PrAACtically December: Resources for A Year of Core Vocabulary

November 28, 2016 by - 3 Comments

PrAACtically December: Resources for A Year of Core Vocabulary

A few years ago, we suggested that one way to help strengthen learners’ abilities with core words is to take a different set of 12-20 core words each month and focus on them for a few weeks. How? By modeling those words, making resource materials (like word cards with the symbols), creating activities in which those words figure prominently, posting them in the classroom/therapy room, reading books that have heavy use of these words, sharing them with families, write stories using them, etc. Core words are a great addition to the highly motivating, learner-specific words that many AAC users start with. If you are looking to expand to more robust language, this approach may be of interest. Here are the specific words we are focusing on in December. Set 1 (2013): ask, favorite, goodbye, hear, of, please, silly, surprise, these, use, way, work Set 2 (2014): already, clear, doctor, fix,... [Read More...]

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PrAACtical Resources: AAC Partner Training Strategies

November 25, 2016 by - 2 Comments

PrAACtical Resources: AAC Partner Training Strategies

Helping families build their AAC support skills is an important part of what we do. In today’s post, we have a return visit from Alicia Garcia, a lead SLP at the AAC Clinic at One Kids Place, a children’s treatment centre in northern Ontario. Alicia has more than two decades of clinical experience in a variety of settings and locales. You can see a guest post Alicia did on avoiding pitfalls in aided language input here. Today, she shares a booklet of handouts on AAC facilitation skills that can be used when working with families and other stakeholders. Many thanks to the AAC Team at One Kids Place for allowing us to share this helpful resource.  

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AAC Learning at ASHA 2016: Day 1

November 21, 2016 by - 8 Comments

AAC Learning at ASHA 2016: Day 1

As usual, the ASHA Annual Convention was so chock full of AAC learning opportunities that there was no way to get to everything of interest. Here are some handouts on AAC topics from the first day of the conference. Aided Language Stimulation for All Communication Partners of Children Who Use AAC by Eric Sailers of Expressive Solutions and Jhoselle Padilla at Chula Vista Elementary School District  AAC Multidisciplinary Treatment for Communication & Functional Participation by Amy Sonntag of Ohio State University and Lindsay Ripple of Akron Children’s Hospital  “A Picture’s Worth a Thousand Words.” An AAC Intervention for Children With Complex Communication Needs by Jamie Boster and John McCarthy of Ohio State University  Expanding & Customizing Spanish Core Vocabulary for Augmentative & Alternative Communication by Amy Munekata, Bridget Carlile, and Lisa Domby of the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill  An Analysis of Conversational Interaction of an Individual With... [Read More...]

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AAC Posts from PrAACtical Week # 47: November, 2016

November 20, 2016 by - Leave your thoughts

AAC Posts from PrAACtical Week # 47: November, 2016

It’s been a week full of AAC at ASHA 2016 in Philadelphia. I hope to post some handouts from top conference presentations soon, but in the meantime, here are some posts you may have missed. Tuesday – PrAACtical Resources: Using Visual Systems to Promote Communication Wednesday – Video of the Week: Preserving Self with Message Banking When Losing Ability to Speak Thursday – Connecting with Caregivers to Support AAC Learning: 3 Things to Try

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Connecting with Caregivers to Support AAC Learning: 3 Things to Try

November 17, 2016 by - Leave your thoughts

Connecting with Caregivers to Support AAC Learning: 3 Things to Try

One of the best things about providing AAC services in a university-based clinic is that we have regular contact with parents and other caregivers. That gives them the opportunity to observe the session, or, better yet, become an active participant. This allows us to talk to them about issues with the AAC system and help them develop the skills and routines to support AAC learning outside the therapy session. Most practitioners, however, don’t have this luxury. How can we impact AAC use outside of therapy and the classroom when we have infrequent face-to-face time with families and other caregivers? Here are some things to try. Video: Make a short screencast using free tools (like Jing, from Techsmith). In less than 10 minutes, you can make a recording of your computer screen and narrate it with implementation tips and information, then upload it, and share the link with families. For more... [Read More...]

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PrAACtical Resources: Using Visual Systems to Promote Communication

November 15, 2016 by - Leave your thoughts

PrAACtical Resources: Using Visual Systems to Promote Communication

Looking for a handy guide to help families who are new to communication disability get familiar with visual supports for communication? In today’s post, we share a wonderful booklet intended just for that purpose. Australian SLP Dolly Bhargava created this book, Getting Started: Using Visual Systems to Promote Communication, with support from the School for Parents and the Non Government Centre Support for Non School Organisations of Western Australia.  You can see the accompanying video here.  

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