorder with no lip rounding and reduced tongue mobility and b) poor chewing skills is being treated.

- Early Intervention Down Syndrome: An eight-month-old female with the diagnosis of Down Syndrome is being treated.

Videos are of various lengths. Videos of 2 hours get you 0.20 CEUs, videos of 2.5 hours get you 0.25 CEUs, and videos of 3 hours get you 0.30 CEUs. Price ranges vary from $55.00 to $75.00.

The other innovative thing is that previews are available for free and let you have a glimpse of what you will learn.

Enjoy!

Read more →

Continuing Education Courses (CE)

Posted by Deborah Grauzam on

TalkTools is approved by the continuing education board of the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) and American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) to provide Continuing Education courses.  Our ASHA approval allows TalkTools to provide continuing education courses in speech-language pathology and audiology.  Our AOTA approval approval permits TalkTools to provide live and online/video continuing education (CE) to occupational therapy practitioners.  The AOTA program is recognized by 30 state license boards. The TalkTools Continuing Education program is conveniently available online, on DVD, or live.
Read more →