Meaghan Ebbage Taylor

Ace Centre

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Meaghan Ebbage-Taylor has 10 years’ experience working as a Special Educational Needs Teacher, implementing Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) within the classroom for learners with Speech, Language and Communication Needs. She now works as a Senior AAC Consultant at Ace Centre, a national charity which provides help and expertise in the field of AAC and Assistive Technology (AT).

MY SESSIONS

  Oct 23rd 2024
  10:00 - 10:30 a.m.    

The Use of Assistive Technology to Support Literacy for Learners with Complex Communication Needs

About session

Literacy for learners with Complex Communication Needs is fundamental to autonomous communication, empowering learners to say what they want to say, when they want to say it, to whoever they want to say it (Porter, 2007). The Comprehensive Literacy approach advocates that literacy learning begins at birth, and that ‘no student is too anything to learn to read and owrite’ (Yoder, 2000, ISAAC Conference).

Learners with Complex Communication Needs often have face barriers when accessing literacy learning. These learners benefits from Assistive Technology to support access to the curriculum.

During my presentation I will share examples of assistive technology within my own practice as a Special Educational Needs Teacher and AAC Consultant which have met the needs of learners with complex communication needs. This includes examples of both hardware and software.

Examples I have chosen to support the Comprehensive Literacy for All approach (Erickson & Koppenhaver, 2019), particularly for those who are emergent readers and writers. The interventions set out within this approach include letters and sounds, developing alphabet knowledge and phonological awareness; shared and independent reading; and shared and independent writing.

Erickson, K., & Koppenhaver, D. (2020). Comprehensive literacy for all: Teaching children with significant disabilities to read and write. Baltimore, MD: Brookes

Porter, G. (2007) Pragmatic Organisation Dynamic Display (PODD) communication books: Direct access templates Melbourne: Cerebral Palsy Education Centre