I am very pleased to announce that I have completed the LAMP training through the Center for AAC & Autism aacandautism.com and am the second certified LAMP professional in Mississippi. The Center for AAC and Autism is helping more and more children learn to communicate using speech generating devices AKA Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC).

LAMP stands for Language Acquisition through Motor Planning and is a therapy tool to help children with autism and other related disabilities to learn and use language to communicate. I personally have been using LAMP in the classroom for over four years and have been excited to help children not only learn to communicate better, but also increase communications by using core vocabulary. Core vocabulary are the words that are most used in every day speech. It helps kids with disabilities get “more bang for their buck” when communicating by teaching fewer words with higher rates of generalization. LAMP has a large focus on core vocabulary such as every day verbs and pronouns with less of a focus on teaching nouns. By focusing on core vocabulary, kids are able to communicate in more settings and with more activities because they are not pigeonholed into words like “cookie, hat, or Elmo” that only have one meaning. A typical core word LAMP may teach instead is “that” which after taught, can translate into many different scenarios and items. What a better use of a word!

To learn more about LAMP, check out aacandautism.com or join the Center for AAC & Autism on facebook!

What does this mean for the Jackson Autism Center? JAC will be able to help more children learn to communicate using AAC and LAMP! I am so excited about being able to help teach more children how to communicate. If you are interested in learning more, please fill out the information on my contact page: contact me.