February 5, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
What do you wish you had known when you started providing AAC services? Awhile back, we posed this question on our Facebook page: “What are two things you wish you had known when you started providing AAC services?” The prAACtical responses got us thinking. Take a look. “The families need just as much training as the kids do.” Yup, and we’ll add something else to that. WE need training, too! We expect so much of ourselves, which is fine, but we also need administrators, agencies, and colleagues to realize that it takes a lot to keep up with changes in the science and technology. That doesn’t come cheap or easy. “Don’t be afraid to ask others in the field. They are so helpful for problem solving.” We couldn’t agree more. Most AAC professionals we’ve met have been incredibly supportive. Reach out to others in your area, through social media, and at... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: experience, Facebook, wisdom
February 4, 2014
by Robin Parker -
This week in Teach Me Tuesday we’re learning more about Proloquo4Text, a text based AAC app. Here are the learning resources we’ll be using. E-Learning Videos Frequently Asked Questions Quick Start Guides Quick Start Guide English Quick Start Guide Spanish Quick Start Guide French Quick Start Guide Dutch Quick Start Guide German Tutorials Basics on iPad Basics on iPhone/iPod touch Adjusting Appearance on iPad Adjusting Appearance on iPhone/iPod touch Editing on iPad Editing on iPhone/iPod touch Language and Speech Options on iPad Language and Speech Options on iPhone/iPod touch Adjusting Prediction on iPad Adjusting Prediction on iPhone/iPod touch Adjusting Restrictions and Privacy on iPad Adjusting Restrictions and Provacy on iPhone/iPod touch Modifying Pronunciation on iPad Modifying Pronunciation on the iPhone/iPod touch Creating a New User on iPad Creating a New User on iPhone/iPod touch Using Social Sharing on iPad Using Social Sharing on iPhone/iPod touch Save and Restore Backups Using... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Proloquo4Text, tutorial
February 1, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
What fun seeing so many prAACtical friends at ATIA in Orlando this week! Here are some of the posts you may have missed. Sunday: Video of the Week – AAC Strategy for Scanning by AAC Chicks Monday: Using Aided Language Input to Build Communication Opportunities Tuesday: A Totally Different Life Wednesday: Watch It Wednesday-I Hear Them All Thursday: SPEAKAll! A PrAACtical Research-to-Practice Project Friday: What Went Well – A Look Back at January, 2014
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
January 31, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
The holidays are over and we’ve all been back in AACtion for awhile now. That makes it a good time to share What Went Well. Did you ‘reach’ a colleague with an AAC message? Is a parent or caregiver becoming more accepting or involved? Did an AAC learner do something new or more or better? Did an administrator stop hounding you about minutiae? Reflecting and acknowledging small successes puts much-needed wind in our collective sails. We’d love it if you took a moment to share some positives from your month. Inchstones, not milestones. Let’s do this together. What went well in your prAACtical month?
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: inchstones, self-reflection, sharing, success, What Went Well
January 30, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
It is a pleasure to welcome back Dr. Oliver Wendt, who graciously agreed to give us an update on the SPEAKall! app designed by faculty and students at Purdue University. You can see the original post here. There is a proud tradition of AAC research at Purdue, and we’re delighted to see that their latest prAACtical contributions. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: We wrote the first announcement about SPEAKall!, a therapy app for AAC in autism and developmental disorders, over a year and a half ago. SPEAKall! was originally created by the Purdue Program for Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS) in conjunction with the Purdue AAC Research Lab and the Purdue Speech-Language Clinic. SPEAKall! is specifically designed to start AAC intervention in prelinguistic learners. It has a very intuitive and “sensory-friendly” interface that reduces cognitive load, which makes it ideal for individuals with severe, non-verbal autism or severe developmental speech and language delay.... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Oliver Wendt, Purdue, SpeakAll
January 29, 2014
by Robin Parker -
More evidence for presuming competence. http://youtu.be/u2HD57z4F8E
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Hearing, Insprational, presume competence
January 28, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
People with AAC needs have so much to say, something I was reminded of recently when I pulled an old, dog-eared book from my shelf and got lost leafing through the essays. In spite of all the challenges he faced, Thomas Bratt, a Swedish man who became speech impaired from a massive stroke at age 23, reminds us that courage and a sense of humor count for something. In the book, Conversations with Nonspeaking People, Bratt tells about taking a trip on his own to see Venice two years after his stroke at a time when he was still severely aphasic. “I didn’t know what I was going to do. I wanted to go to Venice. And at that time I couldn’t even speak Swedish. What difference would it make then if I couldn’t speak Italian?” (1984, p.26). Bratt, T. (1984). A totally different life. In Conversations with Nonspeaking People. Toronto:... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: attitude, humor, Thomas Bratt, travel
January 26, 2014
by Robin Parker -
Great example of teaching AAC. The communication partner/facilitator used the Think Aloud Strategy & really observed and determined the scanning strategy the learner used. Then there is plenty of enthusiasm, reinforcement, and a meaningful language experience. Enjoy watching this excellent example.
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Scanning, Think Aloud Strategy
January 25, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
We’re headed to ATIA after another prAACtical week. Here’s what we’ve been up to. Sunday: The PrAACtical Power of Peers Monday: Strategy of the Month: PrAACtical Exercise – Building Fluency with Decontextualized PrAACtice Tuesday: Teach Me Tuesday: Tobii C8 Wednesday: 10 References Supporting AAC Use in Inclusive Settings Thursday: Text-based Aided Language: Making the Language-Literacy Connection for Learners with Autism Friday: Make It PrAACtical – Making Your Own Battery Interrupters (Without Soldering!)
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
January 24, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
Battery interrupters used to be cheap. I know I’m dating myself, but who else remembers getting them for under five bucks? They are such useful little buggers to have around so that battery-operated toys, CD players, etc can be quickly adapted for switch use. We’ve talked about adapting battery-operated toys for switch use, but you always need a battery interrupter. We were thrilled to come across this no-solder instructable for making them ourselves and figured that there have to be a few other DIY-loving prAACtical folks about there. Take a look. Direct Link: http://www.instructables.com/id/No-Solder-Battery-Interrupter/
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: battery adapter, battery interrupter, DIY