Sunday: Video of the Week – Franz Gets Ready to Read Monday: Strategy of the Month – Helping Beginning Communicators to Expand Their Sentence Length Tuesday: Teach Me Tuesday – LAMP Words for Life Wednesday: Pen Pals to Help Ease the Transition to Middle School by The Watson Institute Thursday: 5 Books Featuring Children Who Use AAC Friday: Fun Father’s Day AAC Activities
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
It’s prAACtically Father’s Day. There are many things to talk about, create, eat, and prepare for this special day. Check out these fun activities that can be done during communication therapy, at home, or at school. Some can be done with dad and others can be done for dad as gifts. Enjoy the communication process. Record “I Love You” on a one hit message device/card/picture. You can give a card or talking picture as a gift. You can use the one hit message device to tell dad “I love you” many times for father’s day and beyond. Use Talking to Dad Visual Supports/Worksheets by Joel Shaul at Autism Teaching Strategies to create meaningful conversations Play a memory game with dad that is supported with PCS (Thank you Mayer Johnson) Use a visual recipe to prepare a sweet treat for dad. Consider chocolate covered pretzels. Create a power point book about... [Read More...]
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Tagged With: AAC activities, father's day
Anyone else thinking of a little summer reading? We were looking for books featuring children who use AAC the other day and thought others might also be interested in this topic. The Boy Who Saw Too Much (Part of the Romeo Riley Private Detective Series) by April Whitt How Katie Got a Voice (And A Cool New Nickname) by Pat Mervine On Being Sarah by Elizabeth Helfman Sara’s Surprise by Nan Holcomb YOURS! Make your own story with digital storytelling apps like My Story – Book Maker What are your favorite books that show children using AAC?
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
The Watson Institute provides a great suggestion for helping to ease transition to Middle School. Additionally, Pen Pals are an awesome idea for improving prAACtical communication. http://youtu.be/EvG5YH0S9rk
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Tagged With: Pen Pals, Written Communication
Learn all about LAMP Words for Life™ App by Prentke Romich Company (PRC) through these great resources. General Product Information Quick Start Guide Tutorials, videos, and support About LAMP Converting Files to Use with Other PRC Devices Where to Go for Help PRC Home
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Tagged With: AAC app, Words for Life App
Sunday – Video of the Week: AAC & the Reading Song Monday – Strategy of the Month: Resources for Families – PLN’s Tuesday – Low Tech AAC for Adults with Aphasia: What Does That Mean? Wednesday – ILT 2014: A Connected AT Community Thursday – AACtual Therapy with Shareka Bentham: Navigating Eye Gaze for Beginning Communicators Friday – 9 Tips for Better AAC Communication Throughout the Year
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Although Better Hearing and Speech Month is ending, we want to continue best prAACtices in all teaching interactions throughout the year. Here are 9 AAC facilitator tips to help with this goal. Provide Aided Language Input (ALI)– ALI is modeling AAC style. Speak AAC to the AAC user. Use Scaffolding– Scaffolding is a verbal and visual strategy that has the facilitator build upon prior knowledge of the learner in order for the learner to integrate a new concept or skill. Model words and concepts to add information onto what the AAC user already knows and uses. Provide Expansions and Extensions– A form of modeling. Add a word to the spontaneous communication from the learner. The facilitator models a conceptual or grammatical word in the form of a model. Use Recasting– Recasts serve to add or correct information without obstructing the natural flow of communication. Recasting is another form of modelling. The... [Read More...]
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Tagged With: teaching strategies
Today, we welcome back Shareka Bentham, who has told us about her AAC adventures with the Harlem Shake, a field trip, and more. In this post, she shares her experiences in getting little ones started on the intentional use of eye gaze for communication. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: I think that most Speech & Language Therapists have those moments in therapy where they’re wondering “Am I doing the right thing here??” I have been feeling that way recently in my practice as I have been nudged into the world of using the head and eyes for communication. I was (with extensive research) once able to use an eye gaze board quite successfully with an adult patient in the final stages of ALS, but I had never used such techniques in my paediatric clinic. However, I now have a few little ones on my caseload who have severe physical limitations, and are unable to... [Read More...]
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Tagged With: beginning communicator, eye gaze, Shareka Bentham
Recently, I had the opportunity to share some thoughts on AAC at the Spectronics Inclusive Learning Technology (ILT) Conference, in Gold Coast, Australia. It’s hard to explain the level of enthusiasm and energy for all things AAC and AT to those who aren’t familiar with that passionate group of professionals and parents. As a newbie, I was especially impressed with the level of warmth and support provided to anyone there who reached out for information or encouragement, and the ways that the speakers helped participants come away totally re-energized. Since it may have been a bit too far away for many of our prAACtical friends, I thought I’d share some of the websites of other keynote speakers and featured presenters I met along the way. Jason Gibson and Jason Carroll (Systems of Support) – Who challenged us to set smart goals for ourselves, not just the learners we serve Kevin Honeycutt – Who... [Read More...]
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Tagged With: Dave Edyburn, Greg O'Connor, ILT 2014, Jason Carroll, Jason Gibson, Kelly Fonner, Kevin Honeycutt, Scott Marfilius, Spectronics
Aphasia Awareness Month is just around the corner, and getting us ready for that is this wonderful post on using low tech AAC with people who have aphasia. We’re delighted to welcome back our friend and colleague, Dr. Kristy Weissling, who is collaborating with Heather Buhr, to share some thoughts on this topic. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: For many, the term Augmentative and Alternative (AAC) brings to mind technology, speech-generating devices, and now – more than ever before – iPads. But as we know, AAC encompasses much more than that. We all use AAC when we make facial expressions or gestures, use symbols or pictures, or write. We would like to explore AAC and more “low-tech” options that help our clients express their thoughts, needs, wants, and ideas. Low-tech strategies can range from the use of written choice, to communication boards, to communication books. In this article we will specifically address communication... [Read More...]
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Tagged With: aphasia, communication book, Heather Buhr, Kristy Weissling, low tech