PrAACtical Resources: Feature Match Chart

December 26, 2014 by - Leave your thoughts

PrAACtical Resources: Feature Match Chart

Today, we head to Oklahoma for a chart that comes in handy when comparing SGDs during the feature match process. I especially love the distinction between features on the ‘Must Have’ list and those on the ‘Wish List.’ Thanks to the Oklahoma AT Center at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center for this helpful resource!    

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Communicating with People Who are Learning to Use AAC: 5 Strategies We Can’t Live Without

December 23, 2014 by - 1 Comment

Communicating with People Who are Learning to Use AAC: 5 Strategies We Can’t Live Without

Don’t pre-empt: Give them a chance to express themselves by not automatically anticipating and meeting every need they have. What can make us nurturing caregivers sometimes gets in the way of building new communication skills. Create opportunities: Engineer those ‘teachable moments’ by using communication temptations. Making them want to communicate is half the battle. Slow down and pause: Nature abhors a vacuum. And we SLPs have a terrible time NOT talking. That’s a shame, really, because those ‘perfect pauses’ are wonderful teaching tools. Speak AAC: We can’t say this often enough. To teach someone to communicate with AAC symbols, we must speak to the learners using those same tools. When we want someone to use their communication aid more often, we make it a priority for US to use the AAC more frequently. That’s just how it works for beginning communicators. Prompt wisely: A little prompting is a good and... [Read More...]

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Got Holiday Cards? 5 PrAACtical Ideas

December 19, 2014 by - Leave your thoughts

Got Holiday Cards? 5 PrAACtical Ideas

Whether it is electronically or by postal mail, many of our prAACtical friends are sending and receiving holiday greetings this week. Here are some thoughts on taking advantage of their novelty and using them to build language and literacy skills. Core Vocabulary: Lots of opportunity to practice using core words. Can I have it? I like it. It is fun. Give it to me. Do you want it? I want to see. We can do it (together). I can see it. Do you want to do more? Can you see the ___? WH Questions: Make it a game to pick a card to talk about. Everyone can have a turn asking and answering questions like these and get some core word practice in at the same time. Who gave it? Where are they? What do you think? Why do you like (not like) it? Stop and Go: Have a cute... [Read More...]

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Hello Holidays: AAC Ideas for Your Celebration

December 18, 2014 by - Leave your thoughts

Hello Holidays: AAC Ideas for Your Celebration

All around us, people are celebrating Hanukkah, preparing for Christmas, or getting ready for Kwanzaa. Here is some prAACtical reading about AAC in the holiday season. Creating Language-rich Traditions 8 Ways to Have an AAC Holiday Season Holiday Shopping with a Purpose 10 Great Apps to Gift It’s PrAACtically Chanukkah

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