Five AAC and Related Resources to Explore

September 12, 2016 by - Leave your thoughts

Five AAC and Related Resources to Explore

From time to time, we get questions about resources for different aspects of AAC. Here are a few eclectic documents, presentations, and web logs that we’ve shared recently that might also be of interest to some of you. Happy exploring! AAC Basics and Implementation: How to Teach Students who “Talk with Technology” by Paul Visvader of the Boulder Valley School District AT Team  Using Visual Supports to Enhance Participation and Decrease Challenging Behavior in Individuals with Autism and CCN by Kimberly Ho  Fiona Writes Fiction (or Why AAC-Using Kids Need Word Play) by Heather Kirn Lanier  Communication Milestones (LinguaSystems) by Janet Lanza and Lynn Flahive  Limitless Stylus for People with Limited Hand Mobility by Venkat Rao

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PrAACtical AT Recipes for Success: Shared Reading with ‘Bear Wants More’

September 8, 2016 by - 1 Comment

PrAACtical AT Recipes for Success: Shared Reading with 'Bear Wants More'

Like many AAC professionals, SLP Sara Barnhill and the AT Team at Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU, love to help families use activities like storybook reading to build language skills. They’ve been incredibly generous in sharing resources from their AT Recipes for Success project (you can view previous posts here). As a member of the AT Core team, Sara is involved in AAC evaluations and therapy in the hospital’s clinics, out-patient program and Transitional Care Unit. CHoR’s AT Program is one of few comprehensive AT programs in Central Virginia. The program provides AT evaluations, equipment and training to people of all ages, enabling children and adults with disabilities to function more independently.  CHoR’s AT team consists of four SLPs, two OTs, one PT, and one Therapy Practice Assistant.  In addition to completing transdiciplinary evaluations and treatments, CHoR’s AT team is responsible for supporting staff and sharing AT information to five CHoR therapy... [Read More...]

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AAC Intervention That Teaches More and Tests Less: Thoughts on Implementation

September 7, 2016 by - Leave your thoughts

AAC Intervention That Teaches More and Tests Less: Thoughts on Implementation

In an earlier post, I shared a graphic on the ways that AAC skills are ‘taught’ versus ‘caught.’ Teaching AAC skills involves the use of specific instructional strategies that give learners information and experiences which result in them being able to communicate more effectively. In many instances, we set out to do just that, but end up with an interaction that ‘catches’ what the student already knows how to do, rather than helping them gain additional skills. There are a few important concepts here. They both have an important role. ‘Catching’ skills isn’t bad. We can do this to figure out what the learner already knows/can do, and give him/her practice with the skill so that it becomes faster and easier to produce. When our interactions ‘catch’ a skill, we’ve created (or taken advantage of) an opportunity for communication. That’s important BUT, it isn’t teaching them anything new. Our learners do... [Read More...]

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AAC Posts from PrAACtical Week #36: September, 2016

September 4, 2016 by - Leave your thoughts

AAC Posts from PrAACtical Week #36: September, 2016

Here are a handful of AAC posts that may be of interest. Monday – PrAACtically September: Resources for a Year of Core Vocabulary Wednesday – AAC Assessment Corner with Vicki Clarke: AAC Skills Assessment for Direct Selectors Thursday –  PrAACtical Supports for AAC Learners: AT Recipes for Success – Sensorimotor Activities  

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PrAACtical Supports for AAC Learners: AT Recipes for Success – Sensorimotor Activities

September 1, 2016 by - 1 Comment

PrAACtical Supports for AAC Learners: AT Recipes for Success - Sensorimotor Activities

It’s time to resume our PrAACtical Supports series, highlighting handout materials developed by Sara Barnhill and the AT team at the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU (CHoR). Sara is an SLP who has has worked at CHoR for six+ years.  She is a member of the Assistive Technology Core team and VCU’s Center for Craniofacial Care team.  Her caseload includes patients in clinics, outpatient therapy, and on the Transitional Care Unit which provides pediatric long-term care.  The CHoR AT Program is one of few comprehensive AT programs in Central Virginia, providing AT evaluations, equipment and training to people of all ages, enabling children and adults with disabilities to function more independently.  CHoR’s AT team consists of 4 SLPs, 2 OTs, a PT, and a Therapy Practice Assistant.  In addition to completing transdiciplinary evaluations and treatments, CHoR’s AT team is responsible for supporting staff and sharing AT information to five CHoR therapy centers... [Read More...]

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AAC Assessment Corner with Vicki Clarke: AAC Skills Assessment for Direct Selectors

August 31, 2016 by - 1 Comment

AAC Assessment Corner with Vicki Clarke: AAC Skills Assessment for Direct Selectors

The month of August is almost over and we’ve saved the best for last. The month wouldn’t seem complete without hearing more of Vicki Clarke’s ideas on AAC assessment. In addition to many other things, Vicki’s practice, Dynamic Therapy Associates, does 50+ of these evaluations each year, both in the clinic and in school settings. In this post, Vicki shares some thoughts on assessing the AAC skills of people who use direct selection. As always, she packs in a lot of information and generously provides the protocol and data collection forms that she uses. You can explore some of her previous posts in the AAC Assessment Corner series here. * ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: AAC Skills Assessment for Direct Selectors I spent the morning with a great group of students at the University of Georgia (UGA) in Dr. Satterfield’s AAC class.  I was asked to talk with them about AAC assessment with an emphasis on... [Read More...]

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PrAACtically September: Resources for a Year of Core Vocabulary

August 29, 2016 by - 2 Comments

PrAACtically September: Resources for a Year of Core Vocabulary

It’s wonderful to hear so many stories of AAC interventionists who are providing learners with access to a larger lexicon, including a growing set of core words. If you are looking for ways to model, practice, and teach these words, it can help to narrow the focus to a subset of words so that there are plenty of learning opportunities.  The Year of Core 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 prAACtical friends need practice, practice, and more practice. Over time,... [Read More...]

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