October 5, 2016
by Carole Zangari -
With Hurricane Matthew bearing down on us, we began thinking about ways to support people with significant communication challenges. Here are a few resources that you might find helpful. Hurricane Matthew is Coming! by UCF CARD It is Hurricane Season by Autism Educators Hurricane Preparation by Mary Grace Hektner via Boardmaker Online (need Boardmaker to use) What Is A Hurricane? by Mary Grace Hektner via Boardmaker Online (need Boardmaker to use) Tornado Vocabulary by Mary Grace Hektner via Boardmaker Online (need Boardmaker to use) Storm Social Narrative by Sandy K via Boardmaker Online (need Boardmaker to use) Making a Thunder Box from the Practially Speeching blog Webinar on Disaster Preparedness for People with Complex Communication Needs by AAC RERC Emergency Preparedness for Children with Autism from the Preparedness Mama Emergency Communication Board by Temple University Institute on Disabilities English Spanish Haitian Creole Stay safe out there!
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: visual supports
October 4, 2016
by Carole Zangari -
We’re back with another post featuring learning resources about AAC apps, software, and SGDs. This week, we’ll look at CoughDrop, an open source AAC program, and hear from a young clinician who uses it in her work. If you are new to CoughDrop, consider taking a little time to get to know it using the links below. Ready to explore? Here are some resources to get you started. Video overview Links to various versions: iOS app; Android app; Windows 64-bit; Windows 32-bit; Kindle app Video Tutorials Where to go for help: Support Requests; Contact page; Frequently Asked Questions My Experience with CoughDrop by Samantha Cutler Primarily, I’d like to issue a disclaimer that I am in no way affiliated with CoughDrop nor do I receive any financial gain from them. It is merely a program that I enjoy using and I wanted to share my experience with the AAC community. In the... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC app, open source, Teach Me Tuesday
October 3, 2016
by Carole Zangari -
Need some ideas for celebrating AAC Awareness Month? Here are a few to get you started. Participate on the #USSAAC Twitterchat on 10/13 at 7:00 pm EDT (UTC−04:00). New to Twitterchats? You can learn more here. The wonderful Chris Bugaj will be moderating. Subscribe to a blog with an AAC content, such as Uncommon Sense, Jane Farrall Consulting, AAC Girls, or Superpower Speech Follow a new AAC topical Pinterest board from Lauren Enders and others: AAC and AT, AT/AAC/Adapt/Modify/Accessibility/Accommodations, AT for Communication, SLP AAC, & AugComm, AAC by Constantly Speaking, Communication-AAC Print, hang, or give someone an AAC awareness image, 10 Commandments of AAC Devices, or 5 Tips for Communicating with Nonverbal Student Register for a free AAC professional development webinar from Ablenet University Print out an AAC Poster, like Lauren Enders’ AAC Boot Camp-Getting AAC Users to Communicate or Kate Ahern’s The Periodic Table of AAC, Explore an AAC app or SGD that is new to you Print out song visual... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC Awareness
October 2, 2016
by Carole Zangari -
As many of you know, October is AAC Awareness Month, a time when the AAC community comes together to build understanding of complex communication needs in their communities, schools, and workplaces. It’s exciting to see how this movement is growing in every part of the world. If you share news of your events on social media, please tag us (@PrAACticalAAC on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter) so that we can help you spread the word of your AAC awareness activities. Also, feel free to use the buttons and banners in this post in your own social media profiles or posts. In the meantime, here are links to a few posts you may have missed. Monday: Five Places for Shared AAC Materials Wednesday: Video of the Week: Shared Writing and AAC Thursday: PrAACtically October: A Year of Core Vocabulary Resources Social Media Images (PC users: right click to save image to your computer; Mac users: control... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: summary post
September 29, 2016
by Carole Zangari -
Know any AAC learners like these? Jeremiah has an SGD with thousands of core and fringe words, but he uses less than 100 of them in day-to-day life. Bella used an AAC app with visual scene displays to interact at playtime and during daily routines for the past several months. Her team just added an app with grid-based vocabulary so that she can begin to create novel sentences and expand her language abilities. Mason was recently evaluated for an AAC device, but it will likely take a few months to get the funding situation straightened out. In the meantime, his team created a manual communication board that mirrors the main screen of the SGD’s language software. Each of them need lots of practice to become fluent with the core words in their AAC systems. Are you looking for resources to support your use of core words in therapy, in the... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: core vocabulary, core words, downloads, resources
September 26, 2016
by Carole Zangari -
One of the most incredible things about the families and professionals who work in the field of AAC is their willingness to share the materials they create. In this post, we link to some of those wonderful sites where you can go to peruse and use AAC materials for communication, therapy, and classroom instruction. Kudos to all the companies and individuals who work so hard to make this collegiality possible! Speaking of Speech Materials Exchange (AAC) Lesson Pix Sharing Center Boardmaker Online CoughDrop Publicly-shared Boards Smarty Symbols Activity Library We’re just getting started and ready to expand this list in future posts. Do you have favorite places to go for sharing AAC materials? Let us know so we can continue to develop this list.
