Tag Archive: play

PrAACtical Supports for the Young AAC Learner: Recipes for Success, Part 1

July 7, 2016 by - 4 Comments

One of the most gratifying things about the AAC field is being able to connect with talented professionals who love what they do and are passionate about supporting learners with little or no functional speech. I am humbled by the incredibly generous ways in which clinicians are supporting their clients and one another. Today’s post, by SLP Sara Barnhill, is a case in point. Sara has worked at Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU (CHoR) for seven years.  She is a member of the Assistive Technology (AT) Core team and completes multiple AAC evaluations per week as well as AAC therapy.  Her caseload includes patients in clinics, out-patient therapy, and on the Transitional Care Unit which provides pediatric long-term care.  Through her specialty areas, Sara has discovered a love for sharing information and training others.  Sara has presented in multiple conferences at the local, state, and national levels.  Sara has... [Read More...]

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Strategy of the Month: A PrAACtical Resource – AT for the Little Ones

July 7, 2014 by - 4 Comments

Strategy of the Month: A PrAACtical Resource - AT for the Little Ones

This month we’re sharing resources that have prAACtical applications. Today, we look at a project developed jointly by the Pacer Center and the Tots ‘n Tech Program at Arizona State University. Get your DIY on with EZ AT 2: A Guide for Increasing Young Children’s Participation in Daily Activities and Routines.  

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Video of the Week: What Do You Want to Do?

April 6, 2014 by - Leave your thoughts

Video of the Week: What Do You Want to Do?

Looking for a prAACtical way to introduce basic visual supports to families of kids with AAC needs? This week we feature a video from Arizona State University’s Tots ‘n Tech Project that is perfect to share with families who are ready to add a few visual supports into their lives. We love the simplicity of this video and the engaging support document that accompanies it.  Direct Link to Video: http://tnt.asu.edu/ideas/communication-socializing/what-do-you-want-do-chart  

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AACtual Therapy: Fun with Puzzles

April 4, 2013 by - 2 Comments

AACtual Therapy: Fun with Puzzles

Today, we’re pleased to introduce SLP Jackie Kearns, coordinator of the Technology Resource Center at the Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital for Rehabilitation.  Prior to that, she received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Ohio University. She completed both an undergraduate and graduate level thesis and has published in Contemporary Issues in Communication Sciences and Disorders. Jackie has over 5 years’ experience working with medically complex children in both inpatient and outpatient hospital settings. She has provided numerous AAC evaluations and treatment for children ranging from 1-21 years of age. In addition, she has done numerous presentations and in-services for staff at the Cleveland Clinic. We’re grateful to Jackie’s AAC professor and mentor, Dr. John McCarthy for recommending her to us. Therapy Activity: Fun with Puzzles Intended audience: Early intervention, preschool aged children, and/or emergent AAC communicators Type(s) of AAC: Eye gaze, reaching Picture communication symbols Single message voice output communication... [Read More...]

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5 Adapted Play Resources for Children with Motor Impairment

July 5, 2012 by - 2 Comments

5 Adapted Play Resources for Children with Motor Impairment

Play is the work of children and a gateway to learning about the world. And so when we met a toddler who couldn’t access regular toys for play, we set out on a quest to help solve this problem. Here are some resources we’re using. – Pick out some toys: Sites like AblePlay are invaluable for objective information on which toys to consider. Toys R Us also has a special needs section of their website. How to make battery-operated toys accessible through switches: Instructable by John Schimmel and instructional document by the Alliance for Technology Access How to make battery interrupters so you can make toys switch accessible: Instructable by Gavin Phillips. How to use battery interrupters: Document by AbleNet Once you have your switch-adapted toy, you can make some minor changes to make adapted play a better overall experience Get creative: Creating play environments by Let’s Play. Great info and ideas... [Read More...]

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5 eGames for Switch Users

April 17, 2012 by - Leave your thoughts

5 eGames for Switch Users

We’re in the mood to play! – 1. AbleGamers Foundation: http://www.ablegamers.com/ 2. Free from Shiny Learning: http://www.shinylearning.co.uk/freegames/ 3. Assistive Gaming: http://www.assistivegaming.com/ 4. Switch Games from the BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/games/by/type/switchgames 5. Switch Effect’s Gamebase: http://www.gamebase.info/home.html – Let the (accessible) games begin!

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The Precious Power of Play

April 12, 2012 by - Leave your thoughts

The Precious Power of Play

The Chicago P.L.A.Y. Project is on a mission to empower parents to help their children build language through play. We love the joyful nature of their mission. – Of course, the clinical educators in us see huge potential for adding visual supports to enhance the language learning, but this is an amazing way to build good interaction and language opportunities. – Enjoy!    

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HijAACked! Toca Boca Kitchen Monsters

April 7, 2012 by - Leave your thoughts

HijAACked- Toca Boca Kitchen Monsters

  Toca Boca App Developers make general education preschool apps. They are dedicated to providing interactive play opportunities using mobile technology.  We have loved every one of their apps since we first saw them.   There seems to be some philosophical similarities between the Toca Boca Apps and so we will begin with why we love ALL of them.  We have found them to be engaging to all ages (including us).  They also provide practice and interaction with life experiences in a fun and pretend tech way.  We love the beautiful artwork.  We love that they are reasonably priced, often participate in ‘give aways’ and they even do free GIFTS  (think Toca Hair Salon Christmas Gift and now Toca Kitchen Monsters).  We use these apps so often that we can say we have officially HijAACked them for PrAACtical AAC. We have HijAACked ALL of these apps to use with AAC... [Read More...]

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