November 16, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
It’s throwback Thursday! Today, we are revisiting some prior posts on the topic of helping parents, colleagues, and classroom staff learn ways to better support people who use AAC. Explore these past posts to get ideas for videos, download presentation slides, and peruse suggestions for hands-on activities to use in your training. Enjoy! How I Do it: AAC Inservices by Tabi Jones-Wohleber Hands-On Activities for AAC Training PrAACtical Ideas: AAC Core Vocabulary Practice for Workshops and Inservices How We Do It: S’MORRES and Partner Augmented Input with Dr. Jill Senner & Matthew Baud Video Explainers for Aided Language Input
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC training, inservice, partner training, workshop
November 13, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Looking for information about how to incorporate AT into a student’s IEP? Today, we share a helpful guide, Assistive Technology and the IEP. Originally produced by the Family Center on Technology and Disability, this booklet has been republished by the Center on Technology and Disability. It provides a good overview of some of the important issues and is a great resource to share with families of students who use AAC. Click on the image below to review this guidebook.
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AT, IEP, schools
November 12, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
It’s a beautiful day to grab a mug of coffee or pour a cup of tea, and head for a comfy spot to catch up on some AAC reading. Monday – AAC Site of the Month: Centre for AAC (CAAC) Wednesday – Video of the Week: Analyzing the Communication Environment Thursday – PrAACtical Information: 5 AAC Presentation Handouts :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Need a few more suggestions? Here are a handful past post on AAC and young children. Preschool AAC and Visual Supports from Orange County Public Schools TELL ME – AAC in the Preschool Classroom Supporting Preschoolers with AAC Needs-A Case Study Visual Supports in Action: The Preschool Classroom Mining Preschool Routines for PrAACtical AAC Opportunities Have a great week, AAC friends!
Filed under: Featured Posts
November 9, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
In a perfect world, we’d all be able to travel to conferences whenever we wished to soak up the AAC expertise from presenters around the world. Until then, we’ll keep posting links to handouts from conferences, workshops, and inservices with AAC content. Developing Language and Communication Power Usin a Core Vocabulary Classroom Approach by Gail Van Tatenhove Getting and Keeping AAC After High School Considerations for Transitioning Students who Use AAC Now, and Who Will Need AAC in the Future by Kathryn Helland AAC Strategies and Considerations for Children with Severe Speech Disorders: Not a Substitution, Just Part of the Solution by Erinn Fincke Life Before and After PECS: Reflections on Supports for Early Communication and Language by Cathy Binger Is the iPad the Best AAC Choice? by Nykki Montano
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: conferences, handouts
November 6, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
November’s Site of the Month is situated at the intersection of research, clinical/educational practices, and professional preparation. The Centre for AAC, housed at the University of Pretoria, has been serving the AAC community for over two decades. Their site has many helpful resources to explore. Highlights include: Links to many AAC research studies that CAAC has been involved with, including several with full-text access. AAC Resource Manual (selected chapters) AAC in the Home Setting up the AAC classroom for learning How to make an E-tran Talking Mats™ Information on their post-graduate programs in AAC Presentation handouts Communication boards focused on reporting abuse (available in many languages) Communication board for testifying in court Communication Bill of Rights You can learn more about CAAC by perusing past newsletters which are archived here.
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: abuse, CAAC, Communication Bill of Rights, Site of the Month
November 5, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Busy week? Here are a handful of AAC posts that you might have missed. Monday – PrAACtically November: AAC Resources for a Year of Core Vocabulary Wednesday – Video of the Week: Understanding Functional Communication Training Thursday – PrAACtical Families: 5 Grants That Support AAC Looking for materials to get ready for another busy week? You might get some ideas from these posts: AAC on TpT: 5 Free Downloads Miami Dade Prekindergarten Program for Children with Disabilities 5 ‘Go-To Sites for Visual Supports Free Resources for Making AAC and Visual Supports Downloadable AAC Posters
Filed under: Featured Posts
Tagged With: summary post
November 2, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Unless you have a family member with a disability, it’s hard to really understand the toll that specialized services and equipment take on their financial well-being. We’re always on the look-out for sources of support that can help these families. This is the first in a periodic series of posts that list some of the AAC-friendly grant resources open to individual families and clients. The plan is to grow this list and update it with new information, so please comment or email me through the blog if you know of other opportunities. Help is particularly needed for those outside the US. Here are a handful of grants that are AAC-friendly to get us started. CASANA: The iPads for Apraxia program funds iPads for children with apraxia in the US and Canada Small Steps in Speech: Funds supplemental therapies and provides some support to nonprofit organizations who serve very young kids with... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: families, financial support, grants
October 30, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
It’s just about time to turn another page on the calendar, and that means we’re busy preparing materials and activities for our November core words. Are you looking for some ways to help your AAC learners become more competent in using core words? Need to get staff on board with modeling core vocabulary? Trying to get familiar with where core words are stored in a particular SGD or AAC app? Here’s an approach you may want to try: Choose a dozen or so core words to focus on each month. In previous years, we shared lists of some core words to help you do just that. 2013: A Year of Core (12 words/month) 2014: A(nother) Year of Core (16 words/month; Note: These are different than the core words covered in 2013) Those posts have links to downloadable grids with the core words for each month that can be used as a focal... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: A Year of Core Words
October 29, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Hope you found a way to make AAC Awareness Month meaningful in your life and/or community. Here are some posts that you may have missed in your busy week. Monday – AAC Awareness Month, Week 4: Read & Share Wednesday – The Power of AAC for Distance Communication Thursday – How I Do It: Using Animated Shorts in Language Therapy with AAC Learners And if you’ve got time to squeeze in a little more Halloween-y fun, take a look at these past posts. PrAACtically Halloween: Considerations for an AAC-friendly Holiday 5 Fun AAC Things to Do to Get Ready for Halloween Halloween Recipes for Cooking AAC Style 5 Tips for Talking About Halloween After It’s Over Finally, we know that there are lots of AAC Superheroes out there. (Yes, you!) Claim your name, AAC friends!
Filed under: Featured Posts
Tagged With: Halloween, summary post, superhero
October 26, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Looking for ways to engage AAC learners in language therapy? Today, we welcome back SLP Rachel Madel to tell us about her experience in using wordless videos. Her prAACtical tips will get you excited about using videos like these, curated by The Activity Tailor, in your lessons. Enjoy! ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Using Animated Shorts to Build Language Skills with AAC Learners We are living in a digital age, where video content is often free and easy to access. Children on my caseload are tech savvy and are constantly dazzling me with how well they can navigate YouTube to find their favorite videos. Motivation is paramount in creating meaningful communication interactions and watching animated videos is highly motivating for both students and clinicians. I’ve had great success utilizing wordless videos in my practice and was lucky enough to present on the topic during “AAC After Work” with a fellow AAC colleague, Susan Berkowitz. In case... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: implementation ideas, language therapy