Using Talking Mats

Talking mats is committed to supporting our community at this time.

Using talking mats.

As a group of allied health professionals ahps working in a secure hospital we recently embarked on a mini project using talking mats to check in with our service users with learning disabi lities during c ovid 19. It helps them understand and consider a range of topics and say what they feel in a visual way that can be easily recorded. Using a second device on a virtual talking mat session can help you to capture the thinker s reaction to the mat and symbols. Talking mats is an innovative award winning communication tool that supports adults and children with communication difficulties to express their views.

Then open your virtual meeting app e g. This can be particularly useful for recording videos to watch again later obviously with the appropriate video consent. Tm symbols and prompt for mcq use talking mats to support completing a mystery customer questionnaire to feedback on your experience in shops or services as part of the national communication access project. We have tried various ways to do talking mats virtually but the easiest way we have found is to log into your digital talking mats through our website and use the talking mat in this mode.

Talking mats topics leave a reply we re always amazed to hear from people about the variety of topics they cover using talking mats from how someone is managing their self care or domestic tasks to arranging a wedding or thinking about whats important at a funeral. 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. Talking mats reduced instances of repetitive behaviour such as repeating words phrases ideas or actions. Microsoft teams or zoom and share your screen.

People with early and middle stage dementia could use talking mats effectively. Conversations using talking mats lasted longer than ordinary conversations. Our innovative award winning communication tool is based on extensive research and was designed by speech and language therapists. We collated the evidence from our respect ive professional bodies royal college of o ccupatio nal therapy royal college of speech and language therapy chartered society of.

It is important for our mental health and well being that we stay connected and we are looking at creative ways to work with talking mats remotely.