Here in the US, we’re gearing up to celebrate with friends and family on a day of gratitude. To honor the occasion, we’re reprising two posts you might enjoy. Video: ‘Twas The Night Before Thanksgiving PrAACtically Reading with Karen Natoci: I Eat Thanksgiving Dinner Although Thanksgiving isn’t celebrated everywhere, we share the opportunity to feel grateful.
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There is a lot to consider when putting AAC into practice. In today’s featured video, we get insight, information, and tips from AT specialists Terri Rosen and Elizabeth Barry from the Pacer Center’s Simon Technology Center. Many thanks to Terri, Elizabeth, and the Simon Technology Center for this webinar. Direct Link to Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tVwiDzQRBA&list=PLi7mT6FWCWR0tLGQkL5_Wfhgo8Epsvod-&index=6&t=883s&ab_channel=SimonPacer
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There are many paths to successful AAC use. For some people, access to language-rich AAC tools and communication partners who model AAC, use naturalistic methods of eliciting language, offer adequate wait time, and respond to communicative attempts in supportive ways, is sufficient. Many individuals, however, need additional support to develop robust language and AAC skills. For them, explicit AAC instruction can be very beneficial. In a previous post, we shared thoughts on strengthening our AAC services with the use of thoughtful instructional sequences. Discrimination learning can play a helpful role in sequencing our instructional activities. Learning to discriminate between one thing and another is a part of typical language development. Babies learn to discriminate between phonemes (e.g., /ma/ vs /ba/), for example. It also helps them to determine that ‘dog’ applies to some 4-legged, furry critters and not to others. As children mature, they learn a variety of linguistic concepts using... [Read More...]
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Good morning, AAC friends. We have some AAC reading for you. Monday – Strengthening AAC Outcomes with Instructional Sequences Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Promoting Friendships Between Users of AAC & Their Peers Thursday – Throwback Thursday: Prompting in AAC ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: If you’re interested in a bit more AAC reading, check out some of these past posts. Breaking Down Barriers to AAC Implementation AAC and Emergent Literacy: 5 Posts with Implementation Ideas AAC Intervention That Teaches More and Tests Less: Thoughts on Implementation AAC in the Classroom for Students with Significant Disabilities – Implementation & Data Collection Cooking with AAC Three Ways to Use AAC Goals to Strengthen Implementation
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It gets a bad rap but when used thoughtfully, this powerful tool can be a game-changer. Today, we’re talking about the pitfalls and promises of prompting. Take a look. When Helping Isn’t Helping-Prompt Awareness in AAC Instruction Building AAC Facilitation Skills with Tabi Jones-Wohleber: MASTER PAL Training, Module 10 (Appropriate Prompting) 5 Things to Consider About Prompts in Teaching AAC Reducing Prompt Dependence in AAC Learners: 5 Things to Try
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Access to robust AAC tools? Check! Consistent use of aided language input? Check! High-interest activities or materials? Check! Supportive interaction style? Check! Kudos to those professionals whose AAC practices include these important elements. In today’s post, we offer a suggestion for those who seek to strengthen their support and boost AAC learning even further: To maximize gains, be thoughtful in selecting or creating instructional activities and pay special attention as to how those activities are sequenced. Create and use well-planned instructional sequences to help AAC learners gain linguistic competence. Language learning is complex. We don’t go from 1-word utterances to complex sentences in a single step. Our language doesn’t progress from basic to advanced in one swift leap. It happens over time and with the right opportunities for learning and practice. Instructional sequences are a powerful means of providing those opportunities. These are specific processes that professionals use to teach... [Read More...]
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Happy Sunday, AAC friends. We have some great AAC reading for you this week. Monday – Halloweening, AAC Style Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: The Wonder of Wait Time Thursday – After the Candy is Gone: Post-Halloween Ideas for AAC Learning Friday – PráctiCAAmente Conectados: CAA Con Links ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: If you’re still in the mood for browsing, check out the selections below. PrAACtical Thoughts on Mastery 5 Things to Do When AAC Learners are Inconsistent PrAACtical Teaching in the Autism Classroom: Instructional Activities for Core Vocabulary Core Values: Suggestions for Language Building with AAC Learners More Words, Please! Expanding Our Manual Communication Boards AACtual Therapy: Chaining in AAC
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We’re sharing some ideas for AAC learning based on a previous post by the late Dr. Robin Parker. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Language learning involves talking about events in the past, present, and future. Since Halloween is over, it is a perfect opportunity to help AAC users talk about past events. Here are 5 tips for getting started. Use a weekly or monthly (calendar) schedule to ‘remember’ Halloween, or if you are sticking to core words to remember the “great day” or “bad day” depending upon the experience. Use photos of the Halloween festivities to discuss what happened and what everyone did. You can use these to discuss costumes, decorations, the best/worst part of the day, etc. Use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast Halloween experiences. This can be done by comparing two people, places, or anything else. For some learners, you can use images to put Halloween things that everyone saw... [Read More...]
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Pause time is powerful. Learn more about this easy-to-use strategy for supporting AAC in this short video by SLT Sophia Cormack of Speech in a Sec. Many thanks to Ms. Cormack for this helpful resource. Direct Link to Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaCjpah8Btw&ab_channel=SpeechinaSec
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Happy Pumpkin Day! We’re reprising this post for anyone in need of some additional resources. Holidays are special and Halloween is a favorite among many. As much fun as it is to dress up and get candy, though, there are lots of ways that Halloween can be stressful for AAC learners. From the change in routine, to the costumes and scary decorations, to talking with neighbors and other less familiar communication partners, to the overabundance of sugar, there are lots of ways in which Halloween can trip us up. If the AAC learners in your life celebrate Halloween, Fall Festival, Harvest Parade, or any other celebration with similar traditions, we SLPs can help them to have a positive experience. Here are some ideas. Use a social narrative to prepare everyone for what to expect on and around Halloween. Read them often in the weeks leading up to the school dress-up parade,... [Read More...]
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