September 18, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
We’ve had many nice comments about the resources shared by AAC SLP Alicia Garcia, clinical lead of the AAC Clinic at One Kids Place, a children’s treatment centre in northern Ontario. With over two decades of experience in pediatric rehabilitation practice in private and public settings, Alicia’s ideas for how to support AAC learners and their families are tried and true. In today’s post, Alicia shares thoughts and materials for situations in which the AAC is needed to repair communication breakdowns. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Children with unclear speech not only have different intelligibility levels but also different levels of awareness, focus, and interest on repairing their communication breakdowns. We use different approaches based on how they react and respond when they are not understood. As a general guideline when a communication breakdown occurs, regardless of the child’s profile, we first try determining the level of urgency or importance of the child’s intended... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Alicia Garcia, communication breakdown, repair, speech intelligibility
September 17, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
We’ve been busy recovering from Hurricane Irma but wanted share a few posts with you nonetheless. Wednesday – Video of the Week: AAC Data Collection The events of the week gave us an opportunity to connect with friends, near and far. It also made us think about how far we have to go in learning the best ways to help AAC learners build meaningful and lasting friendships. Here are some previous posts on that topic. On Friendship: Supporting AAC Learners A Recipe for Friendship Friendship Skills for Children with ASD Who Use AAC 5 Ways That SLPs Can Support Friendships for People Who Use AAC 5 (More) Resources for Supporting Friendships in Individuals who use AAC
Filed under: Featured Posts
Tagged With: summary post
September 10, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
There are busy weeks and there are stressful weeks, and then there are stressful-and-busy weeks. Hurricane Irma took up much of our time and energy this week, and the impending storm made me really grateful that WordPress allows advance scheduling of blog posts. By the time you’re reading this, the power may be out at PrAACtical AAC Central. Either way, you can still look over the posts from this week. Monday – PrAACtical Resources: Storm Preparation and Recovery Wednesday – Video of the Week: Real Life AAC Thursday – Emergency Preparedness for the AAC Family If that’s too much storm-related reading for you, try these posts instead. AAC Therapy: When the Lesson Plan Fails From Activity-based AAC to Robust Language: Part 1 From Activity-based AAC to Robust Language: Part 2 Supporting Language Growth in AAC Learners: Part 1 Supporting Language Growth in AAC Learners: Part 2 Hoping we all have a calmer,... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts
Tagged With: summary post
September 7, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Many of us live in areas prone to storms or other game-changing weather events, but even those who don’t should prepare for emergency situations. Today, as we continue our preparations for Hurricane Irma, one of the strongest storms ever recorded in the open Atlantic, my friend, Amy Goldman, takes the reins. With her broad background in AAC and AT and her incredible advocacy work, we are in no better hands. If you’re inclined toward prayers or even if you’re not, we here in South Florida could use any positive energy you can send our way. Stay safe, friends, and remember to take care of those around you. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: With the images of the devastation of Hurricane Harvey in front of us, and with Irma and possibly Jose in the forecast, it is actually a little late to be talking about emergency preparedness. However, it is good to reflect on some of... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: emergency preparedness, storm
September 4, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Before, during, and after – storms can be scary business and people with AAC needs are among the most vulnerable in extreme weather events. Our neighbors in Texas and the Gulf Coast are recovering from the devastating effects of Hurricane Harvey, and we’ve got our eye on Hurricane Irma’s path. Here are some resources that you can explore to help in storm preparation and recovery. Hurricane Harvey Please consider helping however you can. Get or Give Help AAC Relief for for Hurricane Harvey organized by USSAAC, Communication Circles, Disability Connections, and CERV of Monterey Matching donations by Prentke Romich Company Texas SLP Fund by Teachers Pay Teachers SLPs Therapy Materials for Flooded SLPs request TSTS Lite Version access (by email: Carrie@SpeechAndLanguageKids.com) Help for Harvey SLPs by Help for Harvey SLPs Facebook group Pass It On Reuse Center (for AT) Hurricane Resource page by Tobii Dynavox ... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: hurricane, storm
September 3, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
And just like that, it’s ‘Goodbye, Summer’ and ‘Hello Fall.’ It’s been a busy time preparing for the transition, and you may have missed some posts from last week. Here’s what was shared: Monday – PrAACtically September: AAC Resources for a Year of Core Vocabulary Wednesday – Video of the Week: Keep It Fun, Flexible, & Available. AAC All Day Long in the Special Needs Classroom Thursday – PrAACtical Resources on Language Development :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Not enough reading material to browse? Here are some posts on AAC in the Classroom that may be of interest. AAC in the High School Classroom: Where Core Vocabulary Meets Life Skills TELL ME: AAC in the Preschool Classroom How We Do It: AAC in the Special Education Classroom AAC in the Classroom for Students with Significant Disabilities – Implementation & Data Collection 5 Visual Supports for the AAC Classroom
Filed under: Featured Posts
Tagged With: summary post
August 31, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Are you planning language therapy or vocabulary instruction with AAC learners? For more than three decades, families, professionals, and people with complex communication needs have benefited from the insights and support of master clinician Gail Van Tatenhove. Among other things, Gail’s work has shaped the design of AAC technology and the practice of AAC in clinical and educational settings around the world. In today’s post, we share two of Gail’s resources on language development and academic vocabulary. Enjoy! Normal Language Acquisition & Children Using AAC Systems Academic Vocabulary
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: academic vocabulary, language development, Tier 2 words
August 28, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Are you supporting AAC learners who have SGDs or communication boards/books with high-frequency words? If so, join us as we work to model, practice, and teach these words throughout the day. It can feel overwhelming, so we tend to focus on a subset of words each month. The Year of Core Vocabulary approach isn’t a developmental list of words to be introduced in a specific order, but rather a way of gradually exposing learners to more and more words over time. We do that by modeling them on their device or communication aid when we talk, and plan specific instructional activities to teach word meanings, play games to help them better recognize and understand the symbols for those words, and, elicit them frequently from those who are just learning their AAC systems. Our AAC friends need practice, practice, and more practice. Over time, they will gain more fluency and automaticity with the words in their AAC... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: A Year of Core Words, core vocabulary
August 27, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends! Things just keep getting busier and busier around here and I bet it’s the same for you. If you had your hands full and missed our AAC posts, you can check them out by clicking on the links below. Monday – PrAACtical Ideas for Repurposing Older AAC Technology Wednesday – Video of the Week: AAC and Core Vocabulary in the Classroom Looking for a few more places to browse? Check out some of these posts on working with teens and young adults. Starting AAC with Teens and Young Adults Conversation Practice with Teens and Young Adults 5 Ways to Use Magazines in AAC Therapy Books for Beginning Readers of Any Age Visual Supports in AAC Therapy with Older Student and Adults Have a great week, everyone!
Filed under: Featured Posts
Tagged With: summary post
August 21, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
If you’ve been working in this field for awhile, chances are you’ve got some older voice output technology lying around. Poke around in the back of a closet or tucked way on top of the cupboards and you might encounter some hidden treasures. If you look w-a-a-a-y back there, you just might find a few digitized (recorded) speech devices that haven’t been used for some time. With only 2, 4, 8, 9, or 32 locations, these are generally insufficient for individuals with complex communication needs to use as their personal communication devices. When matched to the right purpose, though, these are wonderful tools that often have a lot of life left in them. How can we put those low tech AAC devices to work? Here are a few ideas to get us started. Build letter-sound knowledge: Program each cell with the sound of each letter so that the AAC student... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: low tech, SGD, SGD