June 30, 2016
by Carole Zangari -
Keiran has a new AAC app that is well-populated with core vocabulary. Gabbie has had an SGD for awhile but doesn’t use it as frequently as her team had hoped. Hudson is transitioning from PECS to an AAC device with more robust language. While different in many ways, each of these learners has a common need: frequent opportunities to learn about and use core vocabulary. To accomplish this, their SLPs, teachers, and families select a dozen or so core words and pay special attention to those each month. That allows them to highlight this small group of words using focused language stimulation, aided language input, and specific activities designed to teach or practice them. In previous years, we shared lists of some core words to help you do just that. Set 1 (2013: A Year of Core) (12 words/month) Set 2 (2014: Another Year of Core) (16 words/month) In today’s post,... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Calendar, core words, download
June 28, 2016
by Carole Zangari -
Karen Natoci is back with some wonderful suggestions for reading and building AAC skills with young children. Although her focus is on little ones with visual impairment, these books and the implementation suggestions, would be useful for a wide range babies, toddlers, and preschoolers who are developing their language skills. Enjoy! :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Books Hello Baby Words (high contrast board books) by Roger Priddy, illustrated by Holly Jackman (Published by St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, NY 10010) Hello Baby Words: On The Go Hello Baby Words: Faces Hello Baby: Animals Hello Baby: Faces Core Vocabulary Focus: GO, GET, WHO, THAT, SEE, IT Fringe Vocabulary Transportation: digger, balloon, train, roller skates, helicopter, truck, car, submarine, rocket, dump truck, fire truck, boat, race car, tractor, car carrier, plane Animals: cat, turtle, fish, pig, butterfly, cow, mouse, bird, bear, zebra, rabbit, panda, penguin, dog, sheep, snake Faces: boy, girl, woman, man, grandfather, grandmother... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Books, literacy, reading, visual impairment
June 20, 2016
by Carole Zangari -
Concerned about AAC systems not being implemented as often as they should? Looking for ways to help AAC learners gain additional practice? Trying to help colleagues build the habit of actively supporting AAC learners? You are not alone. There are several strategies to boost the use of AAC, and adding some key phrases to the goals we write is one of them. Here are some thoughts on ways to use goals to strengthen the day-to-day AAC experiences of the learners with whom we work. Aided Language Input: Experienced AAC professionals and knowledgeable families understand that consistent use of this strategy is the most powerful way to build AAC use. If this is an issue for your AAC teams, consider adding verbiage to the goals that mandate the use of this strategy. Examples: “Given consistent AAC modeling, ___ will…” “When provided with aided language input, ___ will…” Frequent Implementation: Like many... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC goals, goal setting, implementtion
June 9, 2016
by Carole Zangari -
It’s throwback Thursday! Today, we are revisiting some prior posts on the topic of helping learners with AAC needs develop and maintain meaningful friendships. 5 Ways SLPs Can Support Friendships for People who Use AAC 5 (More) Resources for Supporting Friendships in Individuals who use AAC Video of the Week: A Recipe For Friendship Communication Circles: With A Little Help From My Friends Back to School-Making Friends Fresh Look: Friendship Skills for Children With ASD Who Use AAC Do you have ways of supporting the friendships of learners who use AAC? We’d love to hear about them.
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: friendship
June 6, 2016
by Carole Zangari -
Looking for book-specific vocabulary that you can highlight, teach, and/or elicit when reading? The Assistive Technology Team at Baltimore City Public Schools has a site with materials that you may find helpful. They’ve created topical communication boards for over 800 books, both fiction and non-fiction, that can be accessed by anyone with the Boardmaker program. Their resources include activity-based communication boards with 9, 20, and 56 locations for the books, and a set of comprehension questions. You can access their Adapted Books site here.
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Books, downloads, reading, resources
June 1, 2016
by Carole Zangari -
Today, we welcome back Vicki Clarke with more helpful information on conducting AAC assessments. If you work with individual who are at the early stages of communicative development, this post is for you! :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Some of my most favorite students are those who, at first, may not seem to notice me at all. Sometimes these students seem to exist in their own worlds. They don’t seem to respond in ways we would expect: looking, attending, listening, or gesturing. They may have a diagnosis of Autism, significant developmental delay, epilepsy, or any number of syndromes. I love these kids, and unfortunately, these are often the students who don’t get referred to me. Sometimes it takes years of working in a district before I get to see students with significant developmental delays. These children are typically served in classrooms for students considered to be severe/profound or multi-handicapped. Honestly, I usually get the... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: assessment, beginning communicator
May 29, 2016
by Carole Zangari -
Hope this has been a productive Better Hearing and Speech Month! Monday – PrAACtically Pinteresting with Lauren Enders: Why Use AAC? Wednesday – Video of the Week: More on Assessing Barriers to Access for Learners Thursday – PrAACtically June: Resources for a Year of Core Vocabulary Words
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
May 27, 2016
by Carole Zangari -
We’re ready to tear off another page of the calendar and that means we are preparing for a new set of core words to focus on. Join us in highlighting a set of core words for the month and helping our AAC learners become more fluent in using them on a day-to-day basis, 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 (2013) List: after, am/be/is, because, can, cold, fast, fun, have, hungry, let, need, talk Set 2 (2014) List: about, back, buy, grandmother, hand, inside, lose, move, okay, people, quiet, short, show, two, water, yellow Templates for you to plug in your own symbols: Set 1 words, Set 2 words... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
May 23, 2016
by Carole Zangari -
Even veteran clinicians and educators find themselves looking for resources to help others better understand what AAC is and why it may have been recommended in a particular situation. Today, we welcome back SLP Lauren Enders to introduce us to the information she has collected for this purpose. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: This month on PrAACtically Pinteresting, we’ll be taking a look at the board AAC: Why Use AAC?/Benefits of AAC. Very often, I am asked if I have resources that can be shared with team members or families who are reluctant to implement AAC. Often this reluctance results from of simple lack of information or beliefs in a variety of myths surrounding AAC use. I created this board to serve as an easily accessible repository of resources that can be shared with parents, professionals, or support staff who are hesitant to use AAC with their child/student/client. The board contains pins with information that... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Lauren Enders, Pinterest
May 22, 2016
by Carole Zangari -
May is Better Hearing and Speech Month, a perfect time to build awareness among colleagues and in the community. Monday – AAC in the Classroom: 5 Presentation Handouts Wednesday – Assessing Barriers to Access for AAC Learners Thursday – Beyond Requesting: A Week of Routines to Increase AAC Use at Mealtime
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking