January 5, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
When university faculty and graduate students work together on AAC content, good things are bound to happen. In this post, we hear from Clinical Associate Professor and SLP Krista Davidson, a strong advocate for AAC, and Katie Gardner, a graduate student in the Communication Sciences and Disorders program at the University of Iowa. They collaborated on the development of a guide to voice banking and are now making it available to all. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: I have a student project I’m thrilled to share with a larger audience! One of our second-year graduate students, Katie Gardner, created a thorough and detailed guide to voice and message banking. Although the developers of voice banking programs make every effort to design user-friendly software, the whole process can still be quite daunting to some clients and families. From the services to the devices, to the cost, setup, and recordings, there are many considerations that can... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
January 3, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Tuesday, AAC friends! Once a week we invite you to share your own AAC-related content, product news, or anything else that you’d like others in the AAC community to know about. It may be a recent post you’ve written, a slide deck from your AAC presentation, a handout, video, or meme that you’ve posted online, an AAC product you’ve created, an announcement for an AAC course or conference, or any other prAACtical content you developed and want to share with the AAC community. To post your own link, scroll all the way down to the bottom of this post and complete the form. Enter the URL and the name/title in the boxes provided below. If you are on a mobile device, click over to the full website version to do this. The AAC Link Up is moderated to keep us from being spammed so it may take a little... [Read More...]
Filed under: AAC Link Up, Featured Posts
January 2, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
With 2022 in the rear-view mirror, we’re excited to welcome some prAACtical additions in the New Year. Here are a few things to watch for in the months to come. AAC Implementation Series PrAACtical AAC contributor Vicki Clarke will be back with a limited series on strengthening our AAC practices. Here’s what she shared about the direction of this series. The journey from acquiring an AAC system to using it to communicate autonomously is a long one, with many different routes. Knowing where to begin is a challenge for all of us! AAC 101 Steps of Learning Process is our effort to define this process in our schools, to help professionals and families support their students. In this series of posts, we are considering 5 steps, to move from training to talking, offering a defined path for you and your student learner. Learning to communicate is a shared journey between... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
December 29, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Looking for resources to support core vocabulary instruction? The Year of Core Vocabulary Words and The School Year of Core Vocabulary Words, two series of monthly resources for core vocabulary teaching, remain popular with therapists, educators, and families. We’re reprising those posts for anyone interested in following along and utilizing the resources developed by quite a few people in the AAC community. The initial series was based on a small set of core words for each month (see that post here). We followed that with a second set of Year of Core Vocabulary Word resources for a new list of words (click here for that post). Among the many resources are the activity calendars created by AAC SLP and co-founder of Talking AAC, Rachael Langley. Many other contributors added to these efforts over the years. The School Year of Core Vocabulary Words, authored by guest contributors Michaela Sullivan, Alisa Lego,... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
December 18, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. Here are some AAC posts you might like. Monday – PrAACtical Questions: “What other factors should we consider in choosing the symbol type for AAC?” Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Fostering an AAC-affirming Classroom Thursday – AACidental Mentors: 8 Ways AAC Practitioners Can Help Others Grow Their AAC Skills ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: If you can squeeze in a few more, take a look at some of these posts from the archives. PrAACtically Reading with Karen Natoci: Hello, Holidays! How We Do It: Using AAC to Repair Communication Breakdowns Data Collection for the Beginning AAC User: Essential Things to Measure AAC & ASD: Beyond Scripting More Words, Please! Expanding Our Manual Communication Boards Activity Schedule AACtion
Filed under: Featured Posts
December 15, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Though I’ve participated in several of them, the truth is that I have never been a big fan of formal mentorship programs. Whether arranged by an employer or offered by a professional organization, formal mentorship programs just never seem to live up to their promise. In my experience, informal mentorships that emerge organically are more appealing and effective. In the field of AAC, there are too few mentors, too many people who need mentorship, and too few opportunities for them to connect. But if we think about mentoring more broadly and characterize it as a learning relationship, solutions start to emerge. In the spirit of the holiday season and the feelings of generosity and gratitude that it inspires, we offer a few ideas for how each of us can contribute to the AAC learning and growth of others. Notice the positive. Draw attention to it so that others see those... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
December 12, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
If you’ve been following along in our PrAACtical Questions series, you know that we’ve been contemplating the role that symbols play in AAC decision-making. Previously, we addressed: “How can we make data-based decisions about AAC symbols?” “How important is symbol selection in choosing AAC devices/apps?” and, “What symbols are used in AAC apps & SGDs?” If you’ve followed this series, you know that we’ve advocated an individualized approach to determining which type of symbol to use for AAC. Informal assessment tasks, such as the ones we discussed in a past post, can be helpful in gathering data to use in making this decision. Today, we’re exploring additional factors to consider in symbol selection. When there doesn’t seem to be a clear preference and/or when the performance is similar across symbol types, we turn to some other factors that are worth considering as you make your selection. AAC User Perspective A... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
December 11, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. Here are some AAC posts you may have missed in your busy week. Monday – PrAACtical Questions: “How can we make data-based decisions about AAC symbols?” Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: AAC Implementation Thursday – Throwback Thursday: Teaching Early Language & Literacy through Multimodal Expression ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: While you’re at it, here are some previous posts that may be of interest. PrAACtical Questions with Vicki Clarke: What’s the Role of Core Vocabulary? Communication Boards: Colorful Considerations Let Me Tell You Something- Narratives for the Beginning Communicator Holiday Shopping with a Purpose Hello Holidays! AAC Ideas for Your Celebration
Filed under: Featured Posts
December 8, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
The Teaching Early Language & Literacy through Multimodal Expression (TELL ME) program that I co-authored with Lori Wise, is a classroom-based approach to supporting core vocabulary learning in preschool students who use AAC. In today’s post, we reach into the archives to revisit past posts on this program. Video Overview: AAC in the Preschool Classroom TELL ME About It Series by Maggie Judson & Jeanna Antrim Creating TELL ME AAC Literacy Kits TELL ME Virtual Classrooms TELL ME Books Max’s Breakfast If You’re Angry and You Know It The Lunch Box Surprise Come Out and Play, Little Mouse No, David Go Away Big Green Monster What Do You Like? Here Are My Hands From Head to Toe I Went Walking Brown Bear, Brown Bear Using the TELL ME Approach with Other Books If You Give a Mouse a Cookie I Like Myself Where’s Spot All Are Welcome! I Know a... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
December 6, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Tuesday, AAC friends! Once a week we invite you to share your own AAC-related content, product news, or anything else that you’d like others in the AAC community to know about. It may be a recent post you’ve written, a slide deck from your AAC presentation, a handout, video, or meme that you’ve posted online, an AAC product you’ve created, an announcement for an AAC course or conference, or any other prAACtical content you developed and want to share with the AAC community. To post your own link, scroll all the way down to the bottom of this post and complete the form. Enter the URL and the name/title in the boxes provided below. If you are on a mobile device, click over to the full website version to do this. The AAC Link Up is moderated to keep us from being spammed so it may take a little... [Read More...]
Filed under: AAC Link Up, Featured Posts