June 28, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
What do students with cognitive impairments who use AAC need in order to learn to read and write? Comprehensive literacy instruction, for one thing. In today’s featured videos, we travel to Iowa to peek into some classroom activities where students with cognitive disabilities who use AAC are working on their spelling and decoding skills. Direct Links to Videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ti8IOEICJQc&list=PLocplddh5SSRBGRsR0tOFXIJd5wh6i89k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BUXpKlLISs&list=PLocplddh5SSRBGRsR0tOFXIJd5wh6i89k&index=7 Many thanks to the Iowa Department of Education, teachers, and students for these helpful videos.
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: literacy, reading, spelling, video
June 21, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Figuring out the best way to represent language to someone who will be communicating through AAC is challenging, but when the client is unable to see well enough to use pictures, the task is infinitely more complex. In this week’s featured video, Dr. Kathy Howery provides an overview of the 3D tactile symbols created by the Center for Literacy and Disability Studies at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill for high frequency core words. If you work with individuals who are blind or have very low vision, this important video is one you may want to share with the whole team. You can access the accompanying handout here. Many thanks to Kathy Howery and Edmonton Regional Learning Consortium for creating this video and making it available to us all.
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: blind, deafblind, low vision, object symbols, symbols
June 14, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
How can we help our AAC learners become cognitively engaged and participate fully in instructional activities? What can we do to support social connectedness and help them make contributions to classroom learning experiences? In this week’s featured video, which is embedded in a fuller AT Internet Module, Erin Sheldon helps us answer those kinds of questions and shares a framework to help us plan for full participation in learning experiences. We’re grateful to Erin, OCALI, and AT Internet Modules for creating and sharing these wonderful resources.
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: classroom, Inclusive Education, school
June 7, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Do you know students like these? In therapy sessions, Victor uses single words on his SGD to participate in games and activities, but doesn’t use it much during other daily experiences. Bella uses PECS quite capably at mealtimes but rarely uses it at other times during the day. Karina can use her AAC app to put together short narratives to tell about things that happened recently. Most times, though, she expresses herself with single word utterances. As therapists, teachers, and families who support people who use AAC, we do a lot of hand wringing when there is a discrepancy between what students KNOW HOW to do and what they DO do. We are perplexed and frustrated when these students have everything they need to utilize a particular skill, yet fail to do so. It’s a common concern, but here’s a question for us to ask ourselves: Don’t we do the... [Read More...]
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: aided language input, modeling, reading, video
May 31, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Typically developing children acquire language not through direct instruction but by immersion in an environment where the language of the community is modeled all day long. When they eat and when they play, in care routines at home and in exchanges in the community, children are continually hearing the language they are learning to produce. When parents of Deaf or hard of hearing babies learn of their children’s disability, many clamor to learn sign language and use it as they bathe, feed, and play with their children. These parents may not be perfect sign language models, but they understand that their efforts to learn and use sign language will play a critical role in helping their children learn to communicate effectively. Thus, they strive to sign all day long as they talk to their kids. The pervasive, contextually-driven exposure to language is the foundation on which children build skills in... [Read More...]
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: aided language input, language development, modeling, play
May 24, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
It is so exciting to see how AAC is being implemented around the world. In this week’s video, we travel to Guatemala to feature the work of Isabel Orellana de Chang. The video is in Spanish, but you can use the closed caption buttons at the bottom of the video to turn on English subtitles. This is a great resource to share with our Spanish-speaking friends. Enjoy!
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: Spanish, video
May 17, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
For people who are learning to use AAC, therapy is important. Good instruction matters. But you know what else really matters? Having the chance to build relationships and talk with other people just like you. Today’s featured video highlights a group that has been offering this opportunity to the community for several years. Dr. Nancy Robinson and her students in the Communicative Disorders Clinic at San Francisco State University have been hosting a social opportunity group that brings together people who use AAC. Let’s take a peek into Conversation Club. Direct Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1YzBsriqRU
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: Conversation, group, social, video
May 10, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Better Hearing and Speech Month (#BHSM) is all about reaching out and advocating for access to communication supports. As professionals, advocacy is part of our core roles, though we generally struggle with finding the time to do as much as we’d like to. Few of us, however, have the opportunity to speak about behalf of AAC on the floor of the United States Senate. In today’s post, we share the recording of Rick Creech, lifelong user of AAC, speaking to the Special Committee on Aging. In the first part, we hear Rick’s prepared remarks to the Senate. Rick takes questions from the committee in the second video. Aging Without Community: The Consequences of Isolation and Loneliness Rick Answers Senators’ Questions
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: advocacy, public policy, video
May 3, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
There aren’t many formal assessment instruments designed expressly for people who need AAC, so it’s important to know about the ones that are available. In today’s post, we feature two videos on the Test of Aided Communication Symbol Performance (the TASP). Authored by Dr. Joan Bruno (creator of the Gateway programs for SGDs and AAC apps), this test helps us answer some of the questions we have when selecting or creating AAC systems for people with complex communication needs. In this first video, we get a brief overview of the TASP from Dr. Lori Geist. Next, let’s hear more about it from practicing clinicians and see a demonstration of some of the subtests. Do you use formal testing in your AAC assessments? We’d love to hear about those experiences.
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: AAC assessment, formal tests, TASP, video
April 26, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
At school In clinics and hospitals At home In restaurants and shops People are supporting children with complex communication needs by speaking AAC and building opportunities for communication learning. Here are a few short videos showing what they’ve been up to. Vanderbilt’s Early Intervention Program are getting some communication in while playing and making music in preschool. Check out Shelane Nielsen and her handsome guy gooping it up in AACtion at home. Jill Baldessari explains how Miguel and his SLP get their eye gaze on. Take a peek at Deb using both prestored messages and single word vocabulary at a restaurant. Let’s see how these classmates are working together in their general education classroom. Ready for a bit of reading instruction, AAC style? Do you have videos of AACtual communication? We’d love to have you share them!
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: communication, Multimodal, video