Perspectives Spring 2015

PERSPECTIVES • SPRING 2015 19 OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY Fort Lauderdale Each October, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is celebrated around the world. The goal is to raise awareness about AAC and to teach the public about the many different ways in which people communicate, including using speech- generated devices. Last month, students in the Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT) Program had the opportunity to visit and meet speech language pathology (SLP) students at NSU’s Abraham S. Fischler School of Education. This fieldtrip was an effort to bring atten- tion to the interdisciplinary teamwork required for successful assessment and prescription of AAC and assistive technology (AT) use. The MOT stu- dents toured the Speech Language Pathology Clinic, were introduced to the services offered there, and had the opportunity to see the school’s cut- ting-edge Augmentative Communica- tion Education Lab. The most exciting part of the visit was meeting and interacting with 65- year-old Queenie Archer, a user of both AT and AAC, who has received AAC services in the past and is a life- long friend of the Speech Language Pathology Department. She is a poet, author, photographer, artist, and an inspiration to all who know her. She is also an individual with cerebral palsy, which limits her ability to speak and use her arms and legs. Archer’s needs in both AAC and AT have changed over the course of her lifetime. And so has technology. The past decade has brought signifi- cant advances in technology—more so than at any other point in time— particularly touch-screen technology. Recognizing both the advances in technology and the changing needs of clients like Archer led to a coordi- nated interdisciplinary effort between Dr. Carole Zangari of the SLP De- partment, Dr. Adrienne Lauer of the By Carole Zangari, Ph.D., CCC-SLP Professor, Programs in Speech Language Pathology and Principal Investigator, UM-NSU CARD (Center for Autism-Related Disabilities) Adrienne Lauer, Ed.D., OTR/L Assistant Professor Department of Occupational Therapy Lori Wise, M.S. Coordinator of Clinical and Educational Services, UM-NSU CARD (Center for Autism-Related Disabilities) 1. Class of 2015 Master of Occupational Therapy students with Lori Wise, Dr. Adrienne Lauer, and Queenie Archer. 2. AAC and AT user Queenie Archer. AAC? AT? Not Just a Bunch of Letters Continued on next page... 1 2