May 24, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Here in the US, we’re preparing for a holiday weekend and getting ready to flip the calendar to a new page. That means it’s time to prepare to highlight a new set of core words to keep our AAC learners moving forward and expanding their use of AAC throughout the day. If you’re helping an AAC learner become more capable in using high-frequency words to express themselves, we hope you join us in highlighting the June words and creating opportunities for our AAC learners to use them throughout the day. Whether you are following along with the 2013 Year of Core (Set 1-12 words/month) or the 2014 A(nother) Year of Core: (Set 2-16 words/month; Different than the previous year’s core words), or just getting started, here are some helpful resources. Our June words are listed below. Set 1 List: after, am/be/is, because, can, cold, fast, fun, have, hungry, let, need, talk Set... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: core vocabulary, downloads, resources
May 22, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
It’s that time again! Once a week, we invite you to share your own AAC-related content so that others may learn from you and benefit from your efforts. It may be a recent post you’ve written, a slide deck from your AAC presentation, a handout, video, or meme that you’ve posted online, an AAC product you’ve created, an announcement for an AAC camp or conference, or any other prAACtical content you developed and want to share with the AAC community. To post your own link, scroll all the way down to the bottom of this post and complete the form. The AAC Link Up is moderated to keep us from being spammed, so it may take a little while for your link to show up. Note: If you receive this post in your email inbox, you are probably getting it before anyone has had a chance to add their links. Check back later... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC Link Up
May 21, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
People with declining speech abilities may wish to preserve some aspects of their speech through voice banking, message banking, and/or digital legacies. These are strategies used to digitally record speech by people with degenerative conditions, such as ALS/MND, for later use once their speech abilities decline. You can learn more about each strategy here. Voice Banking Voice banking is a strategy for creating a synthetic version of someone’s voice for later use on speech generating devices (SGD). It involves recording hundreds or thousands of sentences so that the computer can sample the person’s vocal qualities in different linguistic contexts and use that information to create a synthetic voice modeled after the person’s own speech. Options for Voice Banking include: Model Talker CereVoice Me VocalID My Own Voice Message Banking Message banking is a strategy for creating a pool of pre-recorded messages using a person’s natural speech while it is... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: ALS, digital legacy, message banking, voice banking
May 20, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Hello, Sunday! As AAC service providers, the work we do often keeps us too busy to do much reading. And so, we often use the weekends to catch up. If you’re in that mode today, check out our posts from last week. Monday: PrAACtical Resources: Lockdown, Code Red, & Other School Safety Drills Tuesday: AAC Link Up Wednesday: Video of the Week: AAC in Acute Care Thursday: Throwback Thursday: Extension Activities for AAC Practice Still have an appetite for some more AAC? Here are a few past posts to sink your teeth into. 3 Ways to Use AAC Goals to Strengthen AAC Intervention Using Visual Supports for Goal Setting Conversations PrAACtically Pinteresting with Lauren Enders: Writing AAC Goals Building Linguistic Competence in AAC Learners: 3 Areas to Consider Targeting Writing AAC Goals for Students Who Use AAC If you’re local, take a look at this opportunity to learn from Dr. Caroline Musselwhite on teaching early... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Caroline Musselwhite, goals, literacy, summary post
May 17, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Today, we’re revisiting some past posts for those who are looking to add more AAC practice activities into their routines. Happy talking! AT Recipes for Success: Shared Reading Sometimes I Feel Sunny Pete the Cat Bark, George Bear Wants More AT Recipes for Success: Sensorimotor Activities Fun with Balls & Dolls Fun with Cars & Bubbles Fun with Paint Daubers & Crayons Fun with Animal Puzzles & Potato Head AT Recipes for Success: Older Learners Fun with Scrapbooking & Computer Games Fun with Nail Polish & Magazines Fun with Cooking
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC activities, extension activities, home practice
May 15, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Hello, AAC friends! Once a week, we invite you to share your own AAC-related content so that others may learn from you and benefit from your efforts. It may be a recent post you’ve written, a slide deck from your AAC presentation, a handout, video, or meme that you’ve posted online, an AAC product you’ve created, an announcement for an AAC camp or conference, or any other prAACtical content you developed and want to share with the AAC community. To post your own link, scroll all the way down to the bottom of this post and complete the form. The AAC Link Up is moderated to keep us from being spammed, so it may take a little while for your link to show up. Note: If you receive this post in your email inbox, you are probably getting it before anyone has had a chance to add their links. Check back later in... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC Link Up, literacy
May 14, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Recent events, such as the horrific mass shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School, have led us all to re-examine policies and procedures that impact school safety. Throughout the country, school communities are re-evaluating and fine-tuning their processes for keeping students and staff safe in the unlikely event of violent acts, such as bomb threats and active shooters. It seems surreal that we have to think about and plan for this, but that is our reality. We look at school safety drills for Code Red and lockdowns with a greater degree of importance and a heightened level of urgency. Our students with AAC needs are among the most vulnerable in any emergency situation and this is no different. Our students may have difficulty understanding what is happening in a drill or its implications. They may have difficulty moving quickly to get to a safe space or staying quiet once they get there.... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Emergency, emergency preparedness, safety, schools
May 13, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Mother’s Day! Monday – Evidence-based Practice in AAC Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: AAC Partner Instruction Thursday – Using Visual Sidekicks to Support Language Intervention :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Still have an appetite for AAC? Here are a handful of past posts to browse. Faces of AAC: Making It Work in a Busy Family PrAACtically Reading with Karen Natoci: The Family Book Family Collaboration by Dr. Barry Prizant PrAACtical Families: 5 Grants That Support AAC From Presence to Contribution: A Family’s Journey Toward and Inclusive Life Before you go, we’d like to invite all our local friends to this FREE wonderful 2-day workshop on literacy hosted by UM-NSU CARD. Explore the online poster below or click here for a larger version. Hope to see some of you there!
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC family, family, literacy, summary post
May 10, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
SLPs Lori Sanzeri and Chelsea Collins, creators of Core City, are back to share ideas for implementing AAC in the classroom. Today, they share their experiences in using visual supports as a supplemental strategy for their students who are beginning to use AAC. Enjoy! ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Using Visual Sidekicks to Support Language Intervention Have you ever tried to read a book to your students without providing any visual supports? Do you find yourself having difficulty thinking about what questions to ask? Do you ever feel like the story is too “wordy” or difficult for your students to understand? Have no fear, Visual Sidekicks are here! Visual Sidekicks provide a color-coded communication board of target core and fringe vocabulary along with sentences of 3-5 symbols that simplify the text throughout the story. Children with special needs often demonstrate difficulties during structured literacy activities in the following areas: attending to... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: implementation ideas, language intervention, visual supports
May 8, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Hello, AAC friends! Once a week, we invite you to share your own AAC-related content so that others may learn from you and benefit from your efforts. It may be a recent post you’ve written, a slide deck from your AAC presentation, a handout, video, or meme that you’ve posted online, an AAC product you’ve created, an announcement for an AAC camp or conference, or any other prAACtical content you developed and want to share with the AAC community. To post your own link, scroll all the way down to the bottom of this post and complete the form. The AAC Link Up is moderated to keep us from being spammed, so it may take a little while for your link to show up. Note: If you receive this post in your email inbox, you are probably getting it before anyone has had a chance to add their links. Check back later in... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC Link Up, ASHA, BHSM