June 5, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
In the US, Juneteenth is one of our newest federal holidays and many are now getting ready to celebrate it. Whether you are relatively new to an understanding of Juneteenth or have been honoring it for decades, we hope today’s post has some ideas for integrating it into the AAC work you do. First published a few years back, we’ve updated it with some additional books, videos, and other resources. PrAACtically Juneteenth In the US, June 19th is a day that commemorates the ending of slavery. Although the Emancipation Proclamation became effective on January 1, 1863, it took an additional two and half years for it to take root in all of the states. It wasn’t until June 19th, 1865 that Texas became the final state to uphold the proclamation. There are other days that memorialize the freedom of enslaved people, but Juneteenth is the oldest nationally-celebrated commemoration. Traditionally marked... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
June 4, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. Here are some posts you may have missed. Monday – On Memorial Day Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Mental Health & AAC Friday – PráctiCAAmente Conectados: CAA Con Links Junio 2023 ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: For those of you who want to browse a little bit more, here are a few suggestions. Supporting AAC Learners in Working with Words Teaching AAC and Sight Words AT for Writing Supporting AAC Learners in Emergent Reading: 5 Helpful Resources Using Adapted Books with AAC Learners: 3 Important Questions to Ask
Filed under: Featured Posts
June 2, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
Each month we feature a Spanish version of our AAC Link Up, CAA con Links. If you have AAC-related announcements, materials, or videos in Spanish that you would like others to know about, we’d love to have you add that information below. Also, please share this with anyone who might be interested in contributing to or using the materials that get added to these posts. You’ll find the place to add that information at the very bottom of this post. Organized by Claudia Marimón, these monthly posts also feature AAC work being done in Spanish-speaking countries and offer translations of material that can help families and service providers. Today, she focuses on an exciting event that will be of interest to many, the ISAAC AAC Conference in Cancun. Enjoy the post, and remember to scroll to the bottom to add your link and see what others are sharing. Este mes... [Read More...]
Filed under: AAC Link Up, Featured Posts
May 28, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. Here are some posts you might enjoy. Monday – Supporting Communication Partners: 5 Helpful Resources Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Fostering Effective Self-advocacy Skills in AAC Users Thursday – June Year of Core Vocabulary & School Year of Core Vocabulary Words ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: And if you are thirsty for more, check out past posts on activities and materials for AAC therapy and instruction. AACtivity Ideas to Jumpstart Learning Magic Moments with Verb Circus PrAACtical Ways to Make Decisions about Thematic Therapy Materials Why We Love AAC Language Experience Activities Vocabulary Activities: 5 Sites About Learning with Avatars AAC Intervention: 5 Activities with PrAACtical Potential
Filed under: Featured Posts
May 25, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
Planning for comprehensive 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, both have resources that can be helpful to 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. There were many other contributors over the years who added to these efforts. The School Year of Core Vocabulary Words, authored by... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts
May 21, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. We have some posts you might have missed. Monday – AAC Implementation Framework: Step 4 – Try It! Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: AAC Learning with Pets & Animals Thursday – Cultural-Linguistic AAC Intervention: Gathering Information from Families with Questionnaires and Surveys :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Before you go, we’ve got a few more topics that may be of interest. Building Sentence Length Through Conversational Routines and Games Be More with Core Helping Learners Build Self-regulation Skills Helping Students with Autism Prepare for Non-routine Events AAC in Secondary School: Party Planning Activity
Filed under: Featured Posts
May 18, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
We are pleased to publish the third post in a series on multilingual AAC support guest authored by BilingüeAAC. BilingüeAAC is a group of SLPs with a shared belief in providing evidence-based intervention strategies and resources to bilingual Spanish AAC clients, families, caregivers, and professionals. In today’s post, guest author Alma Partida discusses the relevance of getting family input and share a helpful resource that can be used by clinicians, teachers, and others working with bilingual and multilingual clients. If you are new to this series, you can check out the first two articles using the links below. Bilingual AAC Support from Monolingual Professionals: An Introduction, here. Cultural-Linguistic AAC Intervention: A Framework for Consideration Family Questionnaire and Culture Survey We are continuing our Bilingüe AAC posts (check out post #1 and post #2) with a topic that is important to consider when working with multilingual AAC families. Conducting a family... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts
May 15, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
We’re so pleased to welcome back PrAACtical AAC friend Vicki Clarke to these pages for another article in the AAC Implementation Framework series. Vicki heads up an AAC-focused private practice, Dynamic Therapy Associates, and is also the Director of DTA Schools. Today’s post includes ‘next step’ information to guide others in implementing AAC along with some helpful AAC posters for you to download, and a video with implementation tips. If you are new to this series you can find the earlier posts through the links below. Steps to Learning Step 1, Determining the Target Step 2: TRAIN Step 3: Take In AAC 101: Steps To Learning Step 4: Try It! As we know, Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) is an essential tool for individuals with speech and language disabilities to communicate effectively and engage in social interactions. Our 4th Step: Try It is about supporting our students as... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts
May 14, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends, and a very happy Mother’s Day to those who are celebrating today. If you are up for some AAC content, check out these posts. Monday – Mother’s Day, AAC Style Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: AAC Skills for Success in the Real World Thursday – Throwback Thursday: Materials for Teaching & Using AAC :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Have time for a little more reading? Maybe one of these suggestions will interest you. Let’s Go Outside! 5 PrAACtical Ideas Structured Play Groups Using Visual Scene Displays to Build Language and Literacy Aided Language Input During Play From Solitary Play to Interaction: 5 Things to Try With Kids Who Love Their iPad Games
Filed under: Featured Posts
May 11, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
In today’s edition of Throwback Thursday, we’ve rustled up some posts that address AAC materials in some fashion. Take a look. When Materials Aren’t Effective in AAC Teaching: 5 Things to Try Making AAC Core Vocabulary Materials Book Adaptations: Resources and Materials PrAACtical Resources: AAC-friendly Materials for Hurricane & Storm Preparation Five Places for Shared AAC Materials Goodbye, Summer! A Clinician Preps AAC Materials for the New School Year PrAACtical Resources: Activities and Materials to Download or Explore How I Do It: Using an App to Create AAC Materials & Visual Supports Back to School with AAC: Materials for the Start of the Academic Year AAC Fair Testing Practices: Test Materials
Filed under: Featured Posts