ICP was established by Ylana Bloom and Dolly Bhargava who are speech pathologists specialising as augmentative communication consultants.
Some of the clients we service include individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Down Syndrome, Dyspraxia, Intellectual disability, Global delay, Deaf blind, challenging behaviours and unknown diagnosis. We travel to where the clients are and provide assessment, intervention ideas and ongoing consultation services to establish, train, problem solve and manage issues relating to communication.
We have published a number of resources that are useful for anyone working with individuals with disabilities and they include a picture library program, books and training manuals to provide communication, literacy and positive behaviour support.
Introducing the ICP Team
- Ylana Bloom:
- Ylana is a speech pathologist and augmentative communication consultant and has worked for over 20 years with children and adults with a wide range of communication impairments most of whom presented with intellectual and/or multiple disabilities. She spent 10 years as the therapist in charge at the Alice Betteridge School (A division of the Royal Institute of deaf and blind children). From there she moved to the Garfield Barwick School for children with hearing impairments and then spent several years at the Computer Access Technology Service assisting people access technology. At present she is co-running a consultancy business called 'Innovative Communication Programming'. Through this business Ylana provides a range of services including assessment, intervention, staff training, seminars and workshops. Ylana has created a picture library called Softpics with Fantasticpics that can be used to make AAC displays. She has written Object Symbols (monograph) and 'Let's Talk Together - The Great Ideas Manual' for creating augmentative communication opportunities. She has co-authored several other manuals with Dolly Bhargava. These include: Let's Read Together - Using commercially available books for children to promote literacy; Let's Read Together Part 1 - Creating personalised material to promote literacy, Let's Read Together Part 2 - Creating personalised material to promote literacy; The Participation Through Communication Guide, Let's Talk Together - The Great Ideas Manual for Creating Augmentative Communication Support Update and Using Visual Connectors and Question Maps to create an AAC environment within the classroom. Ylana has been a frequently invited guest speaker at several national and regional conferences and presented workshops across Australia.
- Dolly Bhargava:
- Dolly Bhargava is a speech language pathologist and an augmentative communication consultant. She is currently working with Ylana Bloom in her own business called 'Innovative Communication Programming'. She has worked with children and adults with intellectual and/or multiple disabilities in a variety of settings, including the 'Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children', Department of Ageing Disability and Home Care, variety of schools, group homes, family homes, day care centres and vocational programs. She has provided assessment, intervention, consultation, and training services to individuals of all ages addressing a wide range of educational, vocational, behavioural, communicative, and personal goals. She has co-authored a number of manuals with Ylana Bloom on a range of topics related to developing communication and literacy skills for children and adults. They include: Let's Read Together - Using commercially available books for children to promote literacy; Let's Read Together Part 1 - Creating personalised material to promote literacy, Let's Read Together Part 2 - Creating personalised material to promote literacy; The Participation Through Communication Guide, Let's Talk Together - The Great Ideas Manual for Creating Augmentative Communication Support – Update, Using Visual Connectors and Question Maps to create an AAC environment within the classroom, Using AAC to develop emotions and problem solving skills, Schedules and AAC strategies for PBS to deal with Challenging Behaviour She has presented workshops on the use of AAC for developing communication, literacy, person centred planning and positive behaviour support nationally and internationally.
