July 10, 2024
by Carole Zangari -
Technological advances, perseverance, and creativity are combining to offer new opportunities for accessing AAC technology. In today’s post, we share Pancho Ramirez’s insights on new options for alternative access. Many thanks to Mr. Ramirez and the AAC Research Summit for making this presentation available. Direct link to video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7DVWDeYZIE&ab_channel=CommunicationFirst
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
June 7, 2024
by Carole Zangari -
Happy June, CAA friends! Each month, we feature a Spanish version of our AAC Link Up called CAA con Links. If you have AAC-related announcements, 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. You’ll find the place to add that information at the very bottom of this post. Claudia Marimón organizes these monthly posts, which feature AAC work being done in Spanish-speaking countries and offer translations of material that can help families and service providers. In today’s post, Claudia shares the experiences of Samuel, a young AAC user who traveled to Mexico to participate in an international spelling competition. He did a wonderful job and raised awareness of AAC for many people. Learn... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
May 23, 2024
by Carole Zangari -
Welcome back to our series on using the Stepping Into AAC program materials, a self-study program for families seeking to learn about and begin using AAC with their child, teen, or adult. In today’s post, we explore some of the things to do in preparation for starting an AAC journey and move into the first week of AAC learning activities. As you begin your Stepping Into AAC journey, there are 3 main things to do. Think about how you will organize your AAC learning materials and make a plan for incorporating AAC into your life. Starting in Week 1, you’ll do hands-on learning with your communication board (or device/app), watch informational videos, and read through documents. Prepare to select a communication board to use throughout this program. LINK to coom boards If you’re unsure of which one to use, don’t let that stop you. We’ll give you some guidance on... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
May 13, 2024
by Carole Zangari -
We’re excited to welcome back guest authors Marisa Portanova and Marnina Allis to extend the conversation about running AAC groups for children. Enjoy! :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: PrAACtical AAC Groups Made Easy – Let’s Have a Weekly Social Lions and tigers and AAC groups, OH MY! Group therapy can be intimidating. We have some tips, tricks and ideas we want to share to help you get started. Let’s jump in! So welcome back, and thanks for following along our AAC group’s journey with us. Within Blythedale Children’s Hospital, we have a school program run in coordination with the Mount Pleasant Blythedale Union Free School District. These children come to school on a regular school calendar, including the extended school year 6-week summer session. Once we were doing groups with our verbal children, we decided to start groups for our AAC users. We wanted to model core language and target literacy, so we made... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
March 31, 2024
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends, and a joyous Easter to those who celebrate. We have a free online conference opportunity to share with you and, of course, some AAC posts you might enjoy. The UM-NSU Center for Autism and Related Disabilities offers its annual online conference on Saturday, April 6th. The featured speakers are Erin Sheldon (“Nothing about me without me:” Build your supported decision-making toolbox!) and Tabi Jones Wohleber (Ready, Set, Communicate: AACtion steps to AAC Implementation). For more information and a registration link, you can visit this page. There is no cost for this event. And now, let’s look at some of the past posts from our prAACtical week. Monday – April Year of Core Vocabulary & School Year of Core Vocabulary Words Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: On Transitioning from Paper-based to High-Tech AAC Thursday – School Year of Core Vocabulary Words... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
March 26, 2024
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: PrAACtical Thinking
March 17, 2024
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. Here are some posts you might enjoy. Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: A Quick Look at AAC Technology Thursday – Throwback Thursday: Advocacy & AAC ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: In the mood for some more AAC reading? Here are a few suggestions. SGDs for People with ASD “What Should I Program on the SGD?” Feature Match Chart 5 Features to Look for in SGDs and AAC Apps Making a Back-up for High-tech AAC
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
February 21, 2024
by Carole Zangari -
Michaela Sullivan and Lindsay Dougherty are back with a preview of what’s ahead with the March resources as they continue the School Year of Core Vocabulary – Older Student Lessons series. If you are working with older students who are learning to use core vocabulary words on their AAC systems check out the materials they developed along with their team of volunteers. Direct Link to Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIKjdIdwRe4&ab_channel=SchoolYearofCore
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
February 18, 2024
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. Here are some posts you might enjoy. Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Promoting AAC & Peer Engagement in Inclusive Classrooms Thursday – Throwback Thursday: AAC Assessment ———————————————————————————————- Before you leave, here are a few more past posts to check out. Visual Supports for Places Around School (downloadable) Visual Supports for Places We Go (downloadable) AAC Intervention for Children with ASD Teaching Communication Partners Through Video Self-modeling Bilingual AAC Assessment Tips
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
February 11, 2024
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. Here are some posts you might enjoy. Monday – PrAACtically Valentine’s Day: AAC-friendly Resources Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: A Look at the DAGG 3 Thursday – Throwback Thursday: Videos & Articles About AAC in the Family :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: In the mood for a little more AAC reading? Here are some suggestions. Getting ready for a core vocabulary journey Make It Monday: Manual communication boards with core vocabulary Make It Monday: More words, please! Expanding our manual communication boards Super Size It: 5 ideas for making large communication boards Beyond requesting: A week of routines to increase AAC use at mealtimes 5 ways to build understanding Free resources for making AAC and visual supports 5 places for shared AAC materials
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking