May 28, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
It’s prAACtically June and that means we are preparing for a new set of core words to focus on. Join us in highlighting a set of core words for the month and helping our AAC learners become more fluent in using them on a day-to-day basis. Whether you are following along with the 2013 Year of Core (12 words/month) or the 2014 A(nother) Year of Core: (16 words/month; Different than the previous year’s core words), or just getting started, the resources linked in this post may be helpful. Our June words are listed below. 2013 List: after, am/be/is, because, can, cold, fast, fun, have, hungry, let, need, talk 2014 List: about, back, buy, grandmother, hand, inside, lose, move, okay, people, quiet, short, show, two, water, yellow Resources Templates for you to plug in your own symbols: 2013 words, 2014 words Minspeak/Unity version: 2013 words PCS versions: 2013 words, 2014 words Symbol... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: A Year of Core Words, AAC Resources, Another Year of Core Words, download
May 26, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
Angela Adams is next up in our Better Hearing and Speech Month lineup. Angela is an SLP in a school district in Washington where she works with middle and high school students, many of whom use AAC. In this post, she shares some thoughts on helping them build conversational skills. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: In March 2015 I had the pleasure of attending AAC in the Desert in sunny Phoenix. Presenters Caroline Musselwhite, Erin Sheldon, and Gretchen Hanser sent us away with tons of information. I used Caroline Musselwhite’s idea of Co-planned conversation scripts as a basis for the following activity. Working in a school system and with a variety of staff, it is highly beneficial when the activity is organized and has simple instructions. Take screen shots of the phrases needed for the conversational activity. Cut out the social phrases needed and then laminate. I labeled the back of each phrase card so... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
May 25, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Memorial Day
May 24, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
Monday – How We Do It: AAC at the Larc School with Kaitlyn Connors and Rachel Egbert Tuesday – 5 Presentation Handouts on AAC Topics Wednesday – Video of the Week: Communicative Competence in AAC Thursday – Conversations in the Classroom with Tina Moreno
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
May 21, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
Better Hearing and Speech Month continues with guest blogger Tina Moreno. In this post, Tina shares some thoughts on building meaningful conversations in the classroom. She also made her visual support materials available for downloading (link at the end of her post). You can read Tina’s previous post for BHSM here. CONVERSATIONS IN THE CLASSROOM Fostering opportunities for meaningful conversation is critical throughout the school setting. Great discussions can happen in the classroom, but it can prove challenging for students to remain on topic, take conversational turns and give their peers wait time. In order to help students acquire these skills, we need to provide direct instruction, modeling by adults (and typically developing peers whenever possible!) and visual supports. Aim for the conversation target It can be difficult for students to keep track of the conversation target, especially in large group, fast-paced settings. It can be especially challenging for... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: classroom, Tina Moreno
May 20, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
Today, we return to Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire to view another video from their AAC Initiative. In this presentation, Michael McSheehan reviews the domains of communicative competence in AAC and discusses issues and research supports for each area.
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: communicative competence, Michael McSheehan, University of New Hampshire
May 19, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
AAC people are notorious for their love of professional development. If you haven’t been able to attend as many conferences as you would have liked, you might enjoy these handouts from AAC presentations in the US and Australia. Jane Farrall and Sally Clendon (AGOSCI, May 2015): Self-selected Reading Ashley Robinson (NCACA, 2015): Building Classroom Communities to Support AAC Users Caroline Musselwhite, Erin Sheldon, Deanna Wagner, Laurel Buell, & Gretchen Hanser (Closing the Gap, 2014): Communication Circles Lauren Enders (ATIA, 2014): AAC-Ideas for Infusing Core Language Across the Curriculum Jennifer Buxton (ATIA, 2014): AT Implementation in the School Setting – Struggles and Successes
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: handouts
May 18, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
In honor of ASHA’s Better Hearing and Speech Month, we’ve invited clinicians who use AAC in their schools to share a bit about their work here on PrAACtical AAC. Today’s post is from Kaitlyn Connors and Rachel Egbert, two school-based SLPs in New Jersey. For the past 8 years, Kaitlyn has worked with children who use AAC. She earned her Master’s degree from Ithaca College and remains passionate about AAC, and helping each student communicate to the best of their abilities. Rachel earned her Master’s degree from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 2013. She eagerly keeps abreast of the latest advances in AAC, which help her to deliver the most positive outcome possible for her students. Both Kaitlyn and Rachel currently serve students at Larc School. Beyond Requesting: PrAACtical Ideas for Building Language in the Classroom To take one student beyond requesting during snack time we implemented a core language board... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: classroom, core vocabulary, education, Kaitlyn Connors, Larc School, low tech, Rachel Egbert
May 17, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
Monday – Sound/Music Cause and Effect Apps for Engaging AAC Learners Tuesday – Say What?!? AAC Assessment for Children Who Speak with Dr. Jill Senner and Matthew Baud Wednesday – Video of the Week: Communication Supports for Problem Behavior with Dr. Pat Mirenda Thursday – How I Do It: The All-in-One-Visual-Support Tool by Tabi Jones-Wohleber
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
May 14, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
I am constantly in awe of the creativity and generosity of AAC practitioners, particularly those like Tabi Jones-Wohleber who make fabulous materials and share them with colleagues that they’ve never even met. Tabi is an SLP on the AT Team for Frederick County Public Schools in Maryland. A graduate of Penn State University, her career has focused on AAC. Though she works with many schools and addresses a variety of AT needs, most of her time and creative energy is devoted to working with students with the most significant disabilities. In this post, she introduces us to the All-in-One-Visual-Support Tool. You wont want to miss Tabi’s treasure trove of prAACtical materials. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: It was a conversation I’d had many times before. A conversation that kept resurfacing in one form or another. It’s the conversation of how to manage all the stuff; all the visuals, all the reinforcers, all the communication tools. The benefit of visual supports to... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: classroom, resources, schools, Tabi Jones-Wohleber, visual supports