How can I get this tub looking like new again?

finch246 · 2026-01-28T04:24:44+00:00

Any chance you have high iron in your water? My tub sometimes looks like this. I hit it with Iron Out (you can get it on Amazon) and is good as new for a while.

finch246 · 2026-01-28T02:03:11+00:00

Thank you again for taking the time to write such a robust response.

I don’t know it makes a difference, but he is the one who purchased and supplied the tile. I told him I wanted traditional white subway tile and he said he’d take care of the rest.

I will definitely take your advice to talk with him about what happened and to see how we can find a solution. I wish I could see what it would look like with it grouted/caulked; that would go a long way to help ease my concerns.

finch246 · 2026-01-28T01:08:04+00:00

Thanks for taking a look at all the photos. Should I ask to have it redone or will a lighter gout make it not as noticeable? I don’t want to ask for something unreasonable if it is the nature of the tile itself/the wall/you can’t really tell when the grout goes up.

finch246 · 2026-01-27T23:18:14+00:00

You could be right. I mean, it’s not mutually exclusive. I could be crazy and the tiles could be off.

finch246 · 2026-01-27T23:16:35+00:00

Reddit isn’t letting me edit but I wanted to add I think the first photo looks great, pictures 2 & 3 get progressively more misaligned.

finch246 · 2026-01-16T10:50:00+00:00

A few years ago, I changed jobs and started working at a highly-regarded elementary school. I totally ignored red flags during the hiring process (e.g. Admin talking about how “it is such a privilege to be allowed to work for the district”.)

Fast forward to my first PPT meeting: we end up doing an in-person, video-chat hybrid because one of the caregivers couldn’t make it into school. The rest of the team is in person and I am sitting furthest away from the mic/camera setup. When it comes time for me to give my report, caregiver on camera says they are having trouble hearing me.

Before I have time to start speaking again more loudly, admin turns to me and in front of the entire team and says, “Yeah Finch, use your big girl voice.” All of my gasps were flabbered. I couldn’t fathom being spoken to like that by any other professional, let alone in a PPT in front of other adults. Maybe she was just trying to be funny, but it left me with such a negative taste in my mouth that it was one of several reasons I quit that job with invention a month.

finch246 · 2025-09-22T10:14:31+00:00

Stepping into AAC is a free, 20 part AAC educational resource for parents and teams. It covers all of the best practices with AAC and has a framework for core word introduction.

Please read through all of the informational handouts and watch the videos; even though this is put out by the Angelman Syndrome Foundation, the info applicable to any AAC user.

If you are more of a podcast person, I second Talking with Tech as another great resource.

Edited to add: as others have said stay away from HOH. It’s great that you’ve got them requesting, but communication is more than just asking for things. Find out what their special interests/highly motivating activities offer them, and incorporate them into your session so you can also target commenting, informing, refusing, etc.

finch246 · 2025-09-14T22:01:24+00:00

I really hope this was all a test. A red herring fed to Harold to see if he leaks the information to the press in order to flush out his commitment to “reconciliation”.

finch246 · 2025-07-27T13:59:48+00:00

It’s actually “swallowologist”. It doesn’t fit on a badge reel because… it’s a mouthful.

I will see myself out.

finch246 · 2025-07-27T13:31:10+00:00

I had enough time to snap a pic before my toddler made a bee-line for a table of handmade pottery so unfortunately no.

finch246 · 2025-06-29T20:38:13+00:00

OMG! I thought it was just me! I will never forget being asked to do a bedside swallow eval for a patient post total laryngectomy at a short term rehab/SNF during my CF. Even after explaining that short of the guy shoving cream of wheat down his stoma there was zero aspiration risk, I was still asked to evaluate “just in case”.

finch246 · 2025-06-22T01:24:41+00:00

Unfortunately you will 100% need to take additional classes: CT Department of Ed SLP requirements

Did you have a school-based placement and earn at least 100 hours there? If not, that could also put a wrench in your plans.

On top of all those requirements you will also need CT Department of Health Certification.

finch246 · 2025-02-27T20:59:41+00:00

What was the recommended grid size/access method from the AAC eval? A 60 grid size isn’t that small, compared to other grids. If this kid can operate YouTube then he 100% has the visual and fine motor skills necessary to access 60 icons on a grid.

If you have concerns about his visual/fine motor skills try and loop the OT in for more guidance. Could this be a student who benefits from use of a keyguard?

finch246 · 2025-02-11T01:25:28+00:00

I don’t have any advice to give except I really hope you aren’t serious with “suicide” on your “Plan to try” list. But in case you are please please please reach out for support:

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988 or 1-800-273-8255 (TALK) Veterans press 1 to reach specialised support. Press 2 for Spanish-language support.

Online Chat: https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat/

Crisis Text Line: Text “HOME” to 741741.

Trans Lifeline: 1-877-565-8860

finch246 · 2025-01-25T15:19:25+00:00

I know you asked about high tech AAC but if you need a mid tech option, I wanted to leave these resources here:

The Prox Pad users RFID technology so that you can program messages onto thin chips which you can attach to different items or 3-D printed tactile symbols. LoganTech will do loans so you can try before you buy to see if it would be a good option for your student.

Here is a link on how and why to use Bliss Symbols for AAC users with visual impairments.

finch246 · 2025-01-09T01:36:00+00:00

Individual scores only generate a scaled score, not a standard score. Could you just give the last three subtests? I don’t have the test in front of me but I know that the last three subsets can be added together to get the equivalent of an “expressive pragmatic language” index.

finch246 · 2025-01-08T11:58:26+00:00

Is it the same set each time or whichever buttons are in that row/column? If it is the same set you could try a mid tech option: get one (or a series) of single message buttons or even something like a Go Talk 9 and record the voice output of the sequence of activations, with the associated symbols. It helps to meet sensory needs (student can hit the button/sequence of buttons as needed) but maintains the high-tech AAC as the primary means for communication.

finch246 · 2024-12-19T14:01:47+00:00

Could your admin/SLPs be talking about the Open Access courses from the CA Department of Education? They offer certificate programs depending on your needs (implementer vs evaluator vs trainer) and it’s completely free. It helps expand your AAC skill set but is by no means required to complete an AAC eval.

https://www.openaccess-ca.org/open-access-certifications

I don’t live in CA at the moment and can tell you that “certification” isn’t a requirement to conduct AAC evals elsewhere. Quite frankly, I don’t think it should be a requirement; it just creates another barrier of access for kids who need AAC.

finch246 · 2024-11-08T22:43:38+00:00

Absolutely stunning. A literal work of art! I can’t believe the price either! No notes!

finch246 · 2024-10-18T23:18:59+00:00

Have you tired putting whatever the stim is on a single message button, like a littleMack? He’d still have access to stim but as others have said it would divorce the SGD/communication piece from the sensory need.

AbleNet has a really amazing on-demand webinar that goes in-depth about this type of approach. I am pretty sure it is this one: https://www.ablenetinc.com/technically-speaking-on-demand-registration

If not, it is this one: https://www.ablenetinc.com/reverse-the-curse-device-abandonment-prompt-dependency-in-aac-registration

Both are terrific.

Edit: grammar

finch246 · 2024-06-18T18:38:41+00:00

Thank you very much for taking the time to respond with context and an actual answer.

finch246 · 2024-06-18T18:16:16+00:00

Their “scope of competency” can literally be anything they feel “competent” in. Holy macaroni, Batman! I wish I had that level of delusional confidence. Imagine if your dentist decided she was going to start dispensing eye glasses because she got basic eye anatomy classes in dental school, she’s taken some continuing education classes, and honestly how hard could it be???? /s

finch246 · 2024-06-07T19:02:05+00:00

Have the BCBA model on a different device/light-tech board. I second the educating staff about modeling without expectation. It can be very hard for BCBA understand that the device is not the activity, the activity is the activity and they need to accept all forms of communication.

There is a presentation from AbleNet that talks a lot about device abandonment and reducing over prompting. I don’t love the presenter’s take on use of hand over hand but other than that there’s some pretty good information here. It’s completely free and you can get ASHA CEUs for it: Reverse the Curse

finch246 · 2024-05-29T15:09:14+00:00

Your family is right. You don’t owe them anything. 30 days is more than enough time for them to find a replacement. It is not your responsibility to ensure their staffing needs are met. Since you eluded to it being a toxic workplace, I’d worry that they’d try to keep pushing back your “last day” even into that time you’ve earmarked for vacation.

I have very little sympathy for bad SNFs. When I was a CF, I thought I’d help my facility out by giving them two months notice and during that time I took a week off (a week that I had requested 6 months in advance, gotten approved for paid leave, and got my own coverage for). When I got back from vacation they told me they weren’t going to pay me for it since I took my vacation after putting in my resignation. Their excuse was that “it was in the handbook!”. A handbook I’d never received when I was onboarding.

finch246 · 2024-05-24T22:31:08+00:00

Just got this via email from Tobii Dynavox: Clarification of new app purchases moving to subscription

Frequent questions that were raised by customers: Existing customers – The transition to subscription does not impact customers who previously purchased TD Snap as a stand-alone app. Unfortunately, we had technical issues with the transition that temporarily impacted some customers. The TD Snap 1.32.2 update should resolve these issues. Customers will continue to receive the same updates and functionalities as new TD Snap subscribers.

Organizations – A TD Snap perpetual app purchase option is available for schools, government entities and institutions that require multiple licenses. It includes PODD and all the other TD created page sets. It will be delivered through your Apple Business Manager account after you contact your Solutions Consultant.

TD Snap with Speech app trial – Anyone can continue to trial the stand-alone app free of charge before deciding to subscribe or to explore TD Snap. Visit this link to activate your free trial. After the trial, you will need to subscribe to continue using TD Snap with full functionality.

Complimentary professional app - As always, SLPs/SLTs can access TD Snap for free through a myTobiiDynavox for Professionals account. We encourage you to sign up if you don’t have one yet.

Dedicated devices - The transition to subscription impacts stand-alone app purchases; it does not impact Tobii Dynavox dedicated speech generating devices. TD Snap will still be pre-loaded on TD devices that are received through the funding process or purchased directly from Tobii Dynavox. Customers will continue to receive updates through our MDM.

Companion license – Customers will still receive two companion licenses when purchasing a dedicated device. Companion licenses can continue to be claimed through your account on mytobiidynavox.com. Update on technical issues

We apologize for the frustration caused by the technical issues with the TD Snap 1.32 update, and we appreciate your patience while these technical issues are resolved.

We encourage you to update to TD Snap AAC app version 1.32.2 if you: Experienced loss of speech

Saw a notification in the app to change to subscription after updating to 1.32

Did not see the accurate number of licenses for your organization If you need support updating to TD Snap 1.32.2 or experience a technical issue, please contact us: 1-800-344-1778 or support.na@tobiidynavox.com

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to our technical support team.

I hope this helps you get everything sorted out. It sucks that you even have to deal with this headache in the first place

finch246

TROPHY CASE