April 11, 2024
by Carole Zangari -
Since 1970, people in the US have marked April 22 as a day to honor our planet and demonstrate support for environmental protection. Here are some AAC-friendly ideas and materials to celebrate Earth Day. Learn about the importance of Earth Day with this book from Boardmaker. Getting to the Core of Earth Day Let’s Read Let’s Create Write an acrostic poem like this one by Donna O’Reilly. Make infused water for a planet-friendly drink using these resources from the AAC Language Lab. Play Earth Day BINGO with these LessonPix materials by Liz Sturgill. Let’s Go Outside! Do some easy Earth Day crafts with these links curated by Special Learning House. Make some Earth Day waffles with this recipe from Shevi Greebel. Create a language experience survey. Here are some possible questions for your survey What are your favorite outdoor activities? Tell me about a time when you had an outdoor adventure.... [Read More...]
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April 8, 2024
by Carole Zangari -
April is HIE Awareness Month, which offers a great opportunity to share information and resources for those who want to learn more. It doesn’t get as much attention as other disabilities in the AAC community, but some people with complex communication needs can trace the cause of their disability to Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE). Let’s start by breaking down the term HIE. Hypoxic = lack of oxygen Ischemic = restricted blood flow Encephalopathy = affecting the brain Whether diagnosed as newborns or later in development, this form of brain injury is frequently associated with other conditions, such as cerebral palsy, seizure disorders, limited hearing and vision, feeding difficulties, and developmental challenges. There are many causes of HIE, including uterine ruptures and placental issues, near drowning, cardiac arrest, and other things that interrupt oxygen flow to the brain. By some estimates, 75-80% survive HIE, 50-70% experience seizures, and 40-50% develop a... [Read More...]
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April 7, 2024
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. We have some posts that you might enjoy. Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Enhancing AAC for Older Communicators Thursday – Throwback Thursday: On Goal-Setting & AAC Friday – PráctiCAAmente Conectados: CAA Con Links – Abril 2024 ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Still have time for a little more reading? Here are some additional posts for you to explore. Beyond Requesting: Thoughts on Teaching Information Transfer How I Do It: Encouraging AAC Implementation (Lauren Enders) PrAACtical Ways to Make Decisions About Thematic Therapy Materials In the Treasure Bag: Using Sharing Time to Focus on Vocabulary AAC in Motion: Walk the Walk, Talk the Talk with Tanna Neufeld
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April 4, 2024
by Carole Zangari -
Looking for information on writing AAC goals? These past posts may be of interest. AAC in School: Classroom Communication Goals Grid – Revised Using Visual Supports for Goal-Setting Conversations Three Ways to Use AAC Goals to Strengthen Implementation PrAACtically Pinteresting with Lauren Enders: Writing AAC Goals and Objectives More PrAACtical AAC Goals That Matter Writing Goals for AAC Learners AAC Goal Writing with Lauren Enders: Laying a Solid Foundation 5 Common Challenges Tools to Support Identification of AAC Learning Targets How I Do It: Writing IEP Goals for Students Who Use AAC with Lauren Enders PrAACtical Suggestions: Writing Goals for People Learning AAC Videos Writing AAC Goals On Writing AAC Goals Ready, Set, Goal Goal Writing for AAC Compliance Is Not the Goal
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March 28, 2024
by Carole Zangari -
As March draws to a close, we extend our welcome to guest authors Michaela Sullivan and Lindsay Dougherty, who are back with another set of core vocabulary resources for teaching older students. Today, this dynamic team has a rich array of materials and suggestions to help them build fluency with the April core vocabulary words. They also discuss how to support AAC users during a popular classroom activity, shared reading. SCHOOL YEAR OF CORE- Older Student Lessons The Google Slide Resources Weeks 1-2 Google Slides Weeks 3-4 Google Slides INTRODUCTION- April 2024 Welcome back to the School Year of Core – Older student lessons for middle school to adult learners. How are things going? How are the resources working for you and your learners? We would love your feedback and your ideas. If you have any slides that you find work especially well for your students and adult learners, please... [Read More...]
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March 25, 2024
by Carole Zangari -
Core vocabulary resources are the focus of today’s post. In 2013, when schools and other clinical programs were expanding their emphasis on teaching core vocabulary words, PrAACtical AAC published a set of resources for families and professionals that included symbol cards, sample sentences to model, activity suggestions, and more. All of these were 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). Over the years, the resources were expanded and grew to include a wonderful series of calendars with daily activity suggestions developed by AAC SLP and co-founder of Talking AAC, Rachael Langley. Many other contributors over the years added to these efforts. In 2020, a new series was launched, School Year of Core Vocabulary Words, authored by guest contributors... [Read More...]
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March 24, 2024
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. Here are some posts you might enjoy. Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Getting Ready for April School Year of Core Vocabulary Words Older Student Lessons Thursday – AACtivities for AAC Learning Can you stick around for some more? We’re listing a bunch here for you to pick from. How We Do It: Tele-AAC with Nerissa Hall and Hillary Johnson How We Do It: Using Language Boards to Support AAC Use By Nerissa Hall and Hillary Jellison AT Recipes for Success: Shared Reading Sometimes I Feel Sunny Pete the Cat Bark, George Bear Wants More
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March 21, 2024
by Carole Zangari -
Looking for some different activities to support AAC learning? Today, we reach into the archives to share some old favorites. AAC in a Science Activity Say Cheese! 5 PrAACtical Ideas for No/Low Prep Activities Using a Phone Camera Research Project AACtivity Concept Sorts Using Surveys to Support Language Learning Magic Moments with Tellagami New Word Teaching: A Look Inside Some PrAACtical Therapy Sessions Teaming Up to Build Communication with a Treat Cart: Part 1, Part 2 AACtual Therapy: Use Your Best Spud to Teach Vocabulary With Tanna Neufeld PrAACtical Supports for AAC Learners: AT Recipes for Success – Sensorimotor Activities AAC Intervention: 5 Activities with PrAACtical Potential Vocabulary Activities: 5 Sites for Learning with Avatars PrAACtical Teaching in the Autism Classroom: Instructional Activities for Core Vocabulary Why We Love AAC Language Experience Activities 5 Ways to Use Word Clouds in AAC Therapy and Magic Moments with Word Clouds Magic Moments: Painting... [Read More...]
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March 14, 2024
by Carole Zangari -
Advocacy and AAC go hand-in-hand. If this is an area of interest to you, check out some of our past posts and videos on advocacy, self-advocacy, and support for people with AAC needs. Self-Advocacy & AAC: 5 Skills to Consider Targeting Growing AAC Professionals: Resources for Self-Advocacy, Reducing Abandonment, Medical Encounters, & More Celebrating Independence Day with a Touch of AAC 5 Ways to Support Self-Advocacy in AAC Learners AACtual Advocacy 5 Kinds of Pre-stored Messages That Put the AAC Learner in Control AAC in Secondary School: Centering AAC Users in the IEP Process Fostering Effective Self-advocacy Skills in AAC Users A Focus on Self-advocacy
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March 10, 2024
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. Check out these posts from our prAACtical week. Monday – PrAACtically St. Patrick’s Day: AAC-friendly Resources Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week – Including People Who Use AAC in Qualitative Research Thursday – Establishing Fair Testing Practices for Students Who Use AAC :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: If you have a little more time, stick around to browse some of these past posts. “Can I Ask You a Question?” Language Experience Surveys Language Experience Surveys: 8 Fun Ideas Strengthening the Communication Environment Barriers to Access for AAC Learners Living an Accessible Life
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