LAMP words for life and the LAMP therapy approach - ATANZ PD event

About the presenter:

Sam Brydon is a speech language therapist with over 25 years of experience in the field of disability, including as a social worker. Sam originally trained and worked in England, before emigrating to Aotearoa in 2007. She has since worked for the Ministry of Education and at Patricia Avenue Specialist School in Hamilton. Last year Sam completed her doctoral studies at Massey University in the field of AAC. Sam first discovered LAMP when she was reading and researching for her PhD. She attended the first training in Aotearoa in 2019 and has since implemented and supported LAMP with many children and young people with complex communication needs and has been excited to observe how successful this approach can be with children who have previously struggled to use AAC. 

What is the LAMP therapy approach?

This 2-day workshop provides comprehensive instruction on the LAMP therapy approach, which was developed by John and Cindy Halloran, and Mia Emerson, and focuses on specific aspects of communication development with AAC that autistic children need support with. This therapy approach is particularly suited for use with LAMP Words for Life; however participants will find much of it useful for all autistic children and other children with developmental disabilities when implementing AAC. This includes information about helping the child to regulate and be ‘ready to learn’, finding shared passions and ‘joint engagement’, the use of modelling and prompting, and helping the child to find joy in communication. 

What is LAMP Words for Life®?

LAMP Words for Life® is a communication app that has been specifically designed with autistic children in mind, and is the partner app for the LAMP therapeutic approach, with a focus on learning words through unique and efficient motor plans. This app will be demonstrated and demystified throughout the 2 days, with plenty of opportunities for participants to practice and hone their skills at setting up, modelling, and using in a range of activities.

What to expect from the workshop :

• Day 1: Participants will learn about the theory underpinning the LAMP approach, the importance of multi-sensory convergence, and the 5 elements of the LAMP therapeutic approach, with plenty of opportunities for discussion and practice.
• Day 2: Participants will have the opportunity to explore the app, make changes and edit on the fly, access and use vocabulary builder in a meaningful practice situation. The workshop will then move to problem solving around some of the challenging situations that can present when implementing LAMP with children who have high support needs. This will be followed by a session on coaching communication partners to feel confident when supporting children who are using LAMP Words for Life®. The day will finish with ideas and practice around implementing LAMP Words for Life® in classroom situations.

At the end of the 2 days, participants should feel that they have a good understanding of the LAMP therapeutic approach, the importance of multi-sensory convergence, lots of ideas about how to engage autistic children in activities that promote communication, skills to use and edit LAMP Words for Life® as they implement it with children, and ideas for how they will support the important people around the child, both family and educators, during the AAC journey.

Registrations can be completed through the link HERE

(please note the different ticket options for the different locations)