OMazing Kids AAC Consulting

Contests & Giveaways on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsContestsandGiveaways

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/#omazing-kids-yoga

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/110305433538768736741

Boardmaker Share: http://www.boardmakershare.com/Community/FriendsProfile/10916/Angela-Moorad

https://www.facebook.com/112865048767286/photos/a.537071919679928.1073741827.112865048767286/724085767645208/?type=1&theater

OMazing Kids LLC is an organization that promotes inclusive wellness activities for kids of all abilities. The blog and social media pages share information about books, DVD’s, CD’s, games and other products specifically designed for kids wellness, mindfulness and relaxation, product reviews & giveaways, lesson plan & activity ideas, research, kids wellness in the news and a connection corner with listings of individuals doing adapted yoga and those offering trainings.

NOTE: Please ignore any ads that appear below the wavy blue divider bar or any ads or unusual hyperlinks that may appear above. This is a free blog site & I have no control over ads appearing here. I have attempted to remove the CouponDropDown but no luck so far…. DO NOT click on any hyperlinks unless you hover above them first to insure they are valid. Ones I included should appear in blue font.

What’s in your AAC toolbox?

Posted on October 22, 2014 by OMazing Kids

AAC toolbox

What’s the best AAC app? What’s the best dedicated speech generating device? What’s the best case? What’s the best ______…..

Several times a week I am either asked this question or I see it posted in one of the many AAC Facebook groups I follow.

Occasionally it seems to end up in a rather heated debate of ______ vs. ________.

This is counterproductive. Although there are key best practices when considering AAC options, there is not any one best AAC option (or one best therapy approach, or one best anything) when it comes to best meeting individual needs.

I have added a lot of tools to my toolbox over my 25+ year career as a speech-language pathologist. There have been pivotal moments where new tools were added that forever changed my perspective. Although shiny new tools may be exciting they did not replace the old tried & true tools. The exciting thing about tools is that you can use them together to build & repair. Would it make sense to ask “What’s better…. a hammer or a drill? a saw or a tape measure? a wrench or a flashlight? Of course not. Each tool has it’s specific purpose. You select the tool based on what job you need to accomplish.

The show Handy Manny comes to mind. The tools don’t compete with each other. They work together.

Handy Manny: We Work Together

Okay Tools we’ve got a job to do
Let’s get going and fix it right
Twist and turn, make it tight
Trabajamos juntos
We work together now
Cut it
Measure it
Tap it flat
Bend and twist
Just like that
Each of us has a special job
We work together
Todos juntos
We can fix it right

All states in the USA are supposed to have an Assistive Technology Lending Library program where parents & professionals can borrow AAC devices, iPads with AAC apps & other AT for short-term trial. It’s a great way to try various options out before making purchasing decisions. There are lots of great AAC devices & lots of great AAC apps…. but like anything there is no magical solution that meets every child’s specific needs. That’s why doing a good feature-match and trial of options is critical.

Find the AT Lending Library in your state: https://www.at3center.net/state-at-programs

Happy AAC Awareness Month!

Below the green divider is an update on 11/15/25: I wrote this blog post over a decade ago and it still rings true. I’ve added even more tools (many creative and unconventional) to my AAC Toolbox and continue to embrace using a variety of creative combinations of them to meet individual needs. And some of the best “tools” are taking time to “just be with” the individuals you are supporting, getting to know and honoring all the ways they communicate, and presuming that everyone communicates in some way and has the potential to learn to use additional options that are meaningful to them.

Looking for in-depth AAC feature matching resources? See this blog post: https://bit.ly/5aacFeatureMatchingResources. That post also includes videos comparing the best AAC apps on various devices on various platforms.

Looking for more AAC resources? Check out the Resource Links page here on my blog: https://omazingkidsllc.com/omazing-kids-aac-resource-links

Have a question? The best way to reach me is via Facebook messaging over on my OMazing Kids page: https://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsAAC/

Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP, Founder of OMazing Kids, LLC, OMazing Kids AAC Consulting

• Teachers Pay Teachers Store: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Omazing-Kids-Aac-Consulting

• YouTube: https://youtube.com/user/amoorad1

• Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/omazingkidsaac

• OMazing Kids AAC Consulting Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsAAC/

• AppPeeps Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/OMazingKidsAppPeeps/

• GoTalk Now AAC & GoVisual Visual Scene Apps – Ideas and Sharing Facebook Group: https://bit.ly/GoTalkNowAACappGroup

