November 12, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Think back on some of the meals that you’ve shared with others recently. What did people talk about? In most cases, there’s a lot more that ‘Pass the peas,’ ‘What’s for dessert?’, and ‘Can I go now?’ Mealtimes are social experiences in many cultures and it can take some work to ensure that our AAC learners can take part. Here are some ideas for supporting the development of social communication during shared meals. Build a routine that includes social communication: AAC learning takes time and lots of prAACtice. We can support the march to AAC proficiency by incorporating specific kinds of social exchanges into our mealtimes so that AAC learners know what the expect and have practice opportunities for this skill set at mealtime. Some examples: Sharing Time (i.e.., everyone shares something that happened to them that was funny/interesting/memorable), Question of the Day (e.g., “What’s your favorite __?” “Where’s the... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: implementation ideas, mealtime, social interaction
November 11, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. Here is a handful of AAC posts that you may have missed in your busy week. Monday – PrAACtical Resources: CandLE Literacy for All Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Faces of AAC – Zainab Omar Thursday – MASTER PAL AAC Training Series: Lessons Learned ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 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: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: language therapy, MASTER PAL, summary post
November 8, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Thanks to all who reached out to express appreciation for Tabi Jones-Wohleber’s training resources in the MASTER PAL series. Many of you have already used the slides, video links, handouts, and discussion points that were shared over the past few months, and others have plans to do so. In this final post, Tabi shares some of the ‘lessons learned’ in creating and utilizing these materials. If you’re new to the series, you can check out each of the 11 modules here. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::; Over the last 11 weeks, facilitation strategies for communication partners have been shared through the Model as a MASTER PAL series. Model as a MASTER PAL is a framework for supporting communication partners of those who use AAC that evolved in response to the need go beyond the imperative and always present conversations of “use core words” and “model AAC”. It started as a list of ideas to... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC training, downloads, MASTER PAL, partner training
November 5, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Looking for literacy resources to help in your teaching of individuals with AAC needs? Today, we travel to the UK to learn from the team at Communication and Learning Enterprises (CandLE). Their Literacy for All program has been in development for over 15 years and is broken down into 6 elements: Communication Emergent literacy Literacy needs assessment Conventional literacy Thinking skills Mainstream curriculum support On the site, they detail their process for each of these elements and give implementation tips and examples. For those who are interested, they also link to a companion site where their literacy resources are sold. You can explore their site here.
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: CandLE, literacy
November 4, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Happy November, AAC friends! Here are some posts you may have missed in your busy week. Monday – PrAACtically November: AAC Resources for a Year of Core Vocabulary Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Talk AAC with Me Thursday – Building AAC Facilitation Skills with Tabi Jones-Wohleber: MASTER PAL Training, Module 11 (Let the Child Lead) ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Have room for a little more AAC in your day? Here’s a sampling to choose from. Beyond Behavior Problems: How Visual Supports Can Help Our AAC Teaching AAC Intervention: 5 Activities with PrAACtical Potential AACtual Therapy: Positive Behavior Management with Gail Bennell Daylight Savings Time and Behavior Extension Activities for AAC Practice And, finally, if working with young children who have complex communication needs is your thing, we invite you to join us for a full day of preschool AAC in January. (Use the sliding bar on the right to navigate... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: activities, behavior, preschool, summary post
November 1, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Today, Tabi Jones-Wohleber shares the last module in the MASTER PAL training series, which provides tips and strategies for working with children who don’t yet demonstrate joint attention. This module should take 30-40 minutes to present. Join us next week as we do a final wrap-up with suggestions on using this training series in your AAC work. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Model as a MASTER PAL Module 11: Let the Child Lead Facilitator Guidelines It can be really difficult to get communication started with a child who does not demonstrate joint attention. This module explores tips and strategies for traveling with a child on their journey from preoccupation with seeking sensory input/inattention to learning, engaging, and communicating. Because learning emerges from meaningful social emotional experiences, letting the child lead can go a long way toward being invited into their world. Then learning can happen! Here are some things you will need for this... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: child-led therapy, MASTER PAL, Tabi Jones-Wohleber
October 30, 2018
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 camp 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 while... [Read More...]
Filed under: AAC Link Up, Featured Posts
Tagged With: AAC Link Up
October 29, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
It’s just about time to turn another page on the calendar, and that means we’re busy preparing materials and activities for our November core words. Are you looking for some ways to help your AAC learners become more competent in using core words? Need to get staff on board with modeling core vocabulary? Trying to get familiar with where core words are stored in a particular SGD or AAC app? Here’s an approach you may want to try: Choose a dozen or so core words to focus on each month. In previous years, we shared lists of some core words to help you do just that. Set 1: A Year of Core (12 words/month) Set 2: A(nother) Year of Core (16 words/month; Note: These are different than the core words covered in 2013) Those posts have links to downloadable grids with the core words for each month that can be used as... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: A Year of Core Words
October 28, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
And just like that, it’s prAACtically time to turn out the lights on another AAC Awareness Month. Before we do, here are some AAC posts that might be of interest. Monday – How We Do It: AAC Training for Educational Assistants Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Realizing the Power of Data Logging Thursday – Building AAC Facilitation Skills with Tabi Jones-Wohleber: MASTER PAL Training, Module 10 (Appropriate Prompting) Friday – AAC Awareness Month 2018: Going Out with a Bang! ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Ready for a little more AAC exploring? Here are a handful of suggestions. Core Values: Suggestions for Language Building with AAC Learners Video of the Week: Supporting AAC Learning Through Non-Directive Language Supporting Language Growth in AAC Learners, Part 1 Supporting Language Growth in AAC Learners, Part 2 Supporting Language Growth in AAC Learners, Part 3 ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Before you go, please help us spread the word in to help... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: #AACaware18, disaster relief, language therapy, summary post, USSAAC
October 26, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
We’re not quite ready to say farewell to another AAC Awareness Month. If you’re still in the mood to spread the word about AAC, you might be interested in some of these resources. If that doesn’t appeal to you, check out the Halloween AAC cards at the end. Click on the images to download the file. Bookmarks AAC Info Card for Halloween Trick or Treaters
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: #AACaware18, AAC Awareness Month, Halloween