March 28, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
Want to do something really great for some of your prAACtical friends who aren’t yet reading fluently? Turn on closed captioning whenever they watch TV or videos. Our fast fAACt for the week: Subtitles and captioning support reading comprehension and vocabulary learning, too. Check out Chris Bugaj’s podcast and other resources, and turn on those captions! :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Koskinen, P.Wilson, R.M., Gambrell, L.B. & Neuman, S.B. (1993). Captioned video and vocabulary learning: An innovative practice in literacy instruction. The Reading Teacher, 47(1), 36-43.
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Chris Bugaj, closed caption, reading
March 27, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
Have a few minutes and want to get in some core word prAACtice without making it seem like work? Giving the AAC learner a chance to boss us around and direct us do things just because they tell us to is something that has worked for us more times that we can count. Put the AAC learner in control and make it fun. Get your silly on and ham it up but remember to use aided language input throughout the process. Here are some ideas. They say: “Go,” “Sit,” “Tell,” or “Walk.” We act that out in the craziest way possible. They say: “Happy,” “You happy,” “Sad,” or “You sad.” We make the most ridiculous happy/sad faces imaginable. They say: “What,” “What is it?” or “What is that?” We use the context to figure out what they’re referring to and say “It is a ___.” They say: “Get the ____,”... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: core vocabulary, fluency, fun, games, practice
March 26, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
For many users of AAC, the road to communicative competence is an arduous one. Consider the case of JJ, a bright 4 year old with severe motor limitations, who enters a typical preschool with only a few intelligible words. After months of meetings, on the first day of school, his proud parents carry him into the classroom. They fasten him into an adapted chair that they brought for him to sit in and spend a half hour giving his aide instructions about his likes and dislikes, feeding difficulties, and toileting needs. Meanwhile, his teacher introduces him to some classmates, who are amazed, curious, and a little frightened of his unusual chair, constant drooling, grunting sounds, and random, jerky movements. One brave soul offers the child a toy, but JJ’s unruly arms bat it away and won’t let him take it. His would-be friend steps back, a bit confused. As they... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: prerequisites
March 25, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
It was so gratifying so be at the most recent ASHA and ATIA conferences and notice how many presentations covered some aspect of core vocabulary. The shift away from noun-heavy, activity-based vocabulary has gained significant momentum. Teams who are deeply invested in teaching core words find that it becomes a way of thinking. Still, it’s not as easy as it seems to use core words. We found this fun site that we thought you might like, too. It challenges you to explain or discuss something using only the more frequent 1,000 words. Check out these examples, then try your hand at using core words to explain how to make a favorite recipe, explain what you did at work today, or teach a lesson. If someone can summarize a whole movie or doctoral dissertation with core words, shouldn’t we be able to model them when we speak to AAC learners throughout... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: core vocabulary, fun
March 22, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
It’s prAACtically spring in much of North America! To all of our friends who suffered through a c-r-a-z-y winter: You made it!! Here’s what we’ve been up to. Sunday: Video of the Week – A Right to Communicate Monday: Strategy of the Month – Building Communication Skills During Storybook Reading Tuesday: Teach Me Tuesday – Predictable App Wednesday: On Communication and Behavior – Back to Basics Thursday: AACtual Therapy with Jeanne Tuthill – An AAC Assessment Activity Friday: 5 Resources for Creating AAC and Visual Support Materials
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
March 21, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
We are fortunate to be prAACticing at a time when there are so many options for creating visual supports and AAC materials. From sophisticated to simple From costly to free From PCS to SmartySymbols and more From one-time purchase to ongoing subscription From computer to mobile device There is a way for prAACtically anyone to make AAC materials, picture schedules, and other visual supports. Here are some of the products we use. Boardmaker Custom Boards SymPrint LessonPix ConnectAbility Visuals Engine
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Boardmaker, ConnectAbility, Custom Boards, LessonPix, SymPrint, visual supports
March 20, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
We’re so excited to introduce a new AACtual therapist, Jeanne Tuthill. Jeanne has been an SLP for over 15 years and has specialized in AAC for the past 6 years. As an AT specialist for the Collaborative Center for Assistive Technology and Training (CCATT) in Northampton, Massachusetts, Jeanne evaluates and provides consultation services for K-12 students in schools throughout Western Massachusetts. In addition, she provides workshops and professional development training in that region. Since 2012, Jeanne has served as an adjunct faculty member for the Assistive Technology Graduate Program at Simmons College. She has also presented at a number of regional and national conferences. You can see Jeanne here with her long-time student Lauren Suprenant, who is using a Step-by-Step Communicator, to share information about how she communicates with others (introduction strategy). Jeanne shares a little bit about her work and then discusses an activity that is used in their AAC... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: assessment, CCATT, interview, Jeanne Tuthill
March 19, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
The other day we heard from an SLP who was supporting a child with significant communication difficulties. She contacted us because the team had hit a snag in their communication supports for this student. The student was successfully able to communicate with PECS but rarely did so. Instead, she used her body and challenging behavior to express herself most of the time. “Why does she hit when she can use her PECS book to tell us what she wants?” We’re not any more clairvoyant than you are, but we certainly had some ideas about this. Functional Communication Teaching can be very effective in helping people reduce their use of challenging behaviors in favor of more socially accepted means of communication. BUT, there are some of the basic principles that are have to be attended to when designing and implementing a set of behaviors that will replace the challenging behavior. This... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Challenging Behavior, FCT, functional communication teaching, Pat Mirenda
March 18, 2014
by Robin Parker -
Predictable by Therapy Box Apps Learn about the Predictable AAC app. It is a text-to-speech application for the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. There is an easy to use word prediction system and also switch access. There are even customizable AAC functions with social media integration. Predictable is available for both iOS and Android platforms. User’s Guide Predictable Update- 3.3 Videos– Introduction to Predictable, Pairing Therapy Box Switch Box to iDevice, Voices in Predictable, A Guide to iOS7 Switch Access Predictable for Android by TBox Switch Guide Voice Output Troubleshooting for Predictable Recorded Webinars on Predictable User Stories Where To Go for Help: info@tboxapps.com
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC app, Predictable by Tbox Apps
March 17, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
In this post, we continue to explore strategies for advancing the literacy experiences of people who use AAC. Today, we’ll look at a strategy used in the research of Drs. Cathy Binger and Jennifer Kent-Walsh. What is a little different about this strategy is that it uses literacy experiences, specifically storybook reading, to build communication skills. One component of their research focuses on an interactive reading strategy called RAAP: Read, Ask, Answer, Prompt. There is lots to love about this approach, but one of our favorite things is that is makes heavy use of aided language input, an intervention strategy that is critical for partners of beginning communicators to use. You can read more about aided language input and see videos here. It also gets partners using language expansions and extensions, an intervention strategy that is effective for communicators at many levels of proficiency. Finally, we appreciate the frequent use of... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: aided language input, Cathy Binger, expansion, extensions, Jennifer Kent-Walsh, literacy, pause, RAA, RAAP, reading