Blog — Kim Rankin

Jan 20

Jan 20 No Talker Outside Today - SNOW!

We are having fun with a snow today! We had a little dusting about a week ago, but today was our first playable snow. This homeschool mom does not allow snow days. I save them up for spring fever days - those first days of spring that are so beautiful one can not possibly stay indoors and do school. So after my normal morning meeting with Josiah, Nathaniel and I headed outdoors.

Nathaniel first insisted on exploring the snow mittenless. That, and our entire outdoor experience, last less than two minutes. That smile faded quickly into many tears. We found a different pair of mittens that he seemed to like better than the first I tried, and went out again. The experience went much better the second time.

Dec 15

Dec 15 Warm Weather, Woolies, and Words

Kim Rankin

AAC, Our Family

Yesterday I visited my own blog to find a link for someone and realized it has been two weeks since I posted last. It takes our family at least a week to recuperate after one of Nathaniel's hospitalizations. Thanksgiving, recuperating, and now preparing for Christmas have all tumbled into each other and filled the empty crevices in each day.

Rich took off a couple hours early one Friday evening so we could go cut down our Christmas tree. With two of our older boys working retail, finding times for this traditional family outing was tricky. We can't remember the year we started going to this tree lot, but we think it has been around twenty-years. It is one of my favorite Christmas moments.

Dec 1

Dec 1 AAC and Healthcare Professionals

Kim Rankin

AAC, Disabilities

PrAACtical AAC, a popular blog for speech therapists working in augmented communication, shared a post this morning that hit me hard. "No matter what the age or type of disability," it said, "almost all AAC learners face the challenge of communicating effectively during encounters with healthcare professionals. People with AAC needs are among those who are considered to be communication vulnerable and do best when there are planned supports in place."

Communication vulnerable.

Nov 23

Nov 23 The Brokenness and Beauty of Silence

Kim Rankin

AAC, Disabilities, Lessons I've Learned

Three years ago tonight another woman held Nathaniel warm and secure in her body sheltered from the encroaching world. I don't know when her labor pains started or who drove her to the hospital. I don't know how many needle sticks it took to start her IV or what type of pain reliever she had. I do know that three years ago tomorrow morning, the doctors delivered a baby boy from her womb and she heard no cry.

Oct 22

Oct 22 Augmented Communication Part 6 - More and More and More Words and a New Talker

Kim Rankin

AAC

Last week, my father asked me how I know if Nathaniel wants to add a new word to his talker. Isn't that just like a grandparent - challenging the middle generation on behalf of the younger - I love it!

Thankfully, I had a recent example of Nathaniel and I negotiating the addition of a new word to share with him. Nathaniel became infatuated with the movie Frozen this month. Despite our encouragement that he let it go, he hasn't. His usual show requests are Curious George, Daniel Tiger, or Cars Movie - all titles he has on his talker. Rather than using his talker to request his normal shows, he repeatedly brought me the DVD case for Frozen.

Sep 19

Sep 19 Getting Ready for Another Trip: AAC Words for Medical Experiences

Kim Rankin

AAC

I have had two busy weeks since I returned from Wyoming. Three priorities have been filling my days: Josiah's homeschool work, Nathaniel's speech program, and getting ready to leave again. I will dedicate an entire blog post to our homeschool year someday, and I will write a bit below about new developments in augmented communication. But first some details about my next trip.

Nathaniel and I are leaving Sunday for Cincinnati again. We will be there two weeks this time. On Monday he will have a FEES study to evaluate his aspiration. On Tuesday he will have a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy. Hopefully he will spend just one night in the hospital for observation, but we will need to stay in a hotel the Cincinnati area until October 3rd to be near the surgical team through a post-surgery risk period.

Hi.