How I Do It: Video Read-Alouds with Aided Language Input

November 19, 2020 by - Leave your thoughts


How I Do It: Video Read-Alouds with Aided Language Input

For beginning communicators, the pairing of storybook reading with aided language input is a powerful combination. Today, Dr. Kimberly Ho, SLP and Director of Speech, Language and AAC Services at Confidence Connection, shares her thoughts on selecting which words to model and also shares a number of video examples. Modeling for Children with ASD: Which Words Should We Choose? We know that many individuals with ASD have complex communication needs.  It is estimated that 50% of individuals on the Autism Spectrum can’t meet their communication needs with speech alone (Light, Roberts, DeMarco, & Greiner, 1998).  This is not surprising to clinicians and educators who have seen their caseloads swell with children with ASD who require AAC. Modeling is the most frequently used instructional method by speech-language pathologists (SLPs) who work with children with ASD who use AAC (Clark & Williams, 2020).  Clinically, the intent of providing a model is NOT... [Read More...]

Filed under: ,

Building Vocabulary Knowledge: 5 Activities to Try

November 16, 2020 by - Leave your thoughts


Building Vocabulary Knowledge: 5 Activities to Try

You’ve developed a list of target words for vocabulary instruction and are modeling them frequently throughout the day using aided language input. Focused language stimulation helped, and when you created materials that have the target word with a student-friendly definition, a relevant picture, synonyms, and a sample sentence, things looked promising. Your client seemed to notice, was sometimes attentive, and showed indications that their awareness of these words was growing. However, in terms of truly understanding these words or using them, progress was s-l-0-w. Where can you go from here? Explicit instruction on these words will help speed up the learning curve. Here are some activities you can embed in your teaching and therapy to provide more experience with this new vocabulary. Work together to create picture collages for the target word: Do these interactively so you can discuss what belongs in the collage and WHY, and what does not... [Read More...]

Filed under: ,

Tagged With: , ,

AAC Posts from PrAACtical Week #46: November 2020

November 15, 2020 by - Leave your thoughts


AAC Posts from PrAACtical Week #46: November 2020

Happy Sunday, AAC friends. Here are some posts that you may have missed. Monday – TELL ME About It: AAC Learning with ‘Dear Zoo’! Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Cooking with AAC  Thursday – AAC Resources: A Look at Google Action Blocks ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: If you’re interested in a bit more AAC reading, check out some of these past posts. Breaking Down Barriers to AAC Implementation AAC and Emergent Literacy: 5 Posts with Implementation Ideas AAC Intervention That Teaches More and Tests Less: Thoughts on Implementation AAC in the Classroom for Students with Significant Disabilities – Implementation & Data Collection Three Ways to Use AAC Goals to Strengthen Implementation

Filed under: ,

AAC Resources: A Look at Google Action Blocks

November 12, 2020 by - Leave your thoughts


AAC Resources: A Look at Google Action Blocks

We’re always excited to see innovations in assistive technology and AAC, and today, we welcome Charlie Danger of The Children’s Trust to tell us about one of them. Charlie is an OT and ATP who has been working with people with disabilities for over 20 years. In this post, he introduces us to Google Action Blocks and discusses some of the ways it can benefit those with AAC needs. A Look at Google Action Blocks When most of us consider the use of modern portable devices as communication aids we’re likely to refer to iPads running popular apps such as LAMP Words for Life or Proloquo2go. It is relatively rare that people first consider Android AAC apps, most likely because there are so few of them. Android Worldwide, Android devices outsell Apple by a factor of 3 to 1. In South America and Asia this is as high as 10... [Read More...]

Filed under: ,

Tagged With: , , , , , ,

TELL ME About It: AAC Learning with ‘Dear Zoo’!

November 9, 2020 by - Leave your thoughts


TELL ME About It: AAC Learning with ‘Dear Zoo’!

Ready for another post with book-related ideas for supporting core vocabulary learning in preschool classrooms? We’re excited to welcome Jeanna Antrim and Maggie Judson back to these pages with another guest post the TELL ME About It series. Today, they share ideas for core vocabulary experiences with an old favorite, Dear Zoo.If you’re in search of ways to support preschool teachers who are implementing the TELL ME program with their young students, this post is for you. There are quite a few resource links embedded in this post, ready for you to download. Maggie and Jeanna are speech-language pathologists who work in the Assistive Technology Department for the Belleville Area Special Services Cooperative (BASSC) in southern Illinois. They are AT/AAC facilitators and provide evaluations, direct therapy, consultations, and trainings with school teams. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: TELL ME About It: AAC Learning with ‘Dear Zoo’! TELL ME About The Book The third book... [Read More...]

Filed under: ,

Tagged With: , ,

AAC Posts from PrAACtical Week #45: November 2020

November 8, 2020 by - Leave your thoughts


AAC Posts from PrAACtical Week #44: November 2020

Happy Sunday, AAC friends. We’re breathing a sigh of relief today and smiling from ear to ear. If you were a bit distracted this week, you might have missed a post or two. Monday – AACtual Therapy: Chaining in AAC Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Achieving Authentic Communication Thursday – Throwback Thursday: AAC at School Friday – PráctiCAAmente Conectados Con Links – Noviembre ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: If you’re still in the mood for browsing, check out the selections below. PrAACtical Thoughts on Mastery 5 Things to Do When AAC Learners are Inconsistent PrAACtical Teaching in the Autism Classroom: Instructional Activities for Core Vocabulary Core Values: Suggestions for Language Building with AAC Learners More Words, Please! Expanding Our Manual Communication Boards

Filed under: ,

Throwback Thursday: AAC at School

November 5, 2020 by - Leave your thoughts


Throwback Thursday: AAC at School

It’s another Throwback Thursday, and today we’re revisiting posts on the topic of school-based AAC supports. Hope you find them helpful. Supporting Students Who Use AAC with School-wide Implementation Roadmap to a Communication Positive School Tips for Supporting Students Who Use AAC in School How We Do It: Incorporating Core Vocabulary Throughout the School Day AAC Goes to High School: The Power of Peers How We Do It: Increasing AAC Acceptance and Making Better Communication Partners In Our School PrAACtical Resources: AAC for School Staff AAC Goes to High School: Community-based Instruction Aided AAC & the IEP How I Do It: AAC in the IEP PrAACtical Resources: AT & the IEP AAC & the IEP: 5 Resources to Explore 5 Reasons to Put AAC Training for Staff and Parents into the IEP How I Do It: Writing IEP Goals for Students Who Use AAC with Lauren Enders  

Filed under: ,

Tagged With: ,