October 27, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
As far as I can tell, most AAC learners are taught by people who don’t specialize in AAC. Their school SLPs may have caseloads of 50, 60, 70, or more students with IEPs, 90% of whom have goals for articulation, language, and fluency. Their classroom teachers serve students whose disabilities range from none at all, to dyslexia to cerebral palsy, to significant intellectual disabilities, and everywhere in between. In all likelihood, neither group had much AAC training. What little AAC they know, they’ve picked up on their own from reading, going to workshops and conferences (usually self-funded), talking to colleagues, and exploring online resources. Many times, their first foray into AAC is with things like choice boards and visual supports, such as daily schedules and first/then boards. From there, they may begin labeling the environment with pictures symbols (e.g., ‘table’ on the table, ‘on/off’ near the light switch), using mini-schedules... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
October 26, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
“What’s the best AAC app?” I’m starting to think that every AAC SLP has been asked this question at least a dozen times. And with over 200 AAC apps for mobile devices to choose from, it’s no wonder that families and professionals are looking for guidance. So when USSAAC (the US Society for AAC) invited me to participate in their webinar series, I knew just which topic I wanted to tackle. In today’s post, you can see the archived version of that webinar, get the handout, and pose some questions using the ‘Comments’ feature at the bottom of the page. Before we get to that, though, I’d like to encourage those of you with strong interests in AAC who live in the US to become members. USSAAC is our national chapter of the International Society for AAC (ISAAC), and if you are not already familiar with the organization, please consider checking... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Apps, ISAAC, USSAAC
October 25, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
Wrapping up a wonderful month of building awareness and acceptance of AAC! Every voice matters. Monday – An AAC Journey: From ‘No AAC!’ to ‘AAC All Day, Everyday’ with Desirae Pillay Tuesday – AAC on Facebook: 10 Groups to Check Out Wednesday – Video of the Week: Preventing Problem Behavior in Schools by Dr. Barry Prizant Thursday – Beyond “Train and Hope” 5 Ways to Support Carryover of Skills by AAC Learners
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
October 22, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
With her SLP, Marissa conjugates verbs and includes function words to make the sentence grammatically correct (e.g., “She is going home with me”). With others, she tends to use her AAC more telegraphically (e.g., “She go home me”). In therapy, Marcus uses his AAC to create 3-4 word sentences. In the classroom, he communicates mostly in single word utterances. Sound familiar? Marcus and Marissa have both learned skills in therapy sessions that they are not using in their daily lives. Data from their therapy sessions show that these students have mastered the target language skills, so the SLP is understandably disappointed when they revert back to using less sophisticated utterances in the classroom. Problems with carryover and skill generalization are not unique to AAC. Ask any SLP who does articulation therapy or teaches kids who stutter how to speak more fluently. Getting them to use the skills demonstrated in... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: carryover, classroom, generalization
October 20, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
Have an AAC question that you need answered at 11:00 pm? Want to be alerted to discounts on AAC apps? Need some ideas for AAC teaching? Looking for a specific AAC assessment form? Have some time to encourage a family or professional who is new to AAC? Just got the news that you have a budget for equipment and want suggestions? Facebook is a great place to connect with like-minded individuals to converse about AAC and related topics. Most SGD companies and app developers have their own Facebook pages, so search for the ones that you use most frequently. Here are some of the more active AAC groups on Facebook that are not aligned to a specific device or app. AAC for the SLP AAC and AT Networking Augmentative Communication Resources and Help AAC: Alternative Awesome Communicators Rett Syndrome Communication Device and Information Exchange Angelman, Literacy, and Education (NOT limited... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Facebook
October 19, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
What better way to celebrate AAC Awareness Month than to share AAC stories from around the world? In this post, we welcome Desirae Pillay, who shares a bit about her daughter, Savannah, and their AAC journey. As the mother of a young adult with ASD and cerebral palsy, Desirae has taken what she has learned about AAC and is using it to help others outside of her family. Desirae began her journey with AAC in 2003 when she could not find a qualified AAC specialist to assist her with her daughter. Her experience and informal learning gained her a job for an AT company. When her daughter’s health needs became pressing, she resigned her job and worked part time as a Disability Consultant for various organisations. Desirae recently returned to work as an AT Advisor, where she trains on a range of topics about communication for people with disabilities. Her passion is for... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Desirae Pillay, family, South Africa, teamwork
October 18, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
It’s been a wonderful week of building awareness and acceptance! Monday – October Site of the Month: The National Professional Development Center on ASD Tuesday – “But he doesn’t use it!” 5 Things to Try to Boost Requesting with AAC Wednesday – Video of the Week: Adapting Books with Visual Scene Displays Thursday – PrAACtically Halloween: Considerations for an AAC-friendly Holiday
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
October 15, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
Holidays are special and Halloween is a favorite among many. As much fun as it is to dress up and get candy, though, there are lots of ways that Halloween can be stressful for AAC learners. From the change in routine, to the costumes and scary decorations, to talking with neighbors and other less familiar communication partners, to the over-abundance of sugar, there are lots of ways in which Halloween can trip us up. If the AAC learners in your life celebrate Halloween, Fall Festival, Harvest Parade, or any other celebration with similar traditions, we SLPs can help them to have a positive experience. Here are some ideas. Use a social narrative to prepare everyone for what to expect on and around Halloween. Read them often in the weeks leading up to the school dress-up parade, party, and the big day itself. More Halloween social narratives can be found at Therapics,... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: download, Halloween, social narrative
October 13, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
You did the assessment and got funding for the AAC device/app/aid. You regularly implement aided language input and your therapy is progressing nicely. You’ve spent time with teachers, paraprofessionals, family members, and others to educate them about AAC. You’ve worked with them to develop some initial goals around requesting wants/needs (even though that wasn’t your favorite place to start). You’ve identified some of his favorite things and even programmed language that allows him to request ‘something else’ if he doesn’t care for any of the choices. The foundation is set and things should be coming along. So what’s the problem? Well, it seems that the AAC learner hasn’t quite gotten the memo. Sigh. Rather than use the amazing AAC tool to ask for what he wants, Jonah continues to reach, grab, whine, and cry to get his needs met in most situations. Yes, progress is happening, but s-l-o-w-l-y. You have a... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: requesting
October 12, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
October’s featured site is full of resources on empirically-supported instructional practices for students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The National Professional Development Center (NPDC) on ASD website was a collaborative effort by The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Wisconsin at Madison, and the MIND Institute, University of California-Davis which was funded by the US Department of Education. You may already be familiar with their work through their collaboration with the Ohio Center for Autism and Low Incidence (OCALI) in creating the Autism Internet Modules. While there are various things to explore on the NDPC site, there are a few main resources that you won’t want to miss. Practice Briefs If you are looking for at-a-glance information on intervention practices and their research supports, this is a page you will want to bookmark. There are over two dozen practice briefs that summarize the literature in instructional... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: ASD, Autism Internet Modules, NDPC ASD, Site of the Month