Fast FAACt Friday: Core Words

August 29, 2014 by - Leave your thoughts


Are you trying to convince a team that core words are the way to go? Have you done all the usual things, like shared some of the research and demonstrated its utility? Maybe it will help if you tell them that this approach isn’t some new-fangled idea, but rather one that has been around for awhile. How long? Probably longer than you think. Check out this picture from the 1960’s tweeted by #WeSpeechies.   Goldberg, H.R., & Fenton,J. (1960). Aphonic Communications for Those with Cerebral Palsy: Guide for the Development and Use of Conversation Board. NY: United Cerebral Palsy Association New York State.

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How I Do It: Using PODD books and Aided Language Displays with Young Learners with Autism Spectrum Disorder

August 28, 2014 by - 19 Comments


How I Do It: Using PODD books and Aided Language Displays with Young Learners with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Today, we turn to the UK in a guest post by Laura Tarver. a London-based Speech and Language Therapist working with children with ASD and other complex needs. She previously worked in a primary school for children with ASD, where PODD and Aided Language Displays were introduced as part of a school wide approach in order to enhance the communication-friendly environment for all pupils. In this post, she shares how they used PODD books and aided language input to build the students’ communication skills. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: PODD (or Pragmatic Organisation Dynamic Display) communication books were developed in Australia by Gayle Porter, originally for children with cerebral palsy. As their use becomes more widespread throughout the world, practitioners are considering the benefits of using them with other clinical populations. Their structured organisation and emphasis on visual communication means that they are also a valuable tool for developing the communication of those with... [Read More...]

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Five AAC-related Assessment Tools You Should Know About

August 27, 2014 by - 6 Comments


Five AAC-related Assessment Tools You Should Know About

It’s the beginning of a new semester for us, and that got us thinking about assessment for our new and returning clients with AAC needs. Here are some of the tools we’ll be thinking about over the next few weeks. AAC Profile: A Continuum of Learning (Kovach, 2009) Checklist of Communication Competencies, Revised (Bloomberg, West, Johnson, & Iacono, 2009) Functional Communication Profile, Revised (Kleiman, 2003) Social Networks: A Communication Inventory for Individuals with Complex Communication Needs and Their Partners (Blackstone & Hunt Berg, 2012) The Test of Aided-Communication Symbol Performance (TASP; Bruno, 2010) ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Blackstone, S., & Hunt Berg, M. (2012). Social Networks: A Communication Inventory for Individuals with Complex Communication Needs and Their Communication Partners. Verona, WI: Attainment. Bloomberg, K., West, D., Johnson, H., & Iacono, T.  (2009).  Triple C Manual and Checklists, Revised. SCOPE: Victoria. Bruno, J. (2010). Test of Aided-Communication Symbol Performance. Pittsburgh, PA: Dynavox Mayer Johnson. Kleiman,... [Read More...]

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Calling All PrAACtical Advocates

August 26, 2014 by - Leave your thoughts


Calling All PrAACtical Advocates

US Colleagues: It’s not too late! We still need your help to tell Congress and Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell, to stop denying our most vulnerable disabled people their ability to communicate! The initial advocacy effort was effective in delaying the start date for implementation of the proposed changes but more needs to be done.  New to these issues? Check out the post by Bill Binko here. Basically, Medicare has announced several changes to its speech generating device coverage policies that will be devastating to people with complex communication needs.  To protect our clients, we believe the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the most senior official responsible for Medicare policy, must be made aware of the harmful effects of these changes and must be asked to reverse them.  We must speak up now to ensure our clients also will be able to. You can call Medicare directly to... [Read More...]

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