November 1, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
If you’re new to the practice of AAC or just want to expand your knowledge base, consider making plans to attend a conference where you can learn from a variety of AAC stakeholders and make connections with like-minded individuals. Here are some suggestions for upcoming events with virtual options. NOVEMBER: #TalkingAAC DECEMBER: ASHA’s Expanding AAC: Accessible Strategies for Functional Communication JANUARY: Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) Hope to see you there!
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
October 31, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Halloween, AAC friends. If AAC reading is on your agenda, here are some suggested posts. Monday – November Year of Core Vocabulary & School Year of Core Vocabulary Words Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – AAC Video of the Week: Getting to Know You Thursday – AAC Fair Testing Practices: Test Materials ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: If you have more time, check out these past posts from the archives. 5 AAC Tips for Talking About Halloween After it is Over EET + AAC = OMG Top AAC Videos
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
October 28, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
For individuals with AAC needs to be able to demonstrate what they know in assessment situations, we need to think carefully about the test materials and consider what adjustments are needed. In this continuation of our series on AAC Fair Testing Practices, we’ll explore this in some detail. TOPIC 9: Test Materials There are two categories of test materials for us to consider: those that are part of the assessment process for all learners and those that may be needed primarily by students who use AAC. In both cases, teams should discuss what is relevant, fair, and helpful to a particular student. Detailed notes should be kept to aid in replicating the set-up for re-testing at a later point in time or for use in other assessments. Additionally, teams will want to keep the purpose of the assessment in mind as they address this topic. Knowing why we are conducting... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
October 26, 2021
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
October 25, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
It’s prAACtically November and we’re reprising some past posts in two popular series, Year of Core Vocabulary Words and School Year of Core Vocabulary Words. 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. There were many other contributors over the years who added to these efforts. The School Year of Core Vocabulary Words, authored by guest contributors Michaela Sullivan, Alisa Lego, and Beth Lytle, was first published in 2020. If you’re following along and utilizing these resources, which were developed by quite a few people in the AAC community, you can access the content for... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
October 24, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. Here are some posts you may have missed. Monday – AAC Goal Writing with Lauren Enders: 5 Common Challenges Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Relationships and AAC Thursday – Growing AAC Professionals: AAC Awareness Month If you’re looking to make this an AAC-friendly Halloween week, check out this post from the archives. Go Away, Big Green Monster is a popular book this time of year. Check out these suggestions for using it to build AAC skills in this post by Maggie Judson and Jeanna Antrim. Halloween makes us think of bobbing for apples and enjoying candy apple treats. If you’re up for some reading about apples, this post from Karen Natoci has some ideas that you might enjoy. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Looking for a few more posts to browse? We’ve got a few suggestions for you. PrAACtically Reading with Karen Natoci:... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
October 21, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Preparing graduate students to become effective clinicians for individuals with complex communication needs goes beyond classroom and clinical experiences. Future clinicians also have to learn how to advocate: for their client, for themselves, for their profession, and for the AAC field. Today, Clinical Associate Professor and SLP Krista Davidson, returns to share more about the teaching pre-professionals in the Communication Sciences and Disorders program at the University of Iowa about AAC Awareness Month. Growing AAC Professionals: AAC Awareness Month I love October! Not only is autumn my favorite season, but it’s also the month we celebrate AAC (although if you’re reading this, and you’re like me, you probably celebrate AAC all year long). Each October I ask my clinical team of students to complete a project in honor of AAC Awareness Month. In the past, they have created educational videos, infographics to share around our building and on social media, and... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
October 19, 2021
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
October 18, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Goal writing is a challenging topic even for veteran AAC service providers. Today, we continue the AAC Goal Writing series guest authored by AAC and AT expert, Lauren Enders, who works as an AAC/AT Consultant for Bucks County Intermediate Unit in eastern Pennsylvania. A frequent presenter at local, regional, and national conferences, Lauren uses her knowledge to support families and professionals alike. In this post, she provides suggestions for addressing some of the most common challenges in writing AAC goals and objectives. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: FIVE COMMON AAC GOAL WRITING CHALLENGES In the inaugural post of this series, you learned that if you feel intimidated by the process of writing goals and objectives for AAC learners, you are not alone. AAC goal writing can be intimidating. The good news is that with guidance, resources, tools, and practice, AAC goal writing gets easier. In this post, we’ll examine common AAC goal writing... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
October 17, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. Here are a few posts that you might have missed. Monday – AAC in Secondary School: Collaborative Teaming for High School Students Who Use AAC Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: This Is Not About Me Thursday – AAC Fair Testing Practices: The Testing Environment ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: If you have a little bit more time, these posts from the archives may be of interest. The Faces of AAC: Gretchen and Zach The Faces of AAC: Justyna & Wictoria The Faces of AAC: Dianna & Brian The Faces of AAC: Zainab Omar Enjoy your week, AAC friends!
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking