June 2, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Here in the US, we celebrated Memorial Day on Monday, a time for remembering those who died in military service to our country. While we honor them and their tremendous sacrifices, it’s impossible not to be reminded of the tragic shooting that recently took the lives of so many elementary school children and their teachers. As we move through our grief we also start thinking of the practical aspects of helping children with AAC needs become better prepared for emergency situations in schools. We’ve updated these resources in hopes that they may be helpful to some of you. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Recent events, such as the horrific mass shooting at Robb Elementary School, have led us all to re-examine policies and procedures that impact school safety. Throughout the country, school communities are re-evaluating and fine-tuning their processes for keeping students and staff safe in the unlikely event of violent acts, such as... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
May 31, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Tuesday, AAC friends! Once a week we invite you to share your own AAC-related content, product news, or anything else that you’d like others in the AAC community to know about. It may be a recent post you’ve written, a slide deck from your AAC presentation, a handout, video, or meme that you’ve posted online, an AAC product you’ve created, an announcement for an AAC course or conference, or any other prAACtical content you developed and want to share with the AAC community. To post your own link, scroll all the way down to the bottom of this post and complete the form. Enter the URL and the name/title in the boxes provided below. If you are on a mobile device, click over to the full website version to do this. The AAC Link Up is moderated to keep us from being spammed so it may take a little... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
May 30, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Planning for comprehensive core vocabulary instruction? The Year of Core Vocabulary Words and The School Year of Core Vocabulary Words, two series of monthly resources for core vocabulary teaching, both have resources that can be helpful to therapists, educators, and families. We’re reprising those posts for anyone interested in following along and utilizing the resources developed by quite a few people in the AAC community. The initial series was based on a small set of core words for each month (see that post here). We followed that with a second set of Year of Core Vocabulary Word resources for a new list of words (click here for that post). Among the many resources are the activity calendars created by AAC SLP and co-founder of Talking AAC, Rachael Langley. There were many other contributors over the years who added to these efforts. The School Year of Core Vocabulary Words, authored by... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
May 24, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Tuesday, AAC friends! Once a week we invite you to share your own AAC-related content, product news, or anything else that you’d like others in the AAC community to know about. It may be a recent post you’ve written, a slide deck from your AAC presentation, a handout, video, or meme that you’ve posted online, an AAC product you’ve created, an announcement for an AAC course or conference, or any other prAACtical content you developed and want to share with the AAC community. To post your own link, scroll all the way down to the bottom of this post and complete the form. Enter the URL and the name/title in the boxes provided below. If you are on a mobile device, click over to the full website version to do this. The AAC Link Up is moderated to keep us from being spammed so it may take a little... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts
May 23, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
In a previous post, we talked about a cycle that influences AAC learning. Depending on how things start, the cycle can develop into a downward spiral or set a more positive trend line into motion. This is something worth thinking more about. When I was a college student, I worked with a small group of men with intellectual disabilities who were leaving the residential institutions where they had lived since childhood in order to live in the community. It was a lot of responsibility for a 19-year-old but turned out to be one of the most influential experiences of my early career as an SLP. I learned a lot from Bob, who was in his early fifties and one of the most congenial people I’ve ever met. Though limited in many ways, he was truly gifted in his ability to connect with people. Bob’s twinkling eyes and strong people skills turned... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
May 22, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends! Here are some posts you may have missed in your busy week. Monday – The Role of Perception in AAC Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Goal Writing for AAC Thursday – Throwback Thursday: AAC In Early Childhood Education ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Have a little more time? These might be of interest. Five Places for Shared AAC Materials Five AAC and Related Resources to Explore AAC Teamwork: Encouraging Colleagues #1 (downloadable) AAC Teamwork: Encouraging Colleagues #2 (downloadable) AAC Teamwork: Encouraging Colleagues #3 (downloadable) AAC: More Teaching, Less Testing (downloadable)
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
May 19, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Looking for information on AAC in young children? Here are some posts you might enjoy. PrAACtically Reading: Books Featuring Children & Youth with Disabilities Parent-Implemented AAC Intervention for Young Children From Wheelchair to Hands-free Walker for Preschool Children with AAC Needs, Part 1, Part 2 Using Vest Displays with Preschoolers on the Autism Spectrum with guest author Dr. Carol Goossens’ Mining the Preschool Routine for PrAACtical AAC Opportunities Supporting Preschoolers with AAC Needs: A Case Study Visual Supports in Action in the Preschool Classroom TELL ME: AAC in the Preschool Classroom TELL ME About It (Year 1) TELL ME AAC Literacy Kits Brown Bear, Brown Bear I Went Walking From Head to Toe Here Are My Hands What Do You Like? Go Away Big Green Monster No, David Come Out and Play, Little Mouse The Lunch Box Surprise If You’re Angry and You Know It Max’s Breakfast All Are Welcome! I... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
May 17, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Tuesday, AAC friends! Once a week we invite you to share your own AAC-related content, product news, or anything else that you’d like others in the AAC community to know about. It may be a recent post you’ve written, a slide deck from your AAC presentation, a handout, video, or meme that you’ve posted online, an AAC product you’ve created, an announcement for an AAC course or conference, or any other prAACtical content you developed and want to share with the AAC community. To post your own link, scroll all the way down to the bottom of this post and complete the form. Enter the URL and the name/title in the boxes provided below. If you are on a mobile device, click over to the full website version to do this. The AAC Link Up is moderated to keep us from being spammed so it may take a little... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts
May 16, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
The case history for Aziz described him as ‘non-communicative.’ On Mia’s intake form, it says that she is ‘unable to be tested.’ One of Antwon’s therapists reported that he is ‘not motivated to communicate.’ Experienced, caring professionals said or wrote each one of these things. And while there may be a kernel of truth in some of their perceptions, it’s also likely that these statements don’t tell the full story and fail to accurately capture the student’s capabilities. How can we influence professionals who see limitations more clearly than abilities and potential? One approach is to do things that alter their perceptions of people with complex communication needs. Perception matters a great deal. Why? Because the ways in which we perceive people set off a whole chain of events. – The way that we perceive someone shapes the expectations that we have for them. – The expectations we have for someone... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
April 7, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
We’re ending the week with some wonderful resources shared by AAC expert, Lauren Enders. In her continuation of the Goal Writing series, she reviews some important tools that can help in determining which skills to target when writing goals for AAC learners. You can see other posts in this series using the links below. AAC Goal Writing with Lauren Enders 5 Common Challenges Laying a Solid Foundation :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: In the first post of this series, you learned that you are in good company if you find AAC goal writing to be intimidating. Thankfully, you were also assured that despite the learning curve, you CAN write meaningful goals for AAC learners given the right tips, tools, and guidance. In the second post, you learned how the Four Communicative Competencies (Linguistic, Operational, Social, and Strategic) (Light et al., 1989, Light & McNaughton, 2014)) plus Psychosocial or Emotional Competency (Light & McNaughton, 2014, Blackstone... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking