JCPSLP Vol 14 No 2 2012

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100 JCPSLP Volume 14, Number 2 2012 Journal of Clinical Practice in Speech-Language Pathology
Complex communication needs
Syndrome: A Guide for Parents and Professionals (by
Maryanne Bruni; Woodbine House, Bethesda, MD, 2006;
pp. 186–187). The ACT-NOW fact sheet 32 “Using visual
supports in the preschool environment: Timetables &
schedules” also has useful, straightforward information on
how to use visual schedules.
devpsych/actnow/download/factsheet32.pdf
Yooralla Early Childhood Services (ECS) support
families with children who have a disability or
developmental delay prior to school entry (0–6
years). Yooralla’s philosophy is one that embraces a family-
centred approach recognising that families are children’s
first and most influential teachers. Support is provided
within everyday settings and routines, through home visits
and/or visits to community settings such as playgroup,
childcare, and kindergarten. Families can, if they choose,
also participate in parent support, siblings’ and dads’
groups. We aim to improve the quality of life for families
who have a child with a disability.
In addition to speech pathologists, the Yooralla ECS
team includes specialist early childhood teachers,
physiotherapists, occupational therapists, program
assistants, psychologists, and social workers.
1 Visual schedules
Visual schedules using pictures or photos are highly useful
in assisting children and their families to be prepared, make
choices, and plan routines and everyday activities. Visual
schedules can increase a child’s awareness of available
activity choices and routines and can assist in reducing
anxiety. They can enable children to be better prepared for
any unexpected changes to routine and assist them to
independently transition more easily between a greater
range of activities. Visual schedules are often used at home
as well as in community settings.
Parent-friendly information on transitions and schedules
can be found in Fine Motor Skills for Children with Down
Our Top 10 resources for
working with children with
complex communication
needs
Yooralla Early Childhood Services Speech Pathology Team
Yooralla ECS Speech Pathology Team
2 Boardmaker
Where would speech pathologists be without Boardmaker?
Boardmaker is a computer software program produced by
Mayer-Johnson that allows the user to generate pictures for
thousands of vocabulary items. Boardmaker is used
extensively across Yooralla ECS not only by the speech