March 9, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Looking for information of use to service providers, people who use AAC, and their families? Our March Site of the Month features a website that fits the bill. Scope, an Australian disability service agency, has information and downloadable resources that you may want to explore. Here are some of the highlights. CIRCus Blog The agency supports a blog with content from Scope’s Communication and Inclusion Resource Centre and includes several topics related to AAC. Eye gaze: For people with significant motor difficulties, eye pointing or eye gaze may play an important role in their access to communication. Having communication partners who know how to maximize the success of this strategy can make the difference between incredible success and perpetual struggle. In this post, they walk us through the process of supporting people who use eye gaze. Schedules: Therapists and teachers regularly use visual schedules to help people with AAC needs... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Communication Bill of Rights, download, Site of the Month
March 6, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Looking for some AAC materials to round out your collection of resources? Teachers Pay Teachers, the online marketplace for materials made by teachers and therapists, has quite a few. Here are a couple of freebies to check out. AAC Myths by Susan Berkowitz Preverbal Communication-AAC Checklists by Ricki Block of Preschool Speechie Plus AAC Home Information Questionnaire by Tarra Bailey AAC Brochure for Teachers and Support Staff by Sublime Speech Leveled Core Communication Boards by Sister SLPs What are your favorite AAC resources on Teachers Pay Teachers? We’d love to hear about them.
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: free, Teachers Pay Teachers
March 5, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Looking to catch up on some AAC reading? Here are a few posts you may have missed. Monday: PrAACtically March: AAC Resources for A Year of Core Vocabulary Words Wednesday: Video of the Week: Environmental Communication Teaching Thursday: PrAACtical Teaching in the Autism Classroom: Instructional Activities for Core Vocabulary
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: summary post
March 2, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
“But I don’t have just one student who needs AAC in my class – I have a bunch! How can I work AAC teaching into an already hectic day?” Teachers Amy Devin and Lauren Pawlowski are back with real-world suggestions for situations like these. Last year, they introduced us to Big Core, gave us tips for implementing it in the classroom, and explained how they integrate it into shared reading lessons and predictable chart writing activities. Today, they’re back with prAACtical information on how they provide explicit instruction on core vocabulary words. Amy and Lauren are public school teachers in Michigan who began teaching in resource rooms and moved to self‐contained ASD elementary classrooms in 2009. There was not much talk about core language when they started teaching and even less about incorporating into classroom lessons. AAC devices have changed a bit over the years, too. Initially, they worked with a 32-location core board on... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: ASD, classroom, core word, implementation ideas
February 27, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Do the AAC users in your life use only a fraction of the core words in their SGD, AAC app, or communication board? One way to help them move forward is to make a concerted effort to use, highlight, and provide additional teaching on a variety of words. It’s hard to do this without getting overwhelmed, so find a strategy that works for you. A few years ago, we decided to approach this by focusing on 12-16 core words each month. (If this is too much for the teams with whom you work, that’s not a problem. Just cut it back to 4-6 words/month.) Each month, we can highlight those words in our conversation (aided language input), direct intervention, and home programming activities with AAC learners. The repeated experiences with those 12-16 (or 4-6) words helps our AAC learners develop new skills, and keeps the team focused on the same destination. It’s... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: A Year of Core Words, Another Year of Core Words
February 23, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
For comprehensive AAC systems, there is no doubt that we need access to tools with the communication symbols that match our client’s needs. There are times, though, when ‘free’ and ‘simple’ fits the bill. Whether you are a graduate student clinicians/teacher, parent, or professional, these tools may come in handy. Picto4Me: This executable program works with Google Chrome and allows you to create communication boards and other visual supports at no cost. You can view and use the boards online via computer or mobile device or print them. This program offers voice output and scanning, too. ARASAAC: We’ve written about the wonderful resources at the Aragonese Portal of AAC in previous posts. Keep them in mind as you are searching for symbols or creating AAC supports. Trial versions: Some companies offer a free trial of their symbol software or programs so that consumers can try before they buy. We love... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: communication book, download, free
February 20, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Last week, we posted about taking data on communication partners, something that can be very helpful when we are looking for ways to expedite the AAC user’s progress. Based on feedback from that post, we’re sharing a sample data collection form for this purpose. Do you have another idea for collecting data on the behavior of communication partners? We’d love to hear about it.
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: data collection, download, forms, partners
February 16, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
It’s exciting to see more and more teams on the road to implementing AAC in therapy and in the classroom. Often, though, our initial expectations for student progress don’t pan out. Consider these examples. Aleksander’s SGD has robust vocabulary that is customized specifically for him. He uses it consistently at snack and lunch time, but rarely uses it in other activities. Ariel uses her AAC app to ask for things, make comments, and answer questions but rarely goes beyond the single word level to express herself. Jayson had a PECS book for over a year and learned to request his favorite foods but not much else. His team switched Jayson over to a more robust AAC system, and while he learned to communicate for other reasons, he still doesn’t use his communication book very frequently unless he’s prompted to do so. Do these situations seem vaguely familiar? Helping AAC learners become... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: beginning communicator, data collection
February 14, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Show some AAC love this week! Photo credit: Roman Drits
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: holiday
February 13, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Looking for some additional AAC-related resources? CALL Scotland has some wonderful resources that can be displayed as posters, and/or used as handouts for meetings/trainings (click here). Here’s a sampling of what you’ll find. And don’t miss this interactive flyer that takes you to PowerPoint books. ‘Thanks to the wonderful team at CALL Scotland for making and sharing these terrific resources.
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC apps, Android, download, eye gaze, resources