October 17, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Here in the US, SLPs across the country are gearing up for a meeting of professionals in communication sciences and disorders. It’s especially exciting this year because AAC will have a very strong presence. We’re thrilled that an AAC user, Steven Gleason, will be receiving the 2022 Annie Glenn Award along with his wife, Michel. Additionally, there are at least two sessions featuring AAC users as the primary speakers (India Ochs, Jordyn Zimmerman), which is unusual for this particular conference, which focuses on SLPs and audiologists. If you’re on the fence about attending the 2022 ASHA Convention in New Orleans next month, we hope these presentations will inspire you to book your tickets. Take a look at some of the sessions we’re most excited about. You can click on the title to learn more about these presentations. Bilingualism in AAC: Challenging the Monolingual Mindset (Master Class, MC10 ) presented by... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
October 16, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. Here are some posts that may be of interest. Monday – 7 Things That Every AAC Specialist Should Be Doing Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: AAC Intervention for Teens Thursday – Throwback Thursday: Families & AAC ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Is there room for a bit more AAC in your day? If so, take a look at these past posts. Support for Beginning AAC Communicators TELL ME About It: AAC Learning with ‘I Know a Lot!’! Narrative Skills in People with ASD Helping People with AAC Needs Develop Personal Narratives Using Animated Shorts in AAC Language Therapy Building Linguistic Competence in AAC Learner: 3 Areas to Consider Targeting
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
October 13, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Whether by birth or by choice, families play such an important role in our lives. They’re the focus of this edition of Throwback Thursday so if it’s a topic of interest, here are some posts to browse. Videos Growing Up with AAC in the Family From Presence to Contribution – A Family’s Journey Towards an Inclusive Life Family Collaboration by Dr. Barry Prizant Empowered Families in the World of AAC Articles Faces of AAC: Making It Work in A Busy Family PrAACtically Reading with Karen Natoci: The Family Book Emergency Preparedness for the AAC Family AAC Therapy: Putting Parents in Charge
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
October 10, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
While our focus each October is on building awareness of AAC and promoting acceptance of those who use it, the month also gives us an opportunity to look inward. Today, we propose 7 activities that we believe to be the hallmark of those who specialize in AAC. If you consider yourself an AAC expert or someone who specializes in AAC, we invite you to reflect on these ideas. Those who specialize in AAC should belong to and engage with organizations in their state or region whose mission focuses on support for people with complex communication needs. Those who specialize in AAC should belong to and engage with national and/or international groups that elevate the role of AAC in society. Those who specialize in AAC should be active contributors to those organizations, whether it be through their time, expertise, or financial support. Those who specialize in AAC should critically evaluate new... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
October 6, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Telling stories is such an integral part of the human experience. While any symbolic communicator can create or co-create narratives, it’s not something that is taught as often as it should be. If you’re looking to enhance intervention to build narrative skills, these posts may be of interest. Helping People with AAC Needs Develop Personal Narratives Video: Personal Narrative Writing & AAC PrAACtical AAC & Personal Narratives Let Me Tell You Something- Narratives for the Beginning Communicator Narrative Assessment and People who Use AAC Narrative Skills for People With AAC Needs The PrAACtical Power of Co-Construction in AAC Support Video: Narrative Skills in Students with ASD
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
October 3, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Established in 2007 by ISAAC’s LEAD Committee, AAC Awareness month invites us to spread the word about all things AAC, and it’s pretty exciting to think back on all we’ve done and also to plan for the current year. Each week during AAC Awareness Month we’ll share suggestions for things to do to help others learn about a field that emerged to support children and adults with complex communication needs. This week, we’ll focus on hands-on activities. A popular approach to AAC Awareness Month is to invite a group of colleagues or families to come together and communicate only through AAC for the event. Some years, we’ve held ‘Silent Snack’ events before class where we put out a variety of board games and invited some of our AAC clients to come in and play along. They enjoyed serving as our AAC Ambassadors, meeting new people, and ‘wow-ing’ the crowd with... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
October 2, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. If you’re looking for some reading to honor AAC Awareness Month, we have some suggestions for you. Monday – Gearing Up for AAC App Sales with Lauren Gonzales Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: DIY Keyguards for AAC Thursday – October Year of Core Vocabulary & School Year of Core Vocabulary Words ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: While you’re here, see if one of these past posts piques your interest. PrAACtically SLPs: Hungry for Bilingual AAC TELL ME Virtual Classrooms Talking Mats: A PrAACtical Tool Using Metaphors to Support Vocabulary Teaching AACtual Therapy: “At first I was afraid, I was petrified…” AACtual Therapy: Running AAC Groups
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
September 29, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Our two series of monthly resources for core vocabulary teaching, Year of Core Vocabulary Words and School Year of Core Vocabulary Words, continue to be used by therapists, educators, and families. The initial series was based on a small set of core words for each month (see that post here). We followed that with a second set of Year of Core Vocabulary Word resources for a new list of words (click here for that post). Among the many resources are the activity calendars created by AAC SLP and co-founder of Talking AAC, Rachael Langley. There were many other contributors over the years who added to these efforts. The School Year of Core Vocabulary Words, authored by guest contributors Michaela Sullivan, Alisa Lego, and Beth Lytle, was first published in 2020. We’re reprising those posts for anyone interested in following along and utilizing the resources developed by quite a few people... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
September 28, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
If you have access to a 3-D printer and a need for keyguards, check out this detailed presentation by Ken Hackbarth of Volksswitch. Many thanks to Ken and to Matt Provost from TechACCESS of Rhode Island for hosting this webinar. You can obtain the handouts here. Direct Link to Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5A7rLMP2qmg&ab_channel=Volksswitch The Volksswitch site has a lot of in-depth information on 3-D printing for keyguards and other AT topics.
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
September 26, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
It’s almost that time of year, AAC friends. With AAC Awareness Month right around the corner, AAC and AT Specialist, Lauren Gonzales is upholding her tradition of creating a graphic that shows all of the upcoming AAC app sales. You can see the updated version of each graphic by clicking here or on the image below. Thank you, Lauren, and all of the AAC companies who provide deep discounts in support of the AAC community.
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking