November 13, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
One of the greatest privileges of being an AAC SLP is getting to see kids grow and mature when they are given the appropriate communication tools and supports. The other day, I observed a tall, strong young man with significant autism arrive at this therapy session carrying a padded case. Once in the room, he gently laid it on the table, carefully opened it, took out his SGD, and gingerly placed it on the table in front of him. He had gotten his first SGD this summer as a tween, after having used the one in our AAC lab in his therapy sessions for the preceding months. There were some concerns that when he got his own SGD, he might be a little confused initially since this would be the first time he could actually take the device home. Additionally, some were worried that he might be rough with it... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: expected behavior, How I Do It, SGD, social narrative
November 12, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
Tony and his team talk about the ways in which AAC makes living a full life possible, and the disastrous consequences of the Medicare policy implementation that restricts SGD features, among other things. The policy is on hold for now, and we have an opportunity for public comment. Take a look. Then take action. You can add your voice to the advocacy effort here. Public comments are open until December 6th.
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: advocacy, Medicare, policy
November 11, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
It’s a great week to learn more about the app, Verbally. which has both a free and premium versions. General Product Information Video Overview Where to Go for Help: Email verbally@intuary.com
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Apps, Teach Me Tuesday, text-to-speech, Verbally, word prediction
November 10, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
We’ve talked a lot about prompting strategies in previous posts, but today we look at one specific type: Physical assistance. Whether it is pointing to a symbol, activating the message window, turning pages in a communication book, or other early skills, beginning users of AAC often need a good deal of physical support to exhibit the desired behavior. Our first inclination may be to help the learner by using hand-over-hand (HOH) prompting, which is certainly effective in guiding them through the behavior. An even better way to support them, though, is hand-under-hand (HUH) prompting. With HUH, we guide learners by placing our hands under their hand (or just next to their hand) as we complete the desired behavior. HUH is frequently used with learners who have vision impairments and those who are deafblind. We find that it has much broader utility and can be a superior way of supporting some students... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: beginning communiator, deafblind, dual sensory impaired, hand under hand, physical guidance, prompting
November 8, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
Sunday: Video of the Week – On Using Symbols with Bbeginning Communicators Tuesday: PrAACtical Questions: “Can I Work with Device Manufacturers and Vendors in an AAC Evaluation?” Wednesday: Watch It Wednesday: An AT Perspective on 3-D Printers Thursday: One Mobile Device or Two? Things to Consider About iPads/Tablets as Communication Devices Friday: Fast FAACt Friday: Bruce Baker on the Origins of Minspeak
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
November 7, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
Some of the most powerful AAC devices in the world were inspired by hieroglyphics. We’re wrapping up the week by going back to the beginnings…of Minspeak, that is. In this video, Bruce Baker takes us back to 1980 when he used his background in classical languages and hieroglyphics to develop ‘Minimum Effort Speech,’ or Minspeak. Take a look.
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AT history, Bruce Baker, fast fAACt, Minspeak
November 6, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
Should iPads and tablets be used both for communication and other things? That’s a question we hear rather frequently these days. Our answer will probably frustrate you. Ready? Here goes: It depends. It depends on the learner. Consider these two students. Tia is 6 and very much a beginning communicator. She has had her mobile device with a core language based AAC app for a few months. Tia uses it independently to ask for a few of her favorite things, like music and bubbles. With prompting she can use it to ask for a wider variety things, and can also use it for commenting, labeling, greeting, and answering ‘what’ questions. She does not yet combine two symbols to make short sentences. Yvette is 15 and has been using AAC since she was a toddler. She uses a text-to-speech app on her mobile device and knows how to program phrases and... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: mobile devices, tablets
November 5, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
There has been a lot of buzz about 3-D printers in the past year, a technology that is teeming with potential for assistive technology lovers. In this video, we look at a joint project by Hereward College and the University of Warwick. This is a win-win for the AT users and the students at these universities who are learning prAACtical ways to support people with disabilities. Very prAACtical! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_-sVw_hQ5k
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: 3-D printer, assistive technology
November 4, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
In one of my AAC classes, we’ve been talking about working collaboratively with vendors of SGDs and other AT in a way that is ethically responsible. Clearly, we look first to our ASHA SLP Code of Conduct, best practices, agency policies and procedures, and regulations (such as HIPAA and FERPA in the US). Secondly, we use a feature match process to guide the evaluation so that there is appropriate diversity in the communications being considered. Beyond that, here are some of the things we came up with. Open a dialogue and the roles and expectations of each party. If we are inviting a vendor in to provide some support, then it’s best to precede that with a frank conversation so that everyone is clear on how to proceed. Be clear about acceptable and unacceptable behaviors prior to the start of the collaborative activity. Having some guidelines written out in advance... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: assessment, ethics, SGD, vendor
November 1, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
Sunday: Video of the Week – Core Vocabulary in Activity-based Intervention Tuesday: Teach Me Tuesday – Dynavox V/VMax Wednesday: Now It’s Your Turn Thursday: AAC Assessment Forms Friday: The Faces of AAC – Paula and Brian
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking