October 25, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Today, we look to South Africa to learn from AT specialist Desirae Pillay who shares her thoughts on using AAC for communicating at a distance. In an earlier post, Desirae shared her experience as an AAC parent. In the current post, she talks about things we don’t always think about when supporting people with AAC needs. The Power of AAC for Distance Communication I am an Assistive Technology Advisor for a company in South Africa and a parent to a young adult, Savannah Pillay who is cerebral palsied and autistic. As an advisor, it is my job to know of all the communication options that are available which includes knowing about unaided AAC options. I am a big fan of gesture dictionaries as I have seen how impactful it can be especially when using a multi-modal communication system. I am also a fan of AAC software that not only has... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC family, distance communication
October 23, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
How is AAC Awareness Month shaping up in your corner of the world? Our activities for this week involve reading and sharing. Pour yourself a cup of tea, grab a mug of coffee, or just settle into your favorite reading nook for some AAC reading. Get ready to participate in the AAC Read-a-Thon Read and share this AAC information kit Read with kids 5 Books Featuring Children who Use AAC Books for Beginning Readers of Any Age Send home some fun book extension activities that help families use AAC at home Grab a book! Check out the AAC offerings from some of these publishers: Attainment Company Brill Publishing LinguiSystems Paul H. Brookes Publishing Company Plural Publishing Inc. Pearson Rowman & Littlefield Routledge Woodbine House Other/Self-published By Betsy Furler By Susan Berkowitz (resource document) What did we miss? Leave your suggestions for AAC reading material below.
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC Awareness Month
October 21, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Each October, we like to share stories of people who use AAC throughout the day. to gain insight from those who have found a way to prioritize AAC despite their hectic and complicated lives. Today, Erin Compton shares some of the keys to making AAC a priority in her busy family. You can learn more about Erin and her family on their blog, Lotsacomptons and Room for More. In this post, Erin give us some tips on getting started in AAC and keeping up the momentum. Enjoy! Our journey into the world of AAC began last year with the adoption of our two sons from China. Philip and Arthur both have cerebral palsy and developmental delays from years in an orphanage. Just recently they began using communication devices so we have jumped in feet first to all things AAC. We are already having great success so I’m here to share some of the... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC implementation, families
October 19, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
She’s bAACk! We couldn’t be happier to have another guest post on AAC assessment practices from Vicki Clarke of Dynamic Therapy Associates. In today’s post, she shares her tips and experiences for applying the SETT Framework to AAC assessment. If you are looking for information about how AACtual SLPs conduct their evaluations, Vicki’s posts are just what you need. You can view her previous contributions to the AAC Assessment Corner here. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Ready, SETT, AAC Evaluate! Last week I had the pleasure of joining the AAC After Work online conference hosted by Yapp Guru University. Jenna Coyer and I presented a session chatting about AAC assessment in emergent communicators. As we have worked to define our process for evaluation, we found ourselves repeatedly returning to the same approach our Assistive Technology teams use—the SETT Framework. The SETT Framework was developed by Joy Zabala as a process for making decisions about... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC assessment, SETT, Vicki Clarke
October 18, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Today, we welcome back SLP Karen Natoci who is resuming her wonderful series on interactive book reading with AAC learners. Karen has supported AAC learners in different capacities throughout her career and is currently an AAC Supervisor with The Speech Pathology Group in Walnut Creek, California. You can read more about Karen at the end of her post and explore some of her previous posts here. PrAACtically Reading Book: The Family Book Written and Illustrated by Todd Parr (2003); Little, Brown and Company, Hachette Book Group AAC Competency Areas: Linguistic: Core Vocabulary Focus: big, small, same, different, like, help, my, I, Fringe Vocabulary focus: you, me, family, families, mom, dad, sister, brother (their names) Math Concept: concept of 1, more than 1, 1 versus 2, Actions: eat, noise/quiet, clean/messy Syntax: provide co-construction support, model same + one word more Strategic: Students will express a variety of communicative modalities to gain attention, and share... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
October 16, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
It’s not too late to celebrate the contributions of AAC or help build awareness of the field. In fact, we’re just getting started! If you are just joining this party, you might want to take a look at the resources in these posts. Week 1: Hands-on Activities Week 2: AAC Printables & Downloads In this third week, we’re turning inward and sharing ideas for how we can each grow our own skills for supporting people with AAC needs. Register for AAC-Everyone has a Voice! From Disability Rights NJ and ATAC Follow the USSAAC Webinar Series. On October 23rd at 7:00 p.m. ET Dr. Yoosun Chung will moderate a panel on Celebrating AAC Awareness Month. Podcasts are a great way to squeeze in some professional development, so consider listening to some AAC-related content while you exercise, drive, or just enjoy a cup of tea. Listen Up! AAC-related Podcasts Learn by Listening... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC Awareness Month
October 15, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
It’s been fun to see all the ways that people are supporting AAC Awareness Month. If those things kept you too busy to read, here are a handful of AAC posts that may be of interest. Monday – AAC Awareness Month, Week 2: AAC Printables & Downloads Wednesday – Video of the Week: AT Tools in the Classroom Thursday – How We Do It: Celebrating AAC Awareness Month at School :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Have time for a little more AAC? Click on the links below for a few posts to explore. Sensory Intervention & ASD: What does the Research Say? Profiles of Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities Research Tuesday: AAC & Challenging Behavior Catching Up with the National Joint Committee of the Communicative Needs of Persons with Severe Disabilities Research Reviews Supporting the Use of AAC
Filed under: Featured Posts
October 12, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
What better way to start the day than to see how AAC Awareness Month is being celebrated in a school system?! Today, pediatric SLP Elisa Parker tells us how they do it in the school district where she works. For the past 20 years, Elisa has served young children in the Park Hill School District in Kansas City, Missouri. Her passion for AAC and children with autism led to her becoming an Autism Coach and Assistive Technology Facilitator. She has been an Autism Coach for the Gerner Family Early Education Center for 7 years and the Assistive Technology Facilitator for 3 years. Elisa consults with and provides AAC training for teachers and support staff of young students who use AAC and has also coached teams at the K-12 level. ============================ Celebrating October – AAC Awareness Month There are so many hardworking staff members I work with who implement AAC in their classrooms... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC Awareness Month, schools
October 9, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
It’s exciting to see how families and professionals around the world are hosting events (see our suggestions here) and doing all sorts of informal activities to build awareness of AAC. In today’s post, we share a variety of materials that can be printed and/or shared. Print and display an AAC Poster. From CoughDrop: Keys to Modeling From Rachael Langley: Subway Art From Lauren Enders: AAC Do/Do Not From Kate Ahern: The Periodic Table of AAC From Noodle Nook: 5 Tips for Communicating with Nonverbal Students From Scope: Speak Up and Be Safe From PrAACtical AAC: More Teaching, Less Testing Share handouts Print, hang, or give someone an AAC awareness image 10 Commandments of AAC Devices Hanen Center: Tips for Parents of Children Who Communicate Without Words Susan Berkowitz: Partner Strategies for Augmentative Communication Scope: AAC Strategies in Healthcare Settings Have fun with AAC memes created by a variety of people
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC Awareness Month, downloads
October 8, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Have you been having some AAC Awareness Month fun? Let’s keep it going! Monday – AAC Awareness Month, Week 1: Hands-on Activities Wednesday – Video of the Week: The Power of Core Thursday – How We Do It: Developing & Implementing a District-wide Focus on Communication and Core Vocabulary (Part 2) ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: If you’re in the mood to browse around the AAC universe a bit more, here are some posts to explore. They each link to handouts from AAC-related presentations by various researchers and practitioners. Core Vocabulary Implementation AAC and Literacy The World’s AAC Conference AAC Implementation AAC in the Classroom
Filed under: Featured Posts