Happy Sunday, prAACtical friends. Hope you’re taking some time to recharge, Monday – PrAACtically Pinteresting with Lauren Enders: AAC Video Examples Wednesday – Video of the Week: Boosting Communication with Video Modeling Thursday – PrAACtically Reading with Karen Natoci: April Fool’s Day Above everything else, AAC is a person’s communication tool. If it’s not always available, it’s not AAC.
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
It’s gratifying to hear from so many of you who are including storybook reading in your AAC instruction and therapy. We welcome back Karen Natoci, Assistant Professor and SLP Oregon Health and Science University’s Child Development Rehabilitation Center. She serves on the Neurodevelopment and Rett Evaluation teams and has a caseload of children with Complex Communication Needs and AAC. Karen tells us that “I know very well the feeling of being overwhelmed by the high needs of students with complex communication needs and will readily admit that you have to have a very large ‘toolbox’ of ideas!” Currently, she is on the charter development team to create the Communication Matrix- Virtual Community of Practice with Charity Rowland. At the end of the day, Karen enjoys running, practicing piano, and exploring Portland and the Oregon coast. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Book: April Fool’s Day Written and Illustrated by Dee Smith (Also available from Deesignery.com) Core Vocabulary focus: Look,... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Looking for a research-supported strategy to accelerate communication learning? Consider adding video models to your AAC intervention plan. In previous posts, we’ve written about our love for this strategy and shared resources . Today, we visit one our our favorite preschool teachers, Lindy McDaniel of The Considerate Classroom, to look at an example of how she uses this strategy to support young learners.
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: video modeling
Among the things that our prAACtical value the most are videos of AAC in action. Lauren Enders once again comes to our rescue with dozens of them to explore. Enjoy! ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: For this installment of PrAACtically Pinteresting, I’d like to highlight one of the boards that I reference most when working with SLPs, teachers, support staff, and parents who support individuals who are learning to use AAC. This board is called AAC: Video Examples of Implementation/Aided Language Input and is a compilation of videos that show clinicians, teachers, and parents demonstrating excellent aided language input/stimulation skills with AAC users. Whenever I come across a new video that is an wonderful example of how to support language development and system learning in an AAC user, I pin it to this board. When pinning videos, I do my best to represent an array of AAC system types. You will see videos showing various dedicated devices,... [Read More...]
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Hope your prAACtical week was productive and satisfying. Monday – PrAACtical Teaching in the ASD Classroom: Bigger is Better with Core Vocabulary Wednesday – Video of the Week: Building Linguistic Fluency with AAC Learners Thursday – AAC Assessment Corner with Vicki Clarke: Is Feature Matching Still Relevant?
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Today, we welcome back Vicki Clarke, a regular contributor to PrAACtical AAC, with another edition of AAC Assessment Corner. In this post, Vicki shares her thoughts on feature matching for AAC device selection. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Feature matching has been the gold standard for AAC evaluation for the last 20 years. It is research based and clinically proven as the best technique for selecting an AAC solution for an individual. The tide of real-life practice, however, is turning and there has been increasing discussion at conferences, in social media and blogs questioning why we continue to use feature matching to place AAC systems in the hands of students. In a recent assistive technology on-line chat, a noted AT specialist remarked: “I wonder if at a district level it might not be better to have a go-to AAC system everyone tries first. If that doesn’t work then adjust.” Does this mean that we throw... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: assessment, feature match
Today we launch a new series, PrAACtical Teaching in an ASD Classroom, which will address the nuts and bolts of infusing AAC throughout the school day. I couldn’t be more delighted to introduce you to two talented special educators, Amy Devin and Lauren Pawlowski, who work in the public school system in Michigan. Amy and Lauren began teaching in self‐contained ASD elementary classrooms in 2009 and taught in resource rooms prior to that. When they first started with their own classrooms, there was not much talk about core language, let alone how to implement it on a classroom-wide basis. They started with a 32-cell core board on a digitized speech device and now use a 64-location core vocabulary on a manual communication board, large instructional core boards, and individual AAC devices. They are passionate literacy teachers and believe that every child can read, write and communicate. Enjoy their post and... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: classroom, core vocabulary, group, school
Let’s make this a great week for AAC collaboration, support, and sharing. Monday – PrAACtical Site of the Month: Loudoun County Public Schools AT Team Wednesday – Video of the Week: Infusing AAC Core Vocabulary into Interactive Storybook Reading Thursday – Learning About Augmentative Communication Empowerment and Support (ACES)
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Is it summer yet? Not where we live, but that doesn’t stop us from making plans. In today’s post, we hear about the Summer 2016 Augmentative Communication Empowerment and Supports (ACES) Program at Temple University which will run from July 18-29, 2016. SLP Kathryn Helland, AAC Services Coordinator at the Institute on Disabilities at Temple University, shares information on this innovative program for young adults who use AAC. Kathryn provides training, AAC evaluations, device demonstrations, and AT consultations to consumers of Pennsylvania’s Initiative on Assistive Technology (PIAT). True to its name, this program has a rich tradition of changing lives and empowering adults who use AAC. ——————————————————– ACES – What’s it all about? It is a steamy hot day at the end of July. Temple University’s already diverse campus is further enriched by the presence of students in wheelchairs. They sit, chatting under the ginkgo biloba trees. They are all young adults, with... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
For our March Site of the Month, we return to the public school system, this time to Loudoun County, Virginia. The AT Program has amassed an impressive set of resources, many of which are listed on their web page. We’ve featured posts by some of their AT trainers, such as Chris Bugaj, Judie Schoonover, and Sally Norton-Darr, who’ve written on the use of podcasts and on their approach to professional development. There are lots more resources on the LCPS AT website for you to explore. Their AT Strategy-A-Day Calendar is not to be missed. AT team members with expertise in a variety of areas collaborate to create a new calendar every year, and they are always full of great tips, information, and resources. You can view it online or, if you are very lucky, win a printed copy at one of their many workshops and presentations. Bonus: They also share the template so... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: resources, Site of the Month