The 12 Days of an AAC Christmas
A song for the season, and many thanks for allowing me to be a part of your AAC journey. Happy holidays, all!
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Christmas
PrAACtical Resources: Fix the Problem
Joel Shaul, of Autism Teaching Strategies, has been so generous in sharing the creative resources that he has developed over the years. In this post, we take a look at Fix the Problem, a game that he created to support learners who have difficulty in social situations. The game board, playing cards, tokens (play money), and other materials are all free downloads. You can get them here. If you download and use these materials, please consider heading back to Joel’s website to leave a comment, provide feedback, or share a photo. Enjoy! You can see more of Joel’s work here.
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: download, games, Joel Shaul, resources, social skills
Tri-Fold Love: 5 Visual Supports for AAC Learners
Tri-folds are visual displays that are folded in thirds to make a triangular shaped display that can sit on a desk or table top. Like any other visual support, they can be created to suit a variety of purposes. We love them having these visual reminders out and available for quick use. Here are some we found on the amazing sharing site for Boardmaker Online that you may want to check out. First-Then Tri-fold by Alissa Plaisance Story Grammar Marker by Marcia Piersall Picture Schedules by Stephanie Besio: Side One has symbols for the individual activities. Side Two has ‘finished’ symbols that can be folded over each activity symbol when that task is completed. Work First, Then Play by Clavelle Behavior support by TASN Autism and Tertiary Behavior Supports Do you use this format for visual support with some of the AAC learners in your life? We’d love to hear... [Read More...]
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Tagged With: trifold, visual supports
AAC Posts from PrAACtical Week # 51: December, 2015
Monday – Laugh It Up: 5 Resources for Using Jokes and Riddles in AAC Therapy Tuesday – PrAACtical Resources: Presume Competence Guide Book Wednesday – Video of the Week: Apps Across the Curriculum
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
PrAACtical Resources: Presume Competence Guide Book
What’s better than a team who believes in the notion of presuming competence in AAC learners? One who knows how to translate that belief into action. In today’s post, we share a resource from the Hussman Institute for Autism. Presume Competence, A Guide to Successful, Evidence-based Principles for Supporting and Engaging Individuals with Autism, is full of prAACtical suggestions appropriate for a range of individuals with developmental disabilities. Enjoy!
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Laugh It Up: 5 Resources for Using Jokes and Riddles in AAC Therapy
Looking to add some laughter to your therapy session? Here are some ideas and resources that may be of interest. UKloo Riddle Edition Treasure Hunt Game Teaching about Jokes by Ashley Sheehan via Boardmaker Online Christmas Riddle by Jennifer Holvoet and Knock-knock Jokes by The Dream Team, both via Boardmaker Online Riddle Poems by Melissa Taylor Silly Pirate Song Communication Board by Ashley Haber via Boardmaker Online
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
AAC Posts from PrAACtical Week # 50: December, 2015
Monday – Supporting Language Growth in AAC Learners: Part 3 Tuesday – PrAACtical Resources: High Contrast Core Communication Board Wednesday – Video of the Week: Engineering Environments to Support AAC Thursday – 5 Presentation Handouts on AAC and Literacy
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
5 Presentation Handouts on AAC and Literacy
Wouldn’t it be great to have an unlimited budget for travel to conferences and workshops?! Until then, here are some presentation handouts to enjoy. Communication using graphic symbols: Challenges and solutions for classroom contexts by Kerstin Tönsing Inclusive Reading Practices that Benefit Students with Intellectual Disabilities and their Classmates by David Koppenhaver Inclusive Writing Practices that Benefit Students with Intellectual Disabilities and their Classmates by David Koppenhaver Rett Syndrome: Avenues for Building Communication Low and High Tech by Susan Norwell Rett Syndrome: High Tech and Writing by Susan Norwell Note: Presentation handouts may be available for a limited time.
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: handouts
PrAACtical Resources: High Contrast Core Vocabulary Board
Many of our AAC learners struggle with vision issues which makes it a challenge for us to create effective communication and visual supports. So when SLP Rachael Langley offered to share her high contrast core vocabulary, we jumped at the chance. You can download her board here. Thank you, Rachael!
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: core vocabulary, download, Rachael Langley, resources, visual impairment
Supporting Language Growth in AAC Learners: Part 3
In some earlier posts, we looked at conversations with AAC learners who communicate with single words or short utterances, and began thinking about ways to stretch their language learning. In this post, we’ll continue to explore ways in which our intervention can facilitate language growth. Let’s start with an example of a typical conversation between an AAC learner and his/her therapist. Activity: Book reading [with aided language input] SLP: Look at all these animals! [Expectant pause] Marcus: Bird. SLP: Yes, lots of birds there. Those are seagulls. What else do you see? Marcus: Fish. SLP: It looks like a fish. That’s a dolphin. Dolphins are mammals. Remember from Ms. Louis’s class when you read Day of the Dolphins? Marcus: Swim SLP: Yes, they are really good swimmers. From the standpoint of shared meaning, this conversation has some good features. But even just reading the dialogue online, I bet you... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: language intervention