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/omazingkidsaac

• X (formerly Twitter): https://www.x.com/amoorad

• Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/OMazingKids/

• Linktree: https://linktr.ee/amoorad1

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelamooradomazingkidsaac

• AppRaven AAC App Collections: https://bit.ly/AAConAppRaven

• Blog: https://omazingkidsllc.com / Resource Links page: https://omazingkidsllc.com/omazing-kids-aac-resource-links

Cute & Trendy AAC ~ think like MacGyver + involving users in customizing their AAC

Posted on October 6, 2014 by OMazing Kids

Thanks to Ability Connection Oklahoma one of my sweet 12 year old patients received an iPad Mini with the Speak for Yourself AAC app in a ChatWrap case by Saltillo Corporation!

Several of my coworkers commented “How cute!” as they saw me assembling it on Friday…. first time I’ve ever heard AAC described as “cute”. Love it! There is no reason why AAC can’t be cute & trendy. The white case with the light purple edge definitely adds a cute feminine look to a white iPad Mini. But the strap that comes with it is black and not dainty enough for this girlie girl.

So I put on my MacGyver thinking cap. Ever since attending a Linda Burkhart workshop back in 1993 I have built quite a stash of items with the intent of someday using them for another purpose. {If you ever have the opportunity to attend a Linda Burkhart workshop sign up as quickly as you can. She’s been doing Assistive Technology & AAC before the internet, cell phones or iPads were invented. She’s a guru of low-tech solutions & the original MacGyver in the special needs world}

After rummaging through my closets & drawers I found everything I needed to make a stylish lightweight shoulder strap worthy of this sweet 12 year old patient’s new AAC device.

I decided to repurpose an old Vera Bradley Pedal Pink belt (circa 2006) into a carrying strap. My mom had used it as a belt then passed it on to me. I used it as a belt but hadn’t worn it in several years. It almost made it into the donation pile a couple of times…. but my MacGyver/Linda Burkhart mindset said “No that would make the perfect strap for a PECS book or AAC device some day”.

I forgot to take a pic of the belt before I started deconstructing it so here’s one I found on e-Bay:

Here’s my kitchen table with all my MacGyver supplies:

It took less than an hour to transform the old belt & parts from an old duffel bag strap into a new carrying strap and cost $0.00 since these were all things I’ve had laying around my house for years. I don’t own a sewing machine so it’s assembled with heavy duty iron-on stitch witchery fusible tape and then hand sewn. I’m pretty sure this sweet patient will be the only owner of this combo of a white iPad Mini + Speak For Yourself + ChatWrap Case w/ purple “boot” edging + a custom-made Vera Bradley carrying strap 🙂

If you were a 12 year old girl, which carrying strap would you like? Which one would help your AAC device look cute & fashionable? Which one would promote attachment to the device and confidence in carrying it? The Vera Bradley one of course! Since many AAC devices are abandoned these are important things to consider. Hmmm…. I wonder if developing AAC fashion accessories could be a retirement career?

https://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsAAC/photos/a.191017694282577/821747994542874/?type=3

AirDrop totally rocks…. and so does my sweet 12 year old patient. I’ve spent the past week seeing her an hour every day to work on programming & training in use of her speech generating device (an iPad Mini with the Speak for Yourself AAC app in a ChatWrap case by Saltillo Corporation). As a SLP I tend to explain everything I’m doing & include patients in decisions regarding their AAC. After all it’s her voice not mine. Her school has been fabulous about texting me photos of staff & classmates. Totally LOVE how easy it is to AirDrop them from my iPad or iPhone to this patient’s iPad Mini. This is by far the most personalized AAC I’ve done so far in my 24+ year career as a SLP. All because it’s so easy to save pics to the iPad camera roll, import them from another iPad or iPhone using AirDrop & then upload them into SFY. Guess what this sweetie did today after being included in the process of adding customized buttons to SFY over the past week?! As I was working on saving a button we had just customized, her iPad Mini went “ping”. Up pops the message to accept a picture via AirDrop. OMG…. as she was looking through pictures from the movie Charlie St. Cloud on my iPad she had independently found one she liked, saved it to my iPad’s camera roll, opened the camera roll, tapped on the send arrow, waited for AirDrop to appear & then tap on it to send it to her iPad Mini. Let’s see…. I’m counting about 6 steps in that process. The cool thing us that I didn’t spend time specifically teaching her how to do that but I guess after spending a week with me narrating aloud and including her in the process it “stuck”.

