Communication Horizons Speech Therapy

10/26/2025

We loved hanging with our community at ’s amazing Halloween festival — candy, prizes, friends old and new, and lots of AAC awareness! 💬✨
Big thanks to our rockstar former intern Jody for joining us — we can’t wait for her to officially join our team in December! 💙

10/25/2025

We’re so psyched to be here supporting today until 4PM! Come say hi and play our Plinko game to win a prize!

10/07/2025

🧑‍💻 Moving your head can be enough to access the world.

In this video, you’ll meet an adult with cerebral palsy using a head mouse — technology that turns small head movements into precise control on his AAC device.

With just his head, he’s able to:
• Talk using his communication device
• Play his favorite game (Candy Crush 🎮)
• Change the TV channel 📺
• Control his cell phone — sending texts, making calls, even WhatsApp video calls

This technology has been around longer than eye gaze but is often overlooked. For people who have enough head and neck control, it can be simpler and more reliable than eye gaze:

• No calibration needed
• Works in any lighting — indoors or outdoors
• Glasses (even thick, complex prescriptions) aren’t a problem

And for many, moving your head while looking is a natural movement — making it easier to learn than keeping perfectly still for eye gaze.

10/06/2025

Did you know you can control an AAC device with a joystick?

Joystick access works a lot like a computer mouse. The user moves a joystick to guide the cursor on the screen and can select in two ways:
• Dwell: pause on a word for a set time and it’s automatically selected (similar to eye gaze or head mouse).
• Switch + joystick: move the cursor where you want, then hit a switch placed anywhere the person can move — by a knee, foot, or toe — to “click.”

One of the coolest features? If someone already drives a power wheelchair with a joystick, that same joystick can often control their communication device too — no extra equipment needed. Many new chairs have Bluetooth built in, and, if not, accessories like a BJOY ring can also connect the chair’s joystick to the AAC device.

In this video, you’ll see an adult woman with cerebral palsy using the joystick on her wheelchair to put together a message on her device. She uses the dwell method — simply guiding the cursor and pausing for a second to select each word.

Joystick access is often overlooked, but for the right person it can be a simple, powerful, and seamless way to communicate.

10/06/2025

🔊 When vision and movement are limited, listening can lead the way.

In this video you’ll see two communicators showing how auditory scanning works — a way to talk by listening for choices and pressing a switch when you hear the one you want:

• A 12-year-old boy with cerebral palsy and vision impairment who’s been using switches since he was 5. He’s now a skilled communicator — automatically moving to activate his switches and showing others how his system works. You’ll hear the quiet prompt voice behind his head giving auditory cues, and then the louder device voice when he makes a selection.

• A 2-year-old with a rare disorder affecting movement and vision, just beginning to learn. She’s playing a calling game — pressing her switches to “call” family members to come see her and starting to understand that her actions can make something happen.

Auditory scanning is slower than other methods but for those with limited vision and movement it can be life-changing — because reliable communication matters more than speed.

10/02/2025

👀 Eyes can do the talking.

In this video you’ll see two emergent communicators exploring eye gaze in different ways:

• A toddler, about 2 years old, with almost no independent body movement. Sitting supported, he’s experiencing his very first moments of eye gaze — discovering that looking at pictures can make the device speak for him.

• A preschooler with CDKL5 and cortical visual impairment (CVI) who’s been using eye gaze for a while. Here she’s refining her skills — playing a caterpillar game to practice aiming her eyes at different spots on the screen, and also learning that choosing words on her device can spark fun, interactive play with her therapist.

Eye gaze technology opens a path to communication for people with little to no other reliable body movement besides their eyes and vision. But it still requires thoughtful setup, practice, and support to help the communicator realize they are in control of the words.

09/23/2025

💙 We are so proud of this amazing little girl and the progress she’s made in just about 10 months! From playful switch presses to using words and even putting them together — her journey has been incredible to witness. ✨

We are so thankful to be walking this path alongside her and her family. Every step forward is a reminder of the power of early access to AAC and the importance of always seeing potential. 🌟

👉 Watch her inspiring journey here:

🌟 Every child deserves the chance to communicate—early. This video shows how one little girl, despite complex motor and vision challenges, found her voice t...

09/18/2025

✨🎂 Big AAC Moment Alert! 🎂✨

At our clinic birthday celebration, one of our amazing clients with CHARGE syndrome had a powerful breakthrough using his Accent 1000 with LAMP Words for Life VI.

We’ve been working on moving beyond just requesting (“I want…”) to also exploring commenting and describing. While he was enjoying cake, we modeled the word “good” and then the phrase “cake good.” Without any prompt, he lit up and independently put two words together:

💬 “love cake” 💬

Such a joyful, spontaneous moment — and a reminder that AAC isn’t only about asking for things. It’s about expressing opinions, sharing joy, and connecting with others in meaningful ways. 💙

08/25/2025

🌟 We’re hiring a Speech-Language Pathologist! 🌟
Join our AAC-focused practice, where you’ll empower families, unlock communication, and receive direct mentorship from an AAC professional with 15+ years of experience. 💬💙

✨ Flexible part-time schedule (with growth potential)
✨ Small caseload = meaningful impact
✨ Bilingual English/Spanish strongly preferred
✨ Competitive pay

📩 Apply today! Send your resume to: cynthia@communicationhorizons.com