March 30, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
April is right around the corner, making this the perfect time to prepare some materials for practicing a new set of core vocabulary words. Rachael Langley is back to share some fun ideas for easy things to do to put that core vocabulary to work. She’s made two calendars, one with a focus word for each week and another one that covers many of the words in the April Year of Core Vocabulary list. These are great tools to print and share with classrooms or families. Click on the image to download the calendars or visit the Downloads sections of the eToolBox. Thanks for these great resources, Rachael!! Rachael has been working in the public schools as a speech-language pathologist for over 12 years. Currently working as an AAC Specialist in Mid-Michigan, Rachael tells us that she strives to spread the message about the importance of AAC and unlocking the communication... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Calendar, core vocabulary, implementation ideas, Rachael Langley
March 29, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
Monday: 5 Ways to Use Anchor Charts & Other Visual Supports in AAC Language Therapy Tuesday: PrAACtical Resources: Chronic Pain Assessment in Children with Disabilities Wednesday: Video of the Week – Lily Gets New Words! Thursday: Magic Moments with Toca Train by Nerissa Hall and Hillary Jellison
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
March 26, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
Many of us have worked with learners who have a special interest in trains, but even kids who don’t give trains more than a passing glance still generally love the Toca Train app by Toca Boca. In this post, we welcome back SLPs Nerissa Hall and Hillary Jellison of Communicare, LLC who share how they use Toca Train in their clinical work with young AAC learners. In addition to their prAACtical suggestions, they generously share a train-themed communication board and their data sheet for the phrases that can be targeted in this activity. iPad applications are fun and engaging, and can be a great addition to any clinician’s intervention toolkit. We use iPad applications to engage our learners in play-based activities that address a range of speech, language, and communication goals. One of our learners’ favorite applications is Toca Train; a bright and colorful application that involves a train moving around a track at different speeds, controlled... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Hillary Jellison, language intervention, Nerissa Hall
March 24, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
You don’t have to do AAC work for very long before you become acutely aware that many of our prAACtical friends experience chronic pain. We can all relate to the ways in which pain impacts a person’s behavior and participation in life experiences. Even very low-level pain can be terribly distracting, highly annoying, and cause us to have difficulty concentrating. From GERD to muscle spasms to constipation, children with AAC needs often experience pain that goes undetected or inadequately treated. In today’s post we look at some resources for assessing pain in children with disabilities. Thanks to Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital for these fine resources. You can access their resources here and watch a brief video on pain in children with cerebral palsy here.
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: family, pain, resources
March 23, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
Anchor charts are a visual way to outline, describe, or illustrate a procedure, strategy, or concept. They are widely used visual supports in general education classrooms across the grade levels. In AAC therapy, anchor charts offer several benefits. First, making the anchor chart forces us to distill the main ideas in whatever it is we are teaching. What are the key aspects of what we are teaching? We have to answer that to create our anchor chart, and that gets us really thinking about the concept/process/strategy in great detail. Selecting the critical elements for our anchor chart helps us focus on the constructs that are most important to teach. Secondly, it helps us explain the concept/process/strategy in a more concise and articulate way. Putting things into writing forces us to clarify our explanations, and allows us to carefully consider what to say and how to say it. Yes, we sometimes... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC intervention, anchor charts, implementation ideas, visual supports
March 22, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
Monday: Core Concepts in Core Vocabulary Instruction Tuesday: PrAACtical Questions: “What Should I Program on the AAC Device?” Wednesday: Watch It Wednesday – AAC Goes to the Library Thursday: Make It PrAACtical: Mounting Board for a Walker
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
March 19, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
The other day, I was boxing up a mounting system to send to a friend and started to wonder if the cost of shipping might exceed the value of the equipment. A quick internet search put THAT to an end. (Those things are pricey!) So when I came across this do-it-yourself mounting board for a walker, it was too good not to share. Thanks to the AAC Institute for this helpful guide.
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC Institute, DIY, mounting
March 17, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
“My client has a new SGD and will begin bringing it to school. What words should I program on it?” We are so fortunate to be practicing at a time when the high tech SGDs and robust AAC apps come pre-loaded with lots of vocabulary. Still, when you sit down to prepare the device for an actual client, it can be hard to determine what needs to be there right away and what can wait. You’ll find lots of forms and checklists floating around, some for children and some for adults. There are lots of right ways to do this. In making these decisions, I typically run through a mental checklist of a few categories, thinking both about single words and longer messages. Single Words Core Vocabulary: In most cases, we’ve selected an AAC tool that has ample core words to choose from. Use what you know about normal language development... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: SGD, teaming, vocabulary
March 16, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
We’ve been talking about implementing A Year of Core Words and A(nother) Year of Core Words for our March words. If you are new to the idea, it involves highlighting a different set of set of 12-16 core words each month to help our AAC learners get progressively more familiar with their vocabulary options. Today, we’re linking to some posts with ideas for what to do with the core words for each month. Laying the Foundation Give learners access to core vocabulary in their communication books, SGDs, and/or AAC apps. Prepare the core vocabulary materials for the month. If you haven’t started, don’t sweat it. Just download, print, and give it a go. “A year from now, you will wish you had started today” (K. Lamb). We are ALL a work in progress. Use the core words in an AAC system when you speak. Whether we call it aided language... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Another Year of Core Words, core vocabulary, semantics, Year of Core Words
March 15, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
Monday: Vocabulary Instruction – When Definitions Don’t Work Tuesday: PrAACtically Reading with Karen Natoci: In My Pot of Gold Wednesday: Watch It Wednesday – Communicating at Meetings and Public Events Thursday: As They Grow: Books for Beginning Readers of Any Age
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking