Ruth Coenen

08/08/2025

Just taking a bit of a break 😊

05/08/2025

Just completed this lovely course from Smartbox Academy. If you want to know a bit more about voice banking and the importance of having access to a variety of different voices, this course is a good start.

14/07/2025

The AAC Exams Access website is now up and running. For more information, visit https://aac.examaccess.group/

08/06/2025

21/04/2025

A bit late, but I wanted to wish everyone a Happy Easter. This is one of the Easter hunts I managed to do with my little family during my time off.

13/04/2025

Anyone else enjoying this beautiful weather?
I am taking a break from work at the moment and just went out for a walk to get my steps in and managed to capture this beautiful view 😊.

06/04/2025

This week was Autism awareness day. Over the last few years, we have been raising a lot more awareness, but we still have a long way to go.

02/02/2025

Thank you so much for this lovely review. I really loved working in your nursery, and thank you for making me feel so welcome 😊

26/01/2025

Trust the process. Child-led play is such an important strategy. It makes sure you have your child's attention as it's an activity they enjoy. Start reducing questions during these interactions. Instead, use affirmative language. For example, avoid saying things like 'What's this?' say things like 'I can see a ...' Allow silence. It gives children time to process and respond. It gives us the opportunity to be a better observer and therefore a better communication partner.

17/11/2024

I decided to take a walk yesterday to just get away from the screen and give myself a bit of a break as it's been a very busy week. When I arrived at my local park, there were some mums with their children on the playground. I overheard this little boy saying the following during his play: 'I am running. I am running quickly. I am running for my life.' It just put a smile on my face. Don't you just love language development 😄

20/10/2024

We often talk about modelling AAC and modelling language. It's such an important strategy when developing language. We need to show our youngsters how to use it by using it ourselves. Point to the symbols, press the symbols whilst you talk. It is normal that in the beginning, we feel a bit insecure and struggle a bit finding the symbols immediately. This is especially the case when using a communication book or a vocabulary package on an electronic device. In these situations, you show the person that that's OK and they see how you problem solve in these situations. Someone once compared learning AAC to learning to play the piano. You will only learn it by using it. We communicate throughout the day in different environments, not just at snack time! So use it wherever you can 😊

Like this mainstream nursery, for example, where I recently introduced some communication boards to support one of my clients. I was so pleased to see during my next visit that they had taken it to the next level. Not only were the communication boards available near the activities, but they also attached some of the symbols to the toys to support the modelling of AAC. It's so great when AAC is being valued and accepted 😁