Speak Out OCTOBER 2021 DIGITAL EDITION

Association NEWS

Innovation Award winners During Speech Pathology Week the winners of the Association's Innovation Awards were announced. This year Jenna O'Brien received the award in the Innovation in Professional Practice category and Innovation in Research was awarded to Implementation and Evaluation of a Montessori Model of Care in Dementia Care Settings.

Innovation in professional practice

At Kids+, we have a strong belief that communication is

and a sibling of a young person who uses AAC. Just as importantly, these stakeholders take part in program delivery to provide first person perspectives and practical lived experience examples. AAConnect™ creates confidence and proficiency for AAC participants to both use, and advocate for the use of their device, wherever, whenever. In practice, AAConnect™ involves: • Families and support workers meeting on a weekly • Young people who use AAC catching up in group programs to develop strong and powerful voices. • Siblings coming together once a term to share experiences and develop skills and confidence to use their brother or sister’s device at home and in the community. Whilst it is still early days for AAConnect™ in regard to program design, development and delivery, this is what we’ve learned thus far: • Families feel supported and stronger when they can connect with a community that has similar experiences and challenges. Meeting other families who use AAC reduces the feelings of isolation and creates a support network. Explicitly discussing how to advocate for the use of a young person’s communication system within their community environments is crucial for lasting change. It takes time and commitment, but it is worth it. basis across a 10-week block to learn about evidence based implementation strategies. • Siblings are enormously powerful. They can be part of a generational shift. They want to be a part of the AAC journey, they just need the skills and confidence to play their role. At Kids+, AAConnect™ is making meaningful change for those who use AAC and their communities. We all have a role to play to build a world where communication diversity is understood and celebrated. This change can only occur when there is awareness and acceptance that communication is everyone’s business.

everyone’s business. Too often it is young people with complex communication needs that are asked to adapt and fit into a world that rarely takes the time to listen and truly hear their voices and contributions. We have a fundamental belief that it should be those around an individual

Jenna O'Brien

who uses Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) who need to make the change. Kids+ has created AAConnect™ because it takes a community, not an individual, to overcome the communication barriers that young people who use AAC encounter daily. Young people who use AAC have a lot to say! We’re keen on making sure they are heard. Having worked extensively with young people who use AAC across varying age groups, we’ve learnt that real transformation for young people using AAC comes when you inform and influence their unique family, social and community environments. AAConnect™ is a new approach to supporting the interests of young people who use AAC, focussed less on the individual, and more on the communities around them – parents, siblings, support workers, educators, the local sports coach, or shop assistant. The aim of AAConnect™ is to create an AAC community of practice where everyone can develop their skills, gain knowledge and confidence to support AAC use in everyday life. AAConnect™ includes group programs for children and young adults who use AAC to connect and build relationships, coupled with training programs for their parents, siblings, support workers and educators. The programs were co-designed by Speech Pathologists at Kids+, young adults who use AAC, and a parent

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Speak Out | October 2021