AAC Posts from PrAACtical Week 33, August 2014

August 16, 2014 by - Leave your thoughts


AAC Posts from PrAACtical Week 33, August 2014

Sunday-Video of the Week: Teaming Up for AT Assessments Monday-See the Student Tuesday-Research Tuesday: Supporting Children with Severe and Profound Multiple Disabilities Wednesday-Watch It Wednesday: Towards an Inclusive Maker Movement Thursday-PrAACtical Questions: “Should I Put Yes/No on an SGD?” Friday-Supporting Communication Development in Children with Vision and Hearing Impairments

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Supporting Communication Development in Children with Vision and Hearing Impairments

August 15, 2014 by - Leave your thoughts


Supporting Communication Development in Children with Vision and Hearing Impairments

If you are new to working with young children who have both hearing and vision loss, this resource is for you. It is challenging it to complete meaningful assessments and to use those data to design effective interventions. This resource guide, edited by Dr. Charity Rowland, has wonderfully prAACtical information. In addition to the general content, there is specific information for SLPs, special educators, psychologists, and families. https://www.livebinders.com/media/get/NTEzMDI3OA==  

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PrAACtical Questions: “Should I Put Yes/No on an SGD?”

August 14, 2014 by - Leave your thoughts


PrAACtical Questions: “Should I Put Yes/No on an SGD?”

We got this question from an SLP who recently helped a young adult get funding for a speech generating device (SGD): Should we put symbols for yes and no on the student’s communication device? Like other things in clinical practice, it depends of the specifics of the situation. In this case, she wanted to start out with a very small vocabulary set and build gradually. That sure makes sense, but where she got stuck was with which specific words to include. Team members were encouraging her to include yes and no, hence the question. There is no one-size-fits-all answer for this. Here are some things we think about in making that decision for and with an AAC learner. Does he/she have another way to say yes/no? If so, then this may not be the best use of the limited ‘real estate’ on the learner’s SGD. In the case of this... [Read More...]

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Watch It Wednesday: Towards an Inclusive Maker Movement

August 13, 2014 by - Leave your thoughts


Watch It Wednesday: Towards an Inclusive Maker Movement

Where we live, the DIY movement has impacted everything from home repairs, to decorating, to assistive technology. We love the idea of empowering clients, families, and professionals to take things into their own hands to make, adapt, use, and share. Take a look at Meryl Alper’s Ignite session on the topic of building an inclusive maker culture.  

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Research Tuesday: Supporting Children with Severe and Profound Multiple Disabilities

August 12, 2014 by - 1 Comment


Research Tuesday: Supporting Children with Severe and Profound Multiple Disabilities

What do we know about the best ways to provide communication support to individuals with severe and profound multiple disabilities (PMLD)? PMLD is a term that generally refers to people who experience profound cognitive limitations in addition to sensory and/or physical disabilities. Many of these individuals have complex medical histories and chronic health concerns. Often, the communication difficulties experienced by individuals with PMLD cause them to be isolated and excluded from many social and educational opportunities. Despite their many challenges, there is evidence to suggest that AAC supports can help these children develop their communication skills. Not much is known, however, about how to structure the AAC intervention to maximize learning. In this study, Harding and her colleagues sought to reduce isolation and promote personal autonomy by providing AAC supports to two children with PMLD. As other researchers have demonstrated the positive impact of AAC on people with PMLD, this... [Read More...]

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A PrAACtical Tool for Emergencies and Accidents

August 8, 2014 by - Leave your thoughts


A PrAACtical Tool for Emergencies and Accidents

Jonah fell off the monkey bars in his after school program and broke his wrist. Just another childhood experience unless you are nonverbal. Melinda had a significant seizure on a public bus. It’s great that she is independent, but what happens when no one who knows her can communicate with the ambulance staff? Accidents, injuries, and emergencies are part of everyday life. We don’t plan on them. We think they will never happen. Or, we don’t think about them at all. We’re just too busy. Until today. Let’s make this the day that we sit down and take the time to provide a safeguard for our clients. Widget Health’s Accident and Emergency Passport will help others know how to assist people with communication difficulties.    

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