Blackmore fourth graders had the opportunity to see through the lens of the main character, Melody, in their class read-aloud book, Out of My Mind, on Feb. 21, 2025.
In the book, Melody has cerebral palsy which impairs her ability to move freely or speak, but she has a brilliant mind with photographic memory. Mrs. Hadley, the speech-language pathologist at Blackmore, visited students to teach them about Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices and how they can help people overcome communication challenges.
An AAC device is a tool that allows people with speech impairments to communicate by utilizing visual symbols, pictures, or text on a device that can then speak the words aloud. After learning about these devices, students were challenged to make their own communication boards and participate in some fun activities using their boards as their voice.
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