See this blog post for a cute carrying bag for the iPad: https://omazingkidsllc.com/2021/07/27/pretty-carrying-bag-for-an-ipad/

—————–

Updated contact info 6/28/21:

Have questions? The best way to reach me with any questions is via messaging on the OMazing Kids Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsAAC/. That way messages don’t get lost among the spam in my e-mail.

Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP, Founder of OMazing Kids, LLC, OMazing Kids AAC Consulting

Teachers Pay Teachers Store: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Omazing-Kids-Aac-Consulting

Ko-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/omazingkidsaac

Personal Professional Facebook Page (linked to OMazing Kids): https://www.facebook.com/angela.moorad (adding “friends” who have a direct role in AAC or Assistive Technology – AAC / AT app or product developers, AAC / AT consultants, SLPs who specialize in AAC, other professionals who specialize in AAC or AT, etc.)

OMazing Kids AAC Consulting Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsAAC/

AppPeeps Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/OMazingKidsAppPeeps/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/omazingkidsaac/

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/amoorad

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/amoorad1

NOTE: Please ignore any ads that appear below the crayons divider bar or any ads or unusual hyperlinks that may appear above. This is a free blog site & I have no control over ads appearing here. I have attempted to remove the CouponDropDown but no luck so far…. DO NOT click on any hyperlinks unless you hover above them first to insure they are valid. Ones I included should appear in blue font.

Embarking on an AAC Voyage ~ Keep Sailing

Posted on October 5, 2014 by OMazing Kids

“To reach a port, we must sail – sail, not tie at anchor – sail not drift.”

How does this quote relate to ‪Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) & AAC Awareness‬? I’m glad you asked!

It is not okay to get stuck in the whirlpool of “proving” a child has met some outdated “prerequisites” before implementing meaningful communication.

It is not okay to set anchor at the “Cape of No Hope”… where assumptions are made on the child’s diagnosis and expectations set low.

It is not okay to drift at sea with no clear goals to get meaningful communication options in place.

We must ‪presume competence & work together to sail the ship to port. All aboard…. the ‪AAC ship is setting sail 🙂

Happy AAC Awareness Month! Follow the journey under the hashtags #AACfamily #AACawareness #BecauseOfAAC & #PresumeCompetence.

Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP, IAYT, RCYP-2

Speech-Language Pathologist

Founder of OMazing Kids, LLC – inclusive wellness activities for kids of all abilities

Radiant Child Yoga Certified – Levels 1 & 2

E-Mail: amoorad1@juno.com

Contests & Giveaways on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsContestsandGiveaways

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/#omazing-kids-yoga

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/110305433538768736741

Boardmaker Share: http://www.boardmakershare.com/Community/FriendsProfile/10916/Angela-Moorad

Core Vocabulary – App of the Week: Baking Fun by Kujifun

App Reviews on The Appy Ladies: http://theappyladies.com/?s=Moorad

Posting Apps & Special Needs Resources on The Appy Ladies on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheAppyLadies

crayons divider

Core Vocabulary – App of the Week & free printable booklet: Baking Fun by Kujifun

Posted on August 25, 2014 by OMazing Kids

I attended a fabulous “Therapeutic use of the iPad” training sponsored by the Down Syndrome Association of Central Oklahoma on Saturday. Stefanie Barker-Olson from Little Light House & Camber Moulton from Oklahoma Assistive Technology Center inspired me to look for more ways to target Core Vocabulary while using apps in therapy. During a break, I found this fun Baking Fun app from Kujifun that had just been reduced from $1.99 -> FREE. What else does a SLP tech geek do on the weekend…. play with the app, come up with the following vocabulary to target: big, close, done, empty, full, go, help, hot, in, little, more, my, on, open, out, stir, stop, turn, your and create a “list of words to teach” in the PRC Words For Life #AAC #App. Can’t wait to use this with several kids in OMazing Kids speech therapy at the J.D. McCarty Center this week!

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bakingfun-for-kids/id711666913?mt=8 – at the time of this post this app was still free. App prices change quickly so be sure to check the price before you download.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/lamp-words-for-life/id551215116?mt=8. I use lots of other AAC apps. This just happens to be the one that I am using with two outpatients that I had in mind when I found this app & made this core words booklet 🙂

I was inspired by this post on the Uncommon Sense Blog to make a Core Words Vocabulary booklet to go with the app:

Making Bread – Core Vocabulary booklet to go with the Baking Fun app – 21-page PDF. I’m planning on downloading the booklet into iBooks and use it there rather than printing. I’ll have one iPad with the AAC app open & a second iPad with the the Baking Fun app & Core Vocabulary Booklet open. I’m going to model use of core vocabulary as we play with the app and then follow up with the Core Vocabulary Booklet. If you want to print it, here is a MS Word version set up to print 2 pages per letter sized sheet. Then cut the page in half and staple together: Making Bread – Core Vocabulary booklet to go with the Baking Fun app (will print 2 pages per sheet).

See the OMazing Kids printables “terms of use” here: https://omazingkidsllc.com/printables-terms-of-use/.

#CoreVocabulary #AugComm

————————

Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP, IAYT, RCYP-2
Speech-Language Pathologist
Founder of OMazing Kids, LLC – inclusive wellness activities for kids of all abilities
Radiant Child Yoga Certified – Levels 1 & 2
E-Mail: amoorad1@juno.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga
Contests & Giveaways on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsContestsandGiveaways
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/amoorad
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/amoorad1
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/OMazingKids/
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/#omazing-kids-yoga
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/110305433538768736741
Boardmaker Share: http://www.boardmakershare.com/Community/FriendsProfile/10916/Angela-Moorad
Blog: http://omazingkidsllc.com
App Reviews on The Appy Ladies: http://theappyladies.com/?s=Moorad
.
OMazing Kids LLC is an organization that promotes inclusive wellness activities for kids of all abilities. The blog and social media pages share information about books, DVD’s, CD’s, games and other products specifically designed for kids wellness, mindfulness and relaxation, product reviews & giveaways, lesson plan & activity ideas, research, kids wellness in the news and a connection corner with listings of individuals doing adapted yoga and those offering trainings.
.

Note: Ignore any ads or links that appear below. This is a free blog and I have no control over the ads.

Review w/ video: ChatWrap Case for iPad Mini

Posted on August 8, 2014 by OMazing Kids

Watch this video for a quick overview of the features, size & weight of the ChatWrap for iPad Mini by Saltillo. If you have any difficulty watching the embedded video, go directly to YouTube by clicking the pic below or using this link: http://youtu.be/Diq8NuFnN6c

This case is incredibly lightweight, slim & has awesome amplification quality through the attached Bluetooth speaker!

I’ve been a pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist for 24 years and have seen LOTS of AAC devices and cases and this one is quite unique. Definitely worth considering if you are looking for voice amplification to turn your iPad Mini into a speech-generating device while not adding excess bulk or weight.

case weight = .7 lb
total weight with iPad Mini in it = 1.4 lbs
thickness at the tallest portion is only about 1.5 inch (about 2/3 the height of a dollar bill)
an extra kickstand is available (3.5 inches tall, holds device at 45 degree angle)
extra colored “boots” are available to personalize the case
the volume can get very loud. At full volume, the ChatWrap attached Bluetooth speaker gets as loud as 95dB. This is based on a trial with the phrase “AAC should be cute” with the following three options set at the maximum volume in the same office environment and measured with the Decibel 10th app at 2 feet away: iPad Mini speaker (72dB), ion Clipster (85dB), ChatWrap for iPad Mini (95db). [This test was inspired by this post on the Uncommon Sense blog: http://niederfamily.blogspot.com/2014/09/comparison-of-volume-intensity-in-ipad.html%5D

See more details & ordering info online at www.chatwrap.com.

Disclaimer: I did not receive any compensation for this review and do not have any affiliation with any AAC company or app developer. Please consult with your child’s SLP or AAC team when deciding on the best case for their needs. I am providing this overview solely as a means to get more details out there for folks to make informed purchasing decisions.

Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP, IAYT, RCYP-2

Speech-Language Pathologist

Founder of OMazing Kids, LLC – inclusive wellness activities for kids of all abilities

Radiant Child Yoga Certified – Levels 1 & 2

E-Mail: amoorad1@juno.com

Contests & Giveaways on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsContestsandGiveaways

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/#omazing-kids-yoga

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/110305433538768736741

Boardmaker Share: http://www.boardmakershare.com/Community/FriendsProfile/10916/Angela-Moorad

There Was a Speech Teacher Who Swallowed Some Dice – free 3-page PDF printable made by OMazing Kids

App Reviews on The Appy Ladies: http://theappyladies.com/?s=Moorad

Posting Apps & Special Needs Resources on The Appy Ladies on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheAppyLadies

crayons divider

Book Review & Free Printable Story Props: There Was a Speech Teacher Who Swallowed Some Dice

Posted on August 6, 2014 by OMazing Kids

I am a huge fan of all the books loosely based on the story “There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly”…. I actually prefer them over the original. So imagine my delight to see there is now one with a SLP theme!

