Asking Good Questions During Interactive Book Reading with AAC Learners

June 18, 2020 by - Leave your thoughts


Asking Good Questions During Interactive Book Reading with AAC Learners

Books are a terrific way to build language, and we often use shared reading to facilitate learning and provide practice in using specific skills. When we read, we go beyond the text in the book to comment on the narrative and illustrations (e.g., “Oh no! He fell out of the tree.” “This one is my favorite. I love his shiny scales”), and ask questions (e.g., “What happened to his pants?” “How does he feel?”). Interactive book reading helps to background knowledge, and connect things in the book to the learner’s own life experiences, among other things. Asking questions is a big part of what we do in interactive book reading. Not only do they help us keep the learner engaged, but we also use them to model and provide practice on specific language targets. However, too many questions can cause learners to shut down, so we have to ensure that... [Read More...]

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PrAACtically Juneteenth: AAC Ideas for Learning & Celebration

June 15, 2020 by - 4 Comments


PrAACtically Juneteenth: AAC Ideas for Learning & Celebration

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 primarily by African Americans, there is a growing awareness of Juneteenth across a broad spectrum of people. In modern times, it has become a day to gather, reflect, and celebrate African American freedom and achievement. In these troubled times, it offers us an opportunity to learn about the history and lived experiences of black Americans, examine our own commitment to build a just society, and challenge ourselves to dismantle racism at all... [Read More...]

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AAC Posts from PrAACtical Week #24: June 2020

June 14, 2020 by - Leave your thoughts


AAC Posts from PrAACtical Week #24: June 2020

Happy Sunday, AAC friends. It’s been a long week and we’re glad you’re here. Monday – TELL ME About It: AAC Learning with ‘If You’re Angry & You Know It’ Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Social Networks Inventory Thursday – Alternative Learning Experiences in Clinical Education: An AAC Video Case Study If you have a little time before you have to leave, take a few minutes to browse through these past posts. If you’re in a hurry, please skip down to the end. Core Values: Suggestions for Language Building with AAC Learners AAC & Personal Narratives AAC Site of the Month: Centre for AAC AAC: 4 Ways to Develop Self Advocacy Skills & Become A Self Advocate 5 Ways to Support Self-Advocacy in AAC Learners :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” (James... [Read More...]

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Alternative Learning Experiences in Clinical Education: An AAC Video Case Study

June 11, 2020 by - Leave your thoughts


Alternative Learning Experiences in Clinical Education: An AAC Video Case Study

When SLP students are connected with real-world AAC situations, there can be a deep and lasting impact. Today, guest author and SLP Clinical Educator Krista Davidson shares her experiences in connecting graduate students with Kim Rankin and her son, Nathaniel, who uses AAC. Initially connected through social media, they worked together to build a valuable learning experience for these future SLPs. Alternative Learning Experiences in Clinical Education: An AAC Video Case Study I am a clinical associate professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at The University of Iowa. At Iowa, our graduate students rotate through a variety of clinical teams, mine being the AAC team. Each semester I have a new group of students to educate, supervise, and mentor as they provide therapy to my caseload of clients who use AAC at the Wendell Johnson Speech and Hearing Clinic. Due to the recent pandemic, like most universities,... [Read More...]

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TELL ME About It: AAC Learning with ‘If You’re Angry & You Know It’

June 8, 2020 by - Leave your thoughts


TELL ME About It: AAC Learning with 'If You're Angry & You Know It'

Welcome to a new edition of TELL ME ABout It, a series looking at ways to use children’s trade books to build AAC core vocabulary and literacy skills. Maggie Judson and Jeanna Antrim are back with more great ideas for AAC intervention, this time focusing on the book, ‘If You’re Angry and You Know It.’ Maggie and Jeanna are speech-language pathologists who work in the Assistive Technology Department for the Belleville Area Special Services Cooperative (BASSC) in central Illinois. They are AT/AAC facilitators and provide evaluations, direct therapy, consultations, and trainings. You can see their previous posts in the TELL ME About It series below. 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 TELL ME AAC Literacy Kits Don’t miss their videos... [Read More...]

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AAC Posts from PrAACtical Week #23: June 2020

June 7, 2020 by - Leave your thoughts


AAC Posts from PrAACtical Week #23: June 2020

Happy Sunday, AAC friends. Here are some posts that you may have missed. Monday – PrAACtical Resources: Virtual Calming Room Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Engaging AAC Learners with Complex Bodies Thursday – Throwback Thursday: Strategies for Teaching AAC ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: While you’re here, check out some of these previously published posts. 5 Ways to Tell If Your Students are Becoming Competent Communicators A Look at PODD Books Using Visual Supports to Bring Music Alive Supports for When Modeling AAC is Hard AACtual Therapy: Use Your Best Spud to Teach Vocabulary With Tanna Neufeld How We Do It: Changing AAC Mindsets & Outcomes 

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Throwback Thursday: Strategies for Teaching AAC

June 4, 2020 by - Leave your thoughts


Throwback Thursday: Strategies for Teaching AAC

Engaging activities and materials are important in AAC instruction, but the real magic happens when we implement appropriate intervention strategies with fidelity and on a consistent basis. For Throwback Thursday, we raided the archives to revisit some previous posts on several key intervention strategies. Aided Language Input: How Much Language Should We Model? Aided Language Input in AACtion “I’m Using Aided Language Input. Now what??” From Referential to Descriptive Teaching with AAC Learners Recasting: A Language Facilitation Strategy F is for Feedback

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PrAACtical Resources: Virtual Calming Room

June 1, 2020 by - 1 Comment


PrAACtical Resources: Virtual Calming Room

Whether it is the normal stresses of the day, or more timely issues related to the impact of coronavirus or civil unrest, there is value in taking time for calm reflection. In today’s post, we share a resource that can be used in face-to-face therapy, online instruction, and family counseling. The Virtual Calming Room, developed by Osseo Area Learning Center in Minnesota, is worth a look. You can select from a range of calming videos in several categories: Sound and Music, Visual Relaxation, and Guided Practice. Each one has a selection of short videos (1-6 minutes) that can be used in a variety of ways. There are also app suggestions to take these calming practices with us as we go through the day, and a resource section. You can view a tutorial here or the full site below. Enjoy!      Many thanks to the Osseo Area Learning Center for creating... [Read More...]

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AAC Posts from PrAACtical Week #22: May 2020

May 31, 2020 by - Leave your thoughts


AAC Posts from PrAACtical Week #22: May 2020

Happy Sunday, AAC friends. Here are a few posts that might be of interest. Monday –  PrAACtically June – AAC Resources for A Year of Core Words: The Learn-at-Home Edition Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: AACtivity Ideas to Jumpstart Learning Thursday – Growing AAC Professionals: Learning about Safeguarding Practices Friday – AACtivity Calendar for June Core Words :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: And if you are thirsty for more, check out some past posts on activities and materials for AAC therapy and instruction. 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

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