2024 - LAMP Words for Life and 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.

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.

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 dicussion 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 meaningul 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 WFL. The day will finish with ideas and practice around implementing LAMP WFL 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 WFL 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.