Tom McDonald

Senior AT Consultant

Our Communication Specialist, Tom, is a qualified SEND teacher specialising in using AT to support early communication. He uses Makaton to support his son with cerebral palsy.

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Recent Posts

A joke is a very serious thing

Winston Churchill once said, 'A joke is a very serious thing'. We need jokes in our lives and humour can be a powerful way to connect with people. Sharing a smile or a laugh can bring us closer and bridge divides. I've been assisting AAC users in expressing themselves through the Super Core 50 communication package in Grid. When teaching children to use their AAC devices, we often focus too much on academic outcomes, such as sentence structure and vocabulary. To support AAC awareness month this

Tom McDonald

10/9/2024·2 min read

Guided Access on the iPad

Throughout my career in integrating technology with children's learning, the most valuable skill I have imparted to supporting adults is the use of Guided Access on the iPad. Guided Access is a built-in accessibility feature on iPhones and iPads. It allows you to temporarily limit your device to a single app and control which features are available. This feature is useful for preventing accidental gestures and locking the screen when needed, such as when letting a child use the device. By us

Tom McDonald

7/9/2024·1 min read

How it works: Guided Access on the iPad

Guided Access helps you stay focused on a task by temporarily restricting your iPad to a single app and allowing you to control which app features are available. Enable Guided Access: 1. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Guided Access. 2. Turn on Guided Access. 3. Set a Guided Access Passcode (you can also enable Face ID or Touch ID as a way to end a Guided Access session). 4. Configure other settings like Time Limits, Accessibility Shortcut, and Display Auto-Lock. Start a Guided Access

Tom McDonald

7/9/2024·1 min read