Upcoming PD ATANZ and Link Assistive NZ
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| November 2025 | ||
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Kia ora Visitor,
News from the world of Assistive TechnologyReminder ATANZ online Annual General Meeting 2025 next week 11 November!We would love to invite all members to join us for our AGM that is scheduled for the 11th of November from 1-2.30pm ATANZ Zoom is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Topic: ATANZ's AGM 2025 Meeting ID: 819 7113 9451 --- One tap mobile Join instructions
Call for board membersThe ATANZ board is looking for some new members to join the board. If you would be interested in joining the team please contact us! Upcoming 'Link Assistive NZ' Professional DevelopmentSuccess is a journey: Unlocking the power of TD Snap for all ages - face to face workshop - 20 NovemberFull-day TD Snap training with case studies, hands-on activities & insights. Learn features, uses & supports, plus try TD Snap & join the community. While this is not an ATANZ sponsored event, we wanted to share this information with you Time: 9.30 AM - 4.30 PM Location: Novotel Ellerslie, Auckland Please check out the attached flyer with the QR code for more detail and to register. Or you can check out the 'Link Assistive NZ' website events page https://linkassistive.co.nz/events/
ATANZ events coming up soonRegistrations still open - Online one-off follow up session - Moving Forwards with LAMP Words for Life - presented by Dr Sam Brydon - 26 November.With the 2nd 2025 offering of the 6 weeks - Online LAMP Words for Life and the LAMP therapy approach' course now in full swing, we want to remind all participants of the completed May/June and Oct/Nov courses, to register for the one-off follow up session with Dr Sam Brydon. This session will also be of interest for other people who have completed some form of basic LAMP training. Though priority will be given to participants that have completed this year's ATANZ 6-weeks online LAMP course. This additional 4-hour online training session will move beyond the basics of the LAMP therapeutic approach and cover additional information for LAMP practitioners. This session will cover additional skills and strategies needed to implement and support LAMP Words for Life successfully. There will also be some time to cover any other issues that you have been struggling with as a LAMP practitioner. Numbers will be capped at 35, and the workshop will not be recorded. This workshop is including speech language therapists, teachers, teacher aides and parents working with autistic children with diverse communication needs. Session time: Part 1- 10.30 am- 12.30 pm Lunch break - 30 min Part 2 – 1.00 pm – 3.00 pm Online registrations close 19 November 2025 or when sold out – places are limited to 35 participants! Check out full event details and register online here
Follow up Online Q & A session with Erin Sheldon and Dr David Niemijer - 15 DecemberFor those who attended the Rethinking AAC and AAC with Erin and David practice workshops in February this year!We are excited to share with you below David Niemeijers' invitation to join him and Erin Sheldon Online via Zoom session on Monday the 15th December from 7.30 PM - 9.00 PM! *** "As part of the evaluation of the "Rethinking AAC and AAC practice" workshops in February earlier this year, several people suggested it would be nice to organize a follow-up before the end of the year. Erin and I are therefore offering a Q&A session on Zoom. Participants will be able to ask questions as well as share their experiences with different ways of modeling, larger AAC grid sizes, use of AAC for teaching, and/or the use of Proloquo. This will be an informal session giving participants an opportunity to share experiences and ask questions. We will also share a sneak peek of what is coming next from AssistiveWare.” *** If you are keen to join David and Erin for this free Q&A session, please send your email reply with your RSVP before the 1st of December to events@atanz.org.nz! Please note only people who have attended one of the face-to-face sessions with Erin Sheldon and David Niemeyer in February, can RSVP for this follow up session.
Date confirmed 2nd offering - Switch access and switch-adapted technology with OT Jacki Mayne-Davis - 1st of May 2026 in Wellington!After the first September workshop sold out and quite a few people ending on the waiting list, we are every excited to now announce that the second offering of this newly developed workshop has been confirmed to take place on the 1st of May 2026 in Wellington. This is a 5-hour, face to face workshop, suitable for teachers of PMLD learners, VNTs, CDT OTs and SLTs, school-based OTs and SLTs, day program coordinators/teachers. Whānau and their therapy teams are also welcome. This workshop has been delivered in September this year as the first of its kind in Aotearoa New Zealand: participants not only will be getting hands-on experience with the latest technology but it will also trial practical ways to help people with complex bodies use it, in this workshop you will be directly linked to the curriculum (Te Whāriki and the New Zealand Curriculum) and to therapy goals. Registrations will open early December. People on our waiting list will be given priority to register. You can email our events manager to still be added to the waiting list for next offering!
Currently in progress:Online LAMP Words for Life: the LAMP therapy approach for Aotearoa/ New Zealand with SLT Dr Sam BrydonOnline, 15 October, 29 October, and 12 November 2025. As mentioned two of the three online sessions have now been completed of this 6-weeks course. It's great to see lots of interaction and engagement taking place during the sessions. Sam shares many valuable resources tailored to each session. The fact that both 6-weeks courses ended up being sold out, shows this course seems to really adress a current training need in the sector.
Reminder Expressions of Interest - LAMP online course 2026 dedicated for whānau of AAC usersPlease remind Whānau and family members to sign up for this Expressions of Interest. We ask people to sign up and when we have enough interest we'll select a date and time that suits the majority of the group. Please share the sign up link below with whānau who you think might be interested: https://www.atanz.org.nz/expressions-of-interest-2026-whanau-offering-online-lamp-course Please also remind families about our Whānau Professional development and Learning Grant.
Recently deliveredIntroductory 2-Day PODD workshops with SLT Helen Bayldon in Christchurch( 1& 2 October) and Auckland ( 16 & 17 October) Participants were in for a treat at the recently facilitated 2-Day PODD workshops with Helen Bayldon in Christchurch and Auckland. From all the positively received feedback, it was obvious that people really appreciated Helen's deep content knowledge and expertise combined wth her engaging facilitation style. The many shared case studies as well as ample opportunity for practice during the course, were also very well received. Helen Bayldon has also agreed to deliver more training with us next year focused on communication partnership! We pass on details when they are confirmed. So keep an eye out!
Check out our ATANZ events webpage for all current Professional Learning and development notifications.For all your questions about ATANZ professional development events and learning opportunities please contact us via events@atanz.org.nz
RemindersGrantsWe have a variety of grants that are reviewed on a rolling basis to support research and professional development. Some are dedicated to supporting whānau and AAC users. For more information look here Private PractionersOn our website we have a list of private practitioners who offer CAT1 and some who also do CAT2 assessment. Please check it out here. We are in the process of updating this list. If you are working in private practice and would like to be added, please fill in this Google form SupervisionAs part of CAT1 and CAT2 accrediation, supervision in the area of AT is a requirement. If you are looking for supervision or would like to be considered to be added to this list, please refer to our supervision page on our website. Equipment pool updateWe continue to have strong interest in our members-only equipment pool. It is one of the key benefits of membership. Please return equipment intact and on time so that the next team can start their trial (and to avoid late fees). We really need the correct chargers to come back with the equipment. These little details make a huge difference. Keep in ContactATANZ loves to hear from you - whether you have success stories to share, questions, comments, feedback, suggestions or new ideas - let us know. .
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