PrAACtically July: Resources for A Year of Core Words

June 30, 2016 by - Leave your thoughts

PrAACtically July: Resources for A Year of Core Words

Keiran has a new AAC app that is well-populated with core vocabulary. Gabbie has had an SGD for awhile but doesn’t use it as frequently as her team had hoped. Hudson is transitioning from PECS to an AAC device with more robust language. While different in many ways, each of these learners has a common need: frequent opportunities to learn about and use core vocabulary. To accomplish this, their SLPs, teachers, and families select a dozen or so core words and pay special attention to those each month. That allows them to highlight this small group of words using focused language stimulation, aided language input, and specific activities designed to teach or practice them. In previous years, we shared lists of some core words to help you do just that.    Set 1 (2013: A Year of Core) (12 words/month) Set 2 (2014: Another Year of Core) (16 words/month) In today’s post,... [Read More...]

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PrAACtically Reading with Karen Natoci: Hello Baby

June 28, 2016 by - 1 Comment

Karen Natoci is back with some wonderful suggestions for reading and building AAC skills with young children. Although her focus is on little ones with visual impairment, these books and the implementation suggestions, would be useful for a wide range babies, toddlers, and preschoolers who are developing their language skills. Enjoy! :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Books Hello Baby Words (high contrast board books) by Roger Priddy, illustrated by Holly Jackman (Published by St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, NY 10010) Hello Baby Words: On The Go Hello Baby Words: Faces Hello Baby: Animals Hello Baby: Faces Core Vocabulary Focus: GO, GET, WHO, THAT, SEE, IT Fringe Vocabulary Transportation: digger, balloon, train, roller skates, helicopter, truck, car, submarine, rocket, dump truck, fire truck, boat, race car, tractor, car carrier, plane Animals: cat, turtle, fish, pig, butterfly, cow, mouse, bird, bear, zebra, rabbit, panda, penguin, dog, sheep, snake Faces:  boy, girl, woman, man, grandfather, grandmother... [Read More...]

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Three Ways to Use AAC Goals to Strengthen Implementation

June 20, 2016 by - Leave your thoughts

Three Ways to Use AAC Goals to Strengthen Implementation

Concerned about AAC systems not being implemented as often as they should? Looking for ways to help AAC learners gain additional practice? Trying to help colleagues build the habit of actively supporting AAC learners? You are not alone. There are several strategies to boost the use of AAC, and adding some key phrases to the goals we write is one of them. Here are some thoughts on ways to use goals to strengthen the day-to-day AAC experiences of the learners with whom we work. Aided Language Input: Experienced AAC professionals and knowledgeable families understand that consistent use of this strategy is the most powerful way to build AAC use. If this is an issue for your AAC teams, consider adding verbiage to the goals that mandate the use of this strategy. Examples: “Given consistent AAC modeling, ___ will…” “When provided with aided language input, ___ will…” Frequent Implementation: Like many... [Read More...]

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On Friendship: Supporting AAC Learners

June 9, 2016 by - Leave your thoughts

On Friendship: Supporting AAC Learners

It’s throwback Thursday! Today, we are revisiting some prior posts on the topic of helping learners with AAC needs develop and maintain meaningful friendships. 5 Ways SLPs Can Support Friendships for People who Use AAC 5 (More) Resources for Supporting Friendships in Individuals who use AAC Video of the Week: A Recipe For Friendship Communication Circles: With A Little Help From My Friends Back to School-Making Friends Fresh Look: Friendship Skills for Children With ASD Who Use AAC Do you have ways of supporting the friendships of learners who use AAC? We’d love to hear about them.

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PrAACtical Resources: Book-related Communication Boards

June 6, 2016 by - 7 Comments

PrAACtical Resources: Book-related Communication Boards

Looking for book-specific vocabulary that you can highlight, teach, and/or elicit when reading? The Assistive Technology Team at Baltimore City Public Schools has a site with materials that you may find helpful. They’ve created topical communication boards for over 800 books, both fiction and non-fiction, that can be accessed by anyone with the Boardmaker program. Their resources include activity-based communication boards with 9, 20, and 56 locations for the books, and a set of comprehension questions. You can access their Adapted Books site here.  

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AAC Assessment Corner with Vicki Clarke: AAC Assessment for Emergent Communicators

June 1, 2016 by - 3 Comments

AAC Assessment Corner with Vicki Clarke: AAC Assessment for Emergent Communicators

Today, we welcome back Vicki Clarke with more helpful information on conducting AAC assessments. If you work with individual who are at the early stages of communicative development, this post is for you! :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Some of my most favorite students are those who, at first, may not seem to notice me at all.   Sometimes these students seem to exist in their own worlds.  They don’t seem to respond in ways we would expect: looking, attending, listening, or gesturing.  They may have a diagnosis of Autism, significant developmental delay, epilepsy, or any number of syndromes. I love these kids, and unfortunately, these are often the students who don’t get referred to me.  Sometimes it takes years of working in a district before I get to see students with significant developmental delays.  These children are typically served in classrooms for students considered to be severe/profound or multi-handicapped.  Honestly, I usually get the... [Read More...]

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