5 Quick Tips for School & Beyond

Spellers, are you looking for new and creative ways to help you organize and get through your day? Whether you have a few people supporting you or many on your team, here are 5 tips to help make your day run a bit more smoothly! 

1.Look into ‘To-Do’ Apps: Todoist or nTask 

When it comes to all the things you want to accomplish in a day, ensuring that everyone on your team knows what your plans are is essential! There are many apps available that can help organize and prioritize everything from homework to planning out your day. So not only can you keep all your ‘To-dos’ in one place on your device, you can invite your team members to join via theirs too. Changes made to your schedule are updated across devices so that everyone invited to your to-do list can stay informed!  *Recommend creating an account online  and then downloading the app on your phone. 

2. Shared Calendars: 

Whether you have people supporting you at school, home, or in the community, inviting them to a shared calendar is a great way to help everyone keep track of your activities & appointments. Google Calendar is just one of many cloud based platforms that allow multiple people to join and view your events, including live updates to your schedule. *Note to support staff and families: in an effort to keep agency and autonomy at the forefront while providing all manner of support, nonspeakers should be in charge of planning their schedules. In the case of littles, they should always have some degree of input in their schedules as well (i.e. down time, social engagements, or heading out into the community.) 

3. Apps for Typing on Worksheets: Snap Type Pro 

With younger students in mind, Snap Type Pro allows users to either take a picture or import worksheets and other documents onto an IPad to add typed text which can then be emailed directly to the teacher. *Note: If you spell via stencil or laminate boards, your support person can type in your responses instead.   

Screenshot of cell membrane worksheet uploaded into Snap Type

4. Text to Speech Apps: Natural Reader  

Whether it be a textbook or online article, text to speech apps help increase access to information via text. S2C Practitioner in Training, Stephanie Alfaro, from Los Angeles, California recommends Natural Reader which gives you the options of copying & pasting text, uploading documents, or even taking pictures of printed books. (This app also comes with customizable speech options too.)  

Screenshot of instructions on the Natural Reader app

5. DIY Sensory Toolkit:

What sensory inputs do you gravitate towards? Nonspeakers have unique sensory and regulatory needs and so be sure you have access to the tools you need to help you navigate your day. A DIY sensory toolkit can be custom made to fit into any size bag or backpack. And why not have more than one toolkit just in case? Creating kits for the car or classroom is another great way to be sure you’ll have what you need when you need it. And if it’s been awhile since you last updated your sensory toolkit, be sure to check out these ideas as well as the link below:  

~Push Poppers- comes in different sizes and shapes
~Theraputty- comes in different resistances
~DIY Lacing Cards
~Pipe Cleaners
~Pom Poms
~Twisting Cube Snakes
~Magna Boards
~Buddha Board
~Activity Books -enlarged paint by picture, words searches

What are some things that you have found useful when navigating your day? We’d love to hear more ideas from you and so feel free to share them in the comments section below! 

Body Engagers HQ (List) (google.com)

And also Check out William’s Tziavaras Blog on how early childhood education centers can be more inclusive.  

Fleeing the world of silence – I-ASC

Debbie Spengler is always looking for new ways to help her manage and navigate her busy days!

The mission of I-ASC is to advance communication access for nonspeaking individuals globally through training, education, advocacy and research.  I-ASC supports all forms of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) with a focus on methods of spelling and typing. I-ASC currently offers Practitioner training in Spelling to Communicate (S2C)with the hope that other methods of AAC using spelling or typing will join our association