Talking mats

Back to Professionals zone, talking mats. Talking Mats is a picture based communication tool which supports people to share their thoughts and think about a topic in a concrete, structured, way. The mat provides talking mats space to place the pictures and move them around in relation to a scale and each other.

Talking Mats is a social enterprise whose vision is to improve the lives of people with communication difficulties by increasing their capacity to communicate effectively about things that matter to them. This innovative, award-winning communication tool is based on extensive research and was designed by Speech and Language Therapists in the United Kingdom. The Foundation Training provides the learning context, strategies and principles so you can become a Talking Mats "listener". Join the List to be Notified About Training. Purchase Talking Mats Resources. Add Talking Mats to your professional toolkit…become certified.

Talking mats

April 16, by Carole Zangari - 4 Comments. Thankfully, the co-directors of this project, Dr. Joan Murphy and Lois Cameron , were willing to collaborate. Murphy shares her knowledge with us. Hope you enjoy learning about the implementation of Talking Mats as much as we did. What is Talking Mats? Talking Mats is an innovative, award-winning communication tool which is based on extensive research and designed by Speech and Language Therapists in Scotland. Our vision is to improve the lives of people with communication difficulties by increasing their capacity to express their views about things that matter to them. Talking Mats is an interactive resource that uses three sets of picture symbols — top scale, topics and options and a space on which to display them. This can either be a physical, textured mat, or a digital space, for example a tablet, smart board or computer screen. Any symbol system can be used but we have recently commissioned a leading comic artist to design new symbols for us taking into account language and conceptual issues. Talking Mats can be used to discuss any topic and we have developed a number of resources based on our research in combination with our clinical experience, which cover a wide range of issues for people of all ages and abilities. Details of these can be found on our website.

How to do it Be clear about what it is you want to achieve.

Developed from a research project by Joan Murphy in , Talking Mats has become a well-researched communication tool. The aim is to facilitate a topic of discussion using picture cards and the mat. Almost anyone with communication difficulties can use Talking Mats. The resource allows people to think about information in small chunks and to organise their thoughts. We use it with many clients who have:. Again with such a versatile resource the options are endless. Some of the many topics of discussion we have facilitated using Talking Mats are:.

April 16, by Carole Zangari - 4 Comments. Thankfully, the co-directors of this project, Dr. Joan Murphy and Lois Cameron , were willing to collaborate. Murphy shares her knowledge with us. Hope you enjoy learning about the implementation of Talking Mats as much as we did.

Talking mats

We were excited to launch a new set for our Aotearoa context in October This set is called the Aotearoa Rangatahi set and has been created by our team at Talking Trouble alongside artist Carol Green. We have worked with our colleagues at Talking Mats in Scotland to ensure it is consistent with the other sets, and it is available for purchase from Assistive Technology: Talking Mats - Assistive Technology. The Aotearoa Rangatahi set is based on the original Talking Mats Secondary: Young People from age 13 set; however, the option cards reflect the social and cultural context of Aotearoa. The Aotearoa Rangatahi set provides a specially designed visual framework that can be used to enable rangatahi to reflect and express their views on three topics relating to their adolescence:.

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However, they should always be used alongside other methods of communication, not instead of them. It is a useful support for: Getting to know people and having a conversation Finding what peoples interests and views are Finding out things they think they can manage or need help with Support decision making, and identifying decisions the person is able to and not able to make Goal setting It is important to look for ways in which children with complex healthcare needs are able to have their voices and wishes heard especially in relation to any decisions that affect them directly. Thanks for taking the time to share that idea. CEN NMCN has worked closely with Talking Mats to find out the views of young people with complex needs and their parents about what matters to them at time of transition in health services from children to adult health care. April 16, at am. Close Cart Shopping Cart. Very useful in situations where technology not readily available. Talking Mats. Enable cookies to use the shopping cart. Talking Mats have been a helpful tool to aid thinking by people with communication difficulties, including:. The resource allows people to think about information in small chunks and to organise their thoughts. Who Can Use Talking Mats? This innovative, award-winning communication tool is based on extensive research and was designed by Speech and Language Therapists in the United Kingdom. Next slide.

Talking Mats can be carried out in person using a physical mat and cards, or in a digital space, for example a tablet, laptop or computer for which we have created one of the best web apps for communication disability. Unless otherwise stated, all the resources on this page are available in both card and digital formats. Below you can see what a Talking Mat is, why it works, and the resources which make it unique.

The meaning of the visual top scale can be adapted to suit the questions you are asking the person, for example, whether they are happy, unsure, or unhappy. It is a useful support for:. Thanks for taking the time to share that idea. Carole Zangari says:. Hidden field. Using visual images makes the language clear and reduces the complexity of the questions you need to ask. When would you use it? Once the topic is chosen e. It is not as widely known here in the US as it should be, so we are very grateful to Joan for writing about it here. Challenges It requires planning time. Why use Talking Mats?