For folks who might get cranky over the term “speech teacher”….. get over it. That’s what kids usually call you if you work in a school and the full term “speech-language pathologist” doesn’t really flow well in the context of this type of book title or repeated readings in the story.

Any speechie who has ever done school-based therapy will get a kick out of this book. I laughed out loud several times! I love that the author included info about the items mentioned in the book. This book would be a fun way to introduce new students to some things they might see in speech therapy. She also includes a scavenger hunt check list.

I bought my copy of the book on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/There-Speech-Teacher-Swallowed-Some/dp/1500214949. See more about the author on her websites: http://www.patmervine.com/home.html & http://www.speakingofspeech.com/.

I always make story props to go with these types of books and had fun finding pics online for the 17 items she swallows in the book. Here is the link to the free printable:

See the OMazing Kids printables “terms of use” here: https://omazingkidsllc.com/printables-terms-of-use/

This printable is being provided free in gratitude for the countless free items that I have used from the Speaking of Speech website and just because that’s how this speechie rolls 🙂

Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP, IAYT, RCYP-2

Speech-Language Pathologist

Founder of OMazing Kids, LLC – inclusive wellness activities for kids of all abilities

Radiant Child Yoga Certified – Levels 1 & 2

E-Mail: amoorad1@juno.com

Contests & Giveaways on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsContestsandGiveaways

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/#omazing-kids-yoga

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/110305433538768736741

Boardmaker Share: http://www.boardmakershare.com/Community/FriendsProfile/10916/Angela-Moorad

App Reviews on The Appy Ladies: http://theappyladies.com/?s=Moorad

Posting Apps & Special Needs Resources on The Appy Ladies on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheAppyLadies

crayons divider

Pogg Package App Giveaway

Posted on July 7, 2014 by OMazing Kids

Woo Hoo! SLPeeps LOVE the Pogg app as a fun way to work on verbs so I was thrilled to see that the developer has a brand new app “Pogg Cards” that includes actions & spatial concepts!

Enter to win these 2 fabulous apps over on the OMazing Kids Facebook page:

————————

Note: Ignore any ads or links that appear below. This is a free blog and I have no control over the ads.

Hoberman Sphere-Like App ~ grab it while it’s FREE

Posted on June 29, 2014 by OMazing Kids

This fabulous breathing app reminds me of a Hoberman Sphere…. app prices change quickly so grab it while it’s FREE (normally $3.99): https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/breathing-zone-relaxing-breathing/id369838631?mt=8

#justbreathe #yoga #kidsyoga #app #relaxation

————————

Note: Ignore any ads or links that appear below. This is a free blog and I have no control over the ads.

Free CEUs for SLPs

Posted on June 14, 2014 by OMazing Kids

I was sad to hear that LinguiSystems will no longer be offering free CEUs (apparently due to the founders retiring & selling the company). In doing a quick search online I found several other options for SLPs to get free CEUs:
http://www.passy-muir.com/ceu
http://www.superduperinc.com/CEU/courses/default.aspx
http://www.mayer-johnson.com/training/recorded/
http://www.dynavoxtech.com/training/online/
http://www.interactivemetronome.com/index.php/free-introductory-courses.html
https://www.aphasia.com/learning-assessments
http://freeceus.wordpress.com/category/speech-therapy/

Northern Speech Services offers free CEUs for peer reviewers: http://www.northernspeech.com/ecourses/peer-review.php

I’ll be adding more resources as I find them to this post on the OMazing Kids Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=756018587782482&set=a.433610663356611.117461.174264525957894&type=1.

grass-green-divider-bar

Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP, IAYT, RCYP-2

Speech-Language Pathologist

Founder of OMazing Kids, LLC – inclusive wellness activities for kids of all abilities

Radiant Child Yoga Certified – Levels 1 & 2

E-Mail: amoorad1@juno.com

Contests & Giveaways on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsContestsandGiveaways

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/#omazing-kids-yoga

Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/110305433538768736741

Boardmaker Share: http://www.boardmakershare.com/Community/FriendsProfile/10916/Angela-Moorad