October 5, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
In the market for some AAC apps to round out your assessment or intervention toolkit? Take advantage of the deep discounts offered in support of AAC Awareness Month. Take a look. AssistiveWare Avaz AAC CommBoards Cough Drop LAMP Words for Life Saltillo Snap + Core First Speak for Yourself Therapy Box We’ll continue to update this with new information on AAC Awareness discounts over the next few weeks. Do you have suggestions for others to add to our list? We’d love to have your suggestions for #AACaware18. Many thanks to the amazing Lauren Enders for this wonderful graphic with even more AAC discounts!
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC apps
October 4, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Welcome back to our AAC partner training series, Model as a MASTER PAL, created by SLP Tabi Jones-Wohleber. Today, we continue with materials to help communication partners interact with AAC learners in a supportive fashion. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Model as a MASTER PAL Module 7: Engage Naturally Facilitator Guidelines This module covers a lot of territory. From the behaviors of communication partners that support the process of language development to creating communication opportunities, to the language we use with a child to talk about their device, to fostering communicative competence, naturalistic engagement is shaped in many ways. The importance of this conversation lies in the fact that genuine engagement and mutual respect are where learning happens. It is also how meaningful social relationships are built. This module invites participants to reflect on factors that shape the quality of interactions in order to maximize the potential for communicating, learning and creating meaningful social,... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC partner training, professional development, Tabi Jones-Wohleber
October 2, 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 1, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Let the celebrations begin! October is more than pumpkins and Halloween. It’s internationally recognized as AAC Awareness Month and it offers a wonderful opportunity for spreading the word as to how we can support people with complex communication needs. Looking for a few ideas that you can use in celebrating AAC Awareness Month? Here are a few to get you started. Light up your social media feeds with AAC Awareness messages. We’ve got some graphics to help you out. Here are some from previous years. You can also grab our 2018 Facebook banner here. Is Instagram your jam? We’ve got you covered. (Click on the image below to download.) Are you more of a Twitter fan? No worries. We’ve got something for you, too. (Click on the image below to download.) Make plans to attend ATIA 2019 for lots of AAC content. Early Bird conference registration closes on October 5 at 5 p.m.... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC Awareness Month
September 30, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. Before we turn to a new page on the calendar, check out these posts from our prAACtical week. Monday – PrAACtically October: AAC Resources for A Year of Core Vocabulary Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: AT and Virtual Reality Thursday – Building AAC Facilitation Skills with Tabi Jones-Wohleber: MASTER PAL Training, Module 6 Friday – PrAACtical Alert: AAC App Discounts ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Still have time for some more AAC reading? Here are a few suggestions. PrAACtical Teaching in the ASD Classroom: Predictable Chart Writing with Core Vocabulary AAC in the Classroom: Presentations You May Have Missed The Crust of AAC Every Second Counts with Lindy McDaniel Boosting AAC Implementation in the Classroom: 6 Things to Try
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC apps, classroom, summary post
September 28, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
AAC Awareness Month is just around the corner! October is a great month for picking up AAC apps since many app developers offer deep discounts. Here are some of them. AssistiveWare CommBoards Cough Drop LAMP Words for Life Saltillo Speak for Yourself We’ll update this with new information on AAC Awareness discounts over the next few weeks. Do you have suggestions for others to add to our list? We’d love to have your suggestions. Edited: Thanks to the amazing Lauren Enders for this wonderful graphic with even more AAC discounts!
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC apps, AAC Awareness Month
September 27, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Let’s be honest: The most advanced AAC device in the world isn’t going to be very helpful unless it’s well-implemented. That’s why it is so important that communication partners, particularly those who spend lots of time with people use AAC, get training on ways to support the AAC learner. Tabi Wohleber-Jones is back with us today to share the 6th module in the MASTER PAL series. This module is all about time. Model as a MASTER PAL Module 6: Time: Wait-Time, Think-Time and Time for Language to Develop Facilitator Guidelines This 6th module in Model as a MASTER PAL explores both short-term and long-term factors related to time, as necessary for AAC skill development. These modules may be explored in a single learning session or split into two sessions, 20-30 minutes each. Firstly, language development occurs gradually over time, years actually. Teaching language with AAC takes time as well. ... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC partner training
September 25, 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
September 24, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Know any AAC learners like these? Jeremiah has an SGD with thousands of core and fringe words, but he uses less than 100 of them in day-to-day life. Bella used an AAC app with visual scene displays to interact at playtime and during daily routines for the past several months. Her team just added an app with a grid-based vocabulary so that she can begin to create novel sentences and expand her language abilities. Mason was recently evaluated for an AAC device, but it will likely take a few months to get the funding situation straightened out. In the meantime, his team created a manual communication board that mirrors the main screen of the SGD’s language software. Each of them needs lots of practice to become fluent with the core words in their AAC systems. Are you looking for resources to support your use of core words in therapy, in... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: downloads, resources, Year of Core Vocabulary
September 23, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends! Here are some posts from our prAACtical week that may be of interest. Monday – PrAACtical AAC Question of the Month: Who Is On Your AAC Team? Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Assumptions, Attitudes, and Adventures Thursday – Building AAC Facilitation Skills with Tabi Jones-Wohleber: MASTER PAL Training, Module 5 ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: If you have an appetite for a little more AAC, explore these past posts. Understanding and Supporting Families of AAC Learners Before We Read: Using Predictions for PrAACtical Learning AAC and Change: Some Thoughts on Influencing Behavior 5 Tips for Helping AAC Assessments Run Smoothly AAC ‘Must Haves’ for the Classroom and Speech Room And while you have AAC on your mind, we’d love to hear what you are planning for AAC Awareness Month. Comment below or message us if you’d like to be featured on PrAACtical AAC. Have a great week, everyone!
Filed under: Featured Posts