July 2, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
One of our prAACtical friends will be getting an AAC device soon, so it got us thinking about customizing the SGD with vocabulary that he will want to learn and use. Core words are central, for most people who use AAC, but we always want to include the words that help them express very specific and personal experiences. There are several checklists and questionnaires floating around that can help identify the fringe vocabulary. Here are two of our favorites. Young children: AAC Team at Penn State University. School-aged Students: Lauren Enders and Laurie McGowan Do you have a vocabulary selection checklist or form that you like to use? We’d love to hear about it.
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: form, resource, vocabulary checklist, vocabulary selection
July 1, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
Have some time for AAC learning? Explore the LightWriter by Toby Churchill. LightWriter SL40 LightWriter SL40 User Guide (also available in other languages) Practice Exercises to Learn the LightWriter SL40 Quick Start Card Product Information and Frequently Asked Questions Where to Go for Help LightWriter Swift LightWriter Swift User Guide Practice Exercises to Learn the LightWriter Swift Quick Start Guide Where to Go for Help
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: LightWriter, SGD, text-to-speech
June 28, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
Sunday: Video of the Week – A Light-hearted Approach to Making People Comfortable with AAC Monday: Strategy of the Month – Building Sentence Length Through Conversational Routines and Games Tuesday: PrAACtical Resources: Developing Skills for Switch Use Wednesday: Watch It Wednesday – Client Priorities Drive AAC Assessment Recommendations Thursday: PrAACtically Reading with Brown Bear Friday: Learning How to Swim: On Being a New SLP Graduate in the Field of AAC
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
June 27, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
We’re pleased to welcome a new guest blogger, Kate Munro, to our pages today. I first ‘met’ Kate on Twitter (@SpeechieKate) and was even more excited by her passion for AAC when I met her in person last month. Her passion for AAC began during a clinical placement while training at the University of Queensland. This snowballed when completing her honours with Dr. Bronwyn Hemsley on health professional’s views on communication in hospital for children with Cerebral Palsy and CCN. Now living in South Australia, she is a speech pathologist working at Two Way Street, a private practice which specialises in AAC. In addition to this, she tutors students at Flinders University’s Disabilitiy and Community Inclusion Unit and volunteers her time as the South Australian Representative for AGOSCI. Since her honours research was published as part of a larger study, she has developed a greater interest in research but isn’t ready... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: graduate students, Kate Munro, SLP graduate students, social media, twitter
June 26, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
There are so many wonderful things about reading with kids, and practicing AAC is one of them. Every month, we’ll try to pick a book and provide some prAACtical suggestions for how to read it and sneak in some opportunities for receptive and expressive AAC use. You can make book-specific screens, overlays, or boards, but we favor a more powerful approach: use core vocabulary as your base and supplement with words specific to that book. Need some core language displays? There are many floating around, but here’s a link to ours if you need some more. We thought we’d start off this series with a book that is familiar to most, if not all, of you. Pull it off your shelf, find your prAACtical pal, grab that core language board, get to a cozy spot, and let’s get started. PrAACtically Reading with Brown Bear Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Brown Bear, core vocabulary, literacy, reading
June 25, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
We love seeing ways in which clients are ‘heard’ in the course of AAC evaluations. Today, we return to the ACE Centre North, to see a specific example. In Shelley’s case, the need to use for the AAC device to be compatible with other technology was a driving force in the recommendations. Take a look! Direct Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UzV-x7vF84&list=UUMCsugUQwzWK3mOzuVSSmaw
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: ACE Centre, assessment
June 24, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
If you’re like most SLPs, you didn’t learn a lot about teaching clients to use alternative access in your graduate program. This resource document from the ACE Centre North provides a great overview of switch skills and includes a number of prAACtical intervention tips. Take a look! Direct link to handout: http://acecentre.org.uk/Websites/aceoldham/images/InfoSheets/DevelopingSwitchingSkills.pdf
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: access, ACE Centre North, alternative access, resources, switch
June 21, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
Sunday: Video of the Week – Development of Literacy Skills by Individuals with Angelman Syndrome Monday: Strategy of the Month: Tell Me More: Increasing Sentence Complexity by AAC Learners Tuesday: Teach Me Tuesday – AACORN Wednesday: Watch It Wednesday: A Right to Communicate Thursday: PrAACtically SLPs – Working with Children with Complex Medical Conditions Friday: 5 PrAACtical Suggestions for New SLPs
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
June 20, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
It’s graduation time where we live and a whole new cadre of SLPs is off to spread their wings. We’ve been so inspired by the enthusiasm and dedication of some of the graduate students we’ve met this year that we thought it would be a good time to write a post just for them. So here are a few words of advice for the new grads. Don’t be afraid of AAC: We get that you may feel that you don’t know enough, but the truth is that we’ve all felt that way. You can do this, and, honestly, we desperately we need you. There aren’t nearly enough good AAC interventionists to go around. Reach out: There is an amazing community of professionals and parents who are willing to help you get up to speed. If you’re willing to branch out into social media you will find a ton of help... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: graduation, new SLP
June 19, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
We are pleased to be sharing another post by a graduate student SLP. Stephanie Amundsen attends the SLP program at the University of Central Florida (UCF) and has worked for the Florida Alliance for Assistive Services and Technology (FAAST) Atlantic Regional Demonstration Center (ARDC) since May 2012. She is currently completing an externship working with children with complex communication needs, and is writing her thesis on AAC access in acute and sub-acute facilities. She has presented posters on service learning using AAC intervention and grammatical intervention using AAC under the direction of Dr. Kent-Walsh at the 2013 ASHA Convention, and has volunteered at the Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) Conference in 2013 and 2014. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: As a graduate student placed in my first externship, I encountered multiple clients with AAC needs from day one. Because one of my placement sites is a Prescribed Pediatric Extended Care (PPEC) facility, many... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: FAAST, Jennifer Kent-Walsh, Stephanie Amundsen, UCF, University of Central Florida SLP