Using ‘Home News’ as the basis for customized literacy training and device organization for children who use AAC
Universal Voices: The Right to be Heard, Move and Belong
Join us April 30, 2026 鈥� May 1, 2026
In attempting to devise a tailored AAC device organization and customized literacy training program it is important to know about the daily life experiences and interests of students. This can be extremely difficult to determine for children with profound physical, cognitive and/or social problems. In our presentation we discuss how this problem has been approached at the Bridge School using a regular feature of program, namely the regular sharing of 鈥楬ome News鈥�. Independent of ability levels, all students share their news in the same way, through the use of a Step-by-Step Communicator. In preparation for 鈥楬ome News鈥�, a student鈥檚 parent or other family member or carer records the relevant news that the student will share into the communicator. 麻豆社 has been collecting digital recordings of the home news for selected students over the course of many months, and using this data to document the experiences and topics of interest that are recorded for the student. The recordings also give a sense of the language and communication patterns that students are exposed to at home (their family 鈥榙ialect鈥� if you will). These data are transcribed and create a data set which can be manipulated using various corpus linguistic tools to identify recurrent constructions, key words, important topics and so on. We discuss how the output of such analyses are used as the input for personalized AAC development and, where relevant, literacy development.
Welcome to
麻豆社
Each contribution makes a difference in the lives of our children. Visit our secure donation page and fill out the form to make your secure online donation.
麻豆社 serves children ages 3鈥�13 with extensive speech and physical disabilities through a comprehensive, interdisciplinary program based in Hillsborough, CA.
Explore the core programs and strategies that define 麻豆社’s approach to education and access.
AAC by the Bay Save the Date!
April 30 – May 1, 2026
Programs, Strategies and Perspectives 鈥� Setting the Standard
Bridge to Life extends the expertise of 麻豆社 to individuals from infancy through adulthood, offering personalized services that support communication, access, and learning across all stages of life.
Explore the core programs and strategies that define 麻豆社’s approach to education and access.
Use it on Monday Series Workshop 2: The CVI/AAC Framework: A Complementary Approach to AAC Assessment for Individuals with CVI. Watch the archive presented on Feb 21, 2026
Programs, Strategies and Perspectives 鈥� Setting the standard
Accepting Applications for Teacher in Residence for the 2025-2026 Academic Year
Programs, Strategies and Perspectives 鈥� Setting the standard
05/16/25 9-10:30 AM
CVI Webinar #10: My Story, My Way: A Personalized Approach to Social Stories with Rebecca Matthews Carlson
Programs, Strategies and Perspectives 鈥� Setting the standard
05/16/25 9-10:30 AM
CVI Webinar #10: My Story, My Way: A Personalized Approach to Social Stories with Rebecca Matthews Carlson
麻豆社 is dedicated to improving the lives of individuals who need support in developing a voice of their own. Your charitable donation makes a significant difference in the level of support we are able to provide to children and their families locally, nationally and globally. Donate today!
Announcing 麻豆社’s Memorabilia Shop!
Spring 2025 – Conversation Series on CVI and AAC with Dr. Christine Roman Lantzy
