LAMP workshops in the UK (they're free!)

[saintlyjimjams]

Might be of interest to some - especially if your child is non-verbal....
www.liberator.co.uk/LAMPworkshops

thanks for the link, will pass on the details. do you think they are likely to be bothered about whether parents of children with SN other than ASD attend?

They won't mind at all. I went to a LAMP workshop held in a school for children with profound physical disabilities

Oh glad you have put this up Jimjams!
I've just organised a workshop for my lot.
Thanks to Jimjams and her ds. This is how I heard about it first!
(Been talking to Mick today about you two!)

The Liberator lot are a really friendly bunch.

He has come home from school today and has not stopped talking using it. The bus broke down which meant he was delayed leaving school. The escorts told me he was fine on the bus but he told me he was very cross, about 10 mins later his teacher emailed me to check he was ok as he had been so upset! He then asked for the roof terrace door to be opened (we never open it as it's 5 storeys up) then started saying he wants it to be sunny on Sunday so the neighbour will hang out her washing. Then he started asking to go to France on a ferry with a swimming pool and he wants to go to sleep after his swim!!!! Not bad for a severely autistic, non-verbal kid who has only just been given a voice :)

Wow that is fab Saintlyjimjams im laughing at your ds wanting to go for a sleep after his swim. It truly is amazing for him being severely autistic and non verbal. So wish there was a workshop in Scotland.

How amazing, it must be transforming his life

Yes and thank you to a mystery mumsnetter who funded it! I do have a blog but need to dig out my video and get some more recent footage as he's really putting much longer phrases together now.

Although our situations aren't that similar (ds is only 5yo and HFA) I have stalked you loved reading your blog and seeing how much your ds gets from this, and surfing.

Saintly that truly is transforming all of your lives. Well done your ds he is doing amazing. Ive seen your blog before and knew he absolutely loves his surfing. He is amazing, gives me so much hope. Reading your blog there brought a tear to my eye especially going back to February when he said he loves Mummy and Daddy....... i dream of that day for my ds. You must be so proud of your gorgeous boy, its wonderful that you can now know what he's thinking and things that could be upsetting him etc.

Wow!

Aww thank you all.

Wow this looks amazing, think DD had a go on one at ICAN. DD is verbal but has extremely poor speech sound production and also vocab around three years behind-no ASD diagnisis (yet?!) but sensory processing issues, would she be suitable for this does anyone know? She is five and a half.

Only complication is I am due DC2 ten days before the course near me...

I think there'll be a lot more courses used2bthin. They're very approachable and friendly as well, so worth having a chat to.

Well the course doesn't cost anything.The cost of using LAMP depends on the device. To do LAMP you need a device where the symbols are fixed and never change position, i.e. not one where they're divided according to categories. Because the child has to learn a fixed motor pattern for each word. The center for AAC and autism who started LAMP tend to use Vantage Lites (which is what ds1 has) because it works well with LAMP and can be used with it. But it doesn't have to be a Vantage.

The vantage lite is expensive - at the 'would need to get funding' level unless you're loaded.

You don't just have to buy a vantage though - you can arrange a trial to see whether it's the right device. DS1 had a 3 week trial last summer. He was gutted when they came to collect it, - kept taking it out of the his SALTs bag and trying to run back inside with it.

Thanks am going to ring them, thought about sending one of my parents but they didn't seem keen! Also not quite understanding the course I think, its great to hear it doesn't have to be with the most expensive device as it is pricey!

So sounds like it is worth going just to learn more even if we haven't actually got any device (or system of aac really consistently)yet I think? I will ring them though.

Yes although the people running LAMP here in the UK on the whole are employed by liberator - who sell the vantage. So they're not going to tell you about other devices. The course isn't really about the device though, it's about the theory behind LAMP and implementing it.

Liberator can advise with securing funding as well.

Thanks that is useful to know. I will read the LAMP stuff through again and call them mon to see about future dates I think.

Yes do. We had the trial before I went anywhere near a course. They're very helpful at Liberator.

Have this thread on my watch list because I've been wondering whether a device may help my non-verbal DD (although she's only 4).

Does anyone know if there's a relationship between LAMP and ACE based in Oxford? I've been recommended to contact ACE but I'm not sure whether to do that or contact Liberator in the first instance?

Anyone any experience of ACE? I think they have a link up with Dynavox which I'm guessing may be a competitor to Liberator?