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: download, resource, sharing
September 22, 2016
by Carole Zangari -
We are so happy to welcome back SLP Karen Natoci who graciously agreed to continue writing about how she uses interactive book reading to build language skills with beginning communicators. You can see her earlier posts in the PrAACtically Reading series here. In this post, she shares activity ideas for two books on apples. You can learn more about Karen and download her materials toward the bottom of the post. Enjoy! ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Books: Apples by Ken Robbins and Apples for Everyone by Jill Esbaum Adapted and simplified Powerpoint Book Apples by Karen Natoci Core Vocabulary focus: here, in, where Additional Vocabulary focus: Body parts; red, round, yellow, green, COMMUNICATION Matrix (Rowland, 2009) Level: I-VII (all levels!) ————————————————————————————————————————————- It is September and apple time! I chose to feature these books from which to adapt material suitable for students with complex communication needs. I have a simplified power point... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: classroom, implementation, literacy, reading
September 20, 2016
by Carole Zangari -
We’re excited to hear from an increasing number of you who are exploring the use of visual scene (VSD) displays. In today’s post, we share some resources for one of the newest VSD apps, Snap Scene from Tobii Dynavox. Come learn along with us! Links to various versions of Snap Scene: Windows, I-Series, T-Series Full/Lite Version, iTunes Full Version, iTunes Lite Version Product overview Video demonstration Brochure Using Snap Scene at Home Snap Scene and Autism Pathways Companion App (free): Manuals, instructional videos, and other resources are available here Where to go for help: Phone – USA & Canada: 1-800-344-1778; UK: +44 114 307 23 64;Other countries: +46 8 522 950 20 Email – support.na@tobiidynavox.com
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC apps, SGDs
September 19, 2016
by Carole Zangari -
Our Site of the Month addresses a topic relevant to many of you who serve AAC learners. The Project Core website is the public face of a research project looking at the use of an AAC intervention program that uses a consistent set of core vocabulary that grows with the learner over time. The multi-tiered system for augmenting language used in this project begins with extensive aided language input and explicit instruction of selected core words during meaningful interactions throughout the school day. This forms a foundation on which more specialized and individualized intervention and vocabulary selection is built. The project is part of the Center for Literacy and Disability Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where the team has been developing a classroom-friendly intervention approach based on the System for Augmenting Language that was pioneered in the 1990s and continues to build an evidence base... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: CDLS, core vocabulary, core words, website
September 15, 2016
by Carole Zangari -
Thanks to all of you who have reached out with comments about the AT Recipes for Success and the wonderful resources shared by SLP Sara Barnhill and the AT Team at Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU. They’ve been incredibly generous in sharing their work over the past several months. If you missed them over the summer, you can view previous posts here. As a member of the AT Core team, Sara is involved in AAC evaluations and therapy in the hospital’s clinics, out-patient program and Transitional Care Unit. CHoR’s AT Program is one of few comprehensive AT programs in Central Virginia. The program provides AT evaluations, equipment and training to people of all ages, enabling children and adults with disabilities to function more independently. CHoR’s AT team consists of four SLPs, two OTs, one PT, and one Therapy Practice Assistant. In addition to completing transdiciplinary evaluations and treatments, CHoR’s AT team is... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: downloads, parent, reading, resources