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
June 18, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
Get ready to smile and enjoy this video produced by the Dumfries and Galloway National Health Service. Lots of great advice and tips for communication partners! Direct link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fx338vnATIA
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: rights
June 17, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
Looking for an app with a very different approach to AAC? Join us in learning about AACORN, developed collaboratively with the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. General Product Information Video Overview Facebook Page Twitter: @aacorn Where to Go for Help: devteam@aacorn.co
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC app, aacorn
June 14, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
Sunday: Video of the Week – AAC App Selection Help Monday: Strategy of the Month – Building Sentence Length Tuesday: Research Tuesday – Comparing PECS and SGDs Wednesday: Watch It Wednesday: Effective Communication Strategies Thursday: How We Do It: Using the Pocket Calendar With Heather Buhr and Dr. Kristy Weissling Friday: Evidence-Based AAC Strategies for Students with Autism with Betsy Corporale
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
June 13, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month may be over, but our interests in providing empirically-supported AAC services are long-lasting. In this post, we are pleased to be able to share the work of Betsy Caporale, an SLP with more than 20 years experience working in AAC, AT, and ASD. She has worked in a variety of settings including public schools, private hospitals and clinics. Currently, Betsy works at for the California Department of Education, Diagnostic Center in Northern California. Betsy has graciously agreed to share a presentation given a few months back at the California Speech Language and Hearing Association conference. You can download and view it here or in the AAC e-Toolbox.
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: ASD, Bety Corporale, EBP
June 12, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
We are happy to welcome back our friend and colleague, Dr. Kristy Weissling, and her student Heather Buhr, who are sharing more information about an AAC tool they are using to support people with aphasia. Take a look at their Pocket Calendars, which may be beneficial to clients with other kinds of communication difficulties as well. You can see their original post, Low-Tech AAC for Adults with Aphasia, here. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: In our last post we examined the differences between memory books and communication books. As promised, we are back again to share with you a low-tech “device” that we have been recently using- the pocket calendar. It’s simple, easy to use, comes together in a snap, and is probably familiar to your clients. We will review how our clients are using these pocket calendars, why we find them effective, and how to put one... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: aphasia, communication book, Heather Buhr, Kristy Weissling, Pocket Calendar
June 11, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
We’ll take any opportunity we can get to see teachers eliciting AAC in the classroom. Take a look at some of the clips in this brief presentation by the folks at Loudoun County Public Schools in Virginia. Direct Link to Video: http://www.lcps.org/cms/lib4/VA01000195/Centricity/Domain/116/CommVideos/ECSADL.wmv
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: back to school, classroom, Loudoun County
June 10, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
Picture exchange is powerful strategy for building symbolic communication in individuals with significant communication difficulties. We’ve posted about implementation of PECS a few times, and included references to research supporting its efficacy in some additional posts. Today, we look at a sequence of three single subject design experimental studies by Dr. Jeff Sigafoos and other researchers that looked at how the use of picture exchange and AAC devices (SGD condition) impacted social interaction. In the initial study, the team taught requesting skills either with picture exchange or AAC devices and then looked to see if there were any changes in social interaction. They hypothesized that the physical act of picking up a symbol and giving it to someone, as with the picture exchange condition, would make the learner less likely to turn away from his communication partner. So, in addition to measuring how well the participant learned to make requests,... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Jeff Sigafoos, picture exchange, research, Research Tuesday, SGD