January 17, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. If you enjoy talking about academics, language intervention, and AAC, I invite you to join me for “Bridging the Gap: Addressing the Academic Difficulties of Students Who Successfully Use AAC” with Dr. Gloria Soto & AAC Master Clinician Gail Van Tatenhove (more information at https://bit.ly/3qrnQp8). We also have some posts that may be of interest. Take a look. Monday – AACtual Therapy: Using Talking Mats to Support People with Complex Communication Needs Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: AAC Evaluations Thursday – PrAACtically Martin Luther King, Jr Day :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Still have an appetite for some AAC reading? These posts from the archives may be of interest. Reducing Prompt Dependence in AAC Learners: 5 Things to Try When Helping Isn’t Helping: Prompt Awareness in AAC Instruction 5 Things to Consider About Prompts in Teaching AAC Creating AAC Implementation Plans Using AAC to Repair Communication... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
January 14, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
It’s a good day to expand our resource toolkit. Here are some links to explore if you’re looking to integrate AAC and language learning with content about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Martin Luther King Jr Song (Video) Martin Luther King Jr BrainPop Video & Activities Martin Luther King Jr Reader Make a Mini Book: Martin Luther King Jr Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Mini Unit Martin Luther King Jr Close Reading Comprehension Passages Martin Luther King Jr Flipbook Martin Luther King Jr Activities on Google Slides I Have a Dream Activity & Printable Martin Luther King Jr Acts of Kindness and Justice Martin Luther King Jr: Venn Diagram: Great for practice of core and fringe vocabulary, as well as information-giving (e.g., name, birthday) and comparing/contrasting Martin Luther King Jr I Have a Dream Speech: Wonderful for older learners and those focused on Tier 2 vocabulary, more complex sentences, main idea,... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
January 12, 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
January 11, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Talking Mats, a powerful tool for helping people with complex needs share their thoughts and advocate for themselves, is a topic we’ve posted about before. Today, we expand that discussion and learn from SLT Katherine Small, an AAC Consultant at the Ace Centre. In the first of a 2-part series, Katherine shares her experience in implementing Talking Mats with her clients. Enjoy! My Experience as a Practitioner who Uses Talking Mats Before training as an SLT, I had a variety of jobs where supporting people to share their views was key. One of the tools I used was ‘In My Shoes’ and I knew how helpful such tools were when I was trying to make sure I gave clients space to think and a means of expression during important conversations. So when I heard about Talking Mats I knew straight away that it would suit my style of working &... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC assessment, AAC user, AAC User Perspectives, participation
January 10, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. We have some posts that may be of interest. Monday – AAC in Secondary School: Research Project AACtivity Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: A District-wide Core Vocabulary Initiative Thursday – Throwback Thursday: Considerations in AAC Intervention Friday – PráctiCAAmente Conectados Con Links – Enero 2021 :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Ready for a few more posts to browse? Here’s a sampling that you might enjoy. Does AAC Really Work with Infants and Toddlers? Research Tuesday: Photos Versus PCS – Babies Weigh In AAC & AT Supports in Early Intervention AAC Mythology v2.0: A Few Misconceptions About AAC Intervention PrAACtical Intervention Ideas: AAC Learning with the Toys, Websites, and Apps You Love
Filed under: Featured Posts
January 8, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
AAC friends, we are back with another AAC Link Up in Spanish. If you have 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. But before we get to that, let’s talk about literacy. Starting 2021 with many AAC and Emerging Literacy projects in Spanish, we want to share a great experience that arose as a result of the pandemic situation that we are experiencing and that allowed us to learn about AAC stories and experiences in several Spanish-speaking countries. At the beginning of April, the idea came from Isabel from Guatemala, mother of an AAC user child, to carry out an Online Shared Reading activity, in Spanish (like so many that we could... [Read More...]
Filed under: AAC Link Up, Featured Posts
January 7, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Supporting individuals with AAC needs can be a complex process. Even when we have access to the full range of tools we need, have used solid assessment data to plot out the journey, and incorporated evidence-based strategies in our teaching, we often encounter speedbumps or have to take detours. Today, we look back on a handful of past posts that can help us think through some of the challenges that arise. Stimming or Learning? Considerations For Kids Who Repeat Themselves with AAC AACtual Therapy: Chaining in AAC The Role of Meaning Making with Beginning Communicators: Motivating Interactions AAC Mythology v2.0: A Few Misconceptions About AAC Intervention AAC Intervention That Teaches More and Tests Less: Thoughts on Implementation AAC Therapy: When the Lesson Plan Fails Things to Try with AAC Learners who Have Short Attention Spans Have you encountered persistent or puzzling intervention challenges that you’d like us to write about?... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
January 5, 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
January 4, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
We’re excited to start off 2021 with a new series focusing on supporting students who use AAC during their high school years. AAC SLP Ashley Larisey is the guest author for the AAC in Secondary School series which will have ideas for specific activities in some months and articles on issues pertinent to secondary school AAC in others. Ashley is an SLP at Community High School District 218 in Oak Lawn, Illinois. She is also an Adjunct Clinical Supervisor and Instructor at Saint Xavier University. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Introduction to the Series: AAC for Secondary Students Some of the most common questions that I hear from my SLP colleagues are specific to AAC treatment planning and implementation. As a high school AAC SLP, I am privileged to have the opportunity to work with students as they prepare and transition into adulthood. I often find that many SLPs are looking to provide their students... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: education, school
January 3, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. Here are some posts that may be of interest. Monday – PrAACtically January: AAC Resources for A Year of Core Words Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: CommunicationFIRST AAC User Chat with Judy Heumann Thursday – School Year of Core Vocabulary Words: AAC Resources for Month 6 (January) by Michaela Sullivan, Alisa Lego, & Beth Lytle ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Ready for a few more suggestions? Here are some past posts that you might enjoy. PrAACtical Ideas for Repurposing Older AAC Technology 5 AAC Downloads to Use and Share 5 Ways to Make Semantic Maps More Effective in AAC Therapy PrAACtical Resources on Language Development When Helping Isn’t Helping: Prompt Awareness in AAC Instruction
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking