AACtivity Story Time brings symbol and sign language infused stories to life for AAC users of all ages and abilities. This class, along with AAC Accessible Yoga and AACtivity WOW! (Word of the Week) are open to the public. Check out www.ciconnectclasses.com for more information and updated class schedules!
We developed three weekly classes for AAC users. Curriculum was designed and facilitated by both SLP and OT practitioners who treat in the AACcelerate program. Our AACtivity Hour class- es include a core word of the week class, an AAC story time, and AAC infused adapted yoga. CI Connect classes will continue to be prevalent as part of the services at our facility. The classes will allow us to supplement the therapy services provided in AAC- celerate, to provide short respite opportunities to families, and to increase our geographic reach as all classes are open to the public. THERAPIST TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES Adoption of the telehealth platform for both traditional and high-frequency AAC has already vastly improved the interdisci- plinary training opportunities for the generalists practitioners in our company. The ease of access to both online training materi- als and opportunities for remote observation in the AACcelerate program has the potential to result in a larger pool of service providers across our company who demonstrate the competen- cies required for treatment in this specialized program. This has positive implications for program PTO coverage and the expan- sion of the program to a larger variety of clinic locations. Anoth- er silver lining of tele-AAC during the COVID-19 pandemic is the increasing frequency of AAC co-treatment sessions provided by
SLP and OT pairs via telepractice, and the opportunity to pair novice AAC practitioners with a seasoned therapist regardless of physical clinic location. This natural interdisciplinary mentorship opportunity will improve the quality of our AAC services both in and out of the AACcelerate program.
FUTURE DIRECTIONS: LASTING PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT IMPACT
The unexpected challenges created by the COVID-19 crisis have resulted in many exciting long-term program evolutions and potentially permanent program component additions. Throughout the summer months, we will be continuing with our typical data collection for the AACcelerate program, which includes utilization of goal attainment scaling to determine clin- ical program success, parent satisfaction feedback surveys, and treating therapist feedback surveys and interviews. This data will be utilized to determine the pros and cons of the AACcel- erate program on the telehealth platform, and will contribute to continuous quality improvement measures implemented in the future. As we look towards the growth and movement of the program throughout the fall and beyond, we are excited to have the opportunity to integrate telehealth components we have developed as a result of this crisis to supplement and improve upon the AACcelerate program as it is offered in the clinic set-
32
www.closingthegap.com/membership | August / September, 2020 Closing The Gap © 2020 Closing The Gap, Inc. All rights reserved.
BACK TO CONTENTS
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator