December 18, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
Deanne Shoyer, from Small But Kinda Mighty, has been sharing some fantastic ideas for building language in kids who are learning AAC. In this video, she shows how she used a visual scene display on a mobile device, Scene Speak (Good Karma Apps) to facilitate literacy and core vocabulary. You can read Deanne’s post about it here. Direct Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoeo1Z9Fqno
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Apps, Good Karma Apps, literacy, Scene Speak, visual scene displays
December 17, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
We love single message and sequential message communicators for their ease and flexibility. This week in Teach Me Tuesday we’re learning more about the various versions of TapSpeak Button and Sequence. Here are the learning resources we’ll be using. TapSpeak Button User Guide and Forum TapSpeak Sequence User Guide and Forum Videos Where to Go for Help If you know of other applicable resources, please add them in a comment below. See you next time!
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Apps, TapSpeak, Teach Me Tuesday
December 16, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
We were looking for some core vocabulary lists the other day and it struck us: Maybe you were, too! Here are some we found, both for core words and other AAC-related topics. Core Vocabulary Adults – Baladin& Iacono, 1999 via Minspeak.com Adults – Hill, 2001 via Minspeak.com Toddlers – Banajee et al. 2003 via Minspeak.com Children [UNL] Preschool Children – Marvin et al. 1994 via Minspeak.com Children (combined sources) – Anderson & Bitner, 2013 Common core related words [UNC CLDS] Young adults [UNL] Older adults [Stuart, et al., 1997, via Minspeak.com] Various classroom, academic, and related lists [Gail Van Tatenhove] ALS [UNL] Break time at work [UNL] Dolch words: PreK through 3rd grade Medically-oriented [UNL] Young children [UNL] Know of one that we should add to the list? Please comment or get in touch so we can add it in. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: UNC: University of North Carolina UNL: University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: core vocabulary, Gail Van Tatenhove, Minspeak, University of Nebraska, University of North Carolina, vocabulary list
December 13, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
Like many of you, we continue to hear about programs that withhold AAC supports from children who are nonverbal or minimally verbal. Sometimes they point to the perceived lack of readiness that the child has for AAC, in general. Other times, they erect barriers, such as an artificial benchmark that insists that children start with no-tech AAC (e.g., communication boards, books, PECS) or low tech SGDs before ‘earning the right’ to sophisticated AAC options. As yet another year comes to a close, it is hard to believe that there are still programs, administrators, or, worse yet, our SLP colleagues who think they are truly justified in limiting access to AAC. How can we move beyond tearing our hair out, drinking excessively, or ranting to our friends? Here are some ideas. “Show me the evidence.” Ask for empirical support for the position that withholding access to AAC tools and strategies is more... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: barrier, participation model, prerequisites, rationale
December 12, 2013
by Robin Parker -
originally published December 13, 2012 We write about a lot of AAC strategies and we often give examples of different types of learners. Sometimes the learners we work with have more challenges than we explain. Lest you think, we do not see the really ‘challenging’ learners, we do, we really do. For those individuals with more challenges than most, sometime we are asked, well what do a few visual supports or AAC strategies do? What difference do they make? The truthful answer is A LOT. Here are a just a few recent examples from some really amazing families. When a mom is on the phone, a young adult brings in a timer and sets it so mom will get off the phone and go sit with her. When a communication book is forgotten on an emergency trip to the dentist, drawing on a napkin is enough to keep everyone calm... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Challenging Behavior, Complex Communication Needs, Visual Strategies
December 10, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
For most SLPs, it is easy to see how AAC can be beneficial to someone with motor difficulties, like cerebral palsy or ALS. To say that AAC strategies and technologies can be life-changing for these individuals is not an understatement. Similarly, the fields of SLP and special education now recognize that visual supports and AAC options are a standard of care for people affected by autism who have little or no functional speech. Not only does AAC provide a means for functional communication, but it also plays facilitative important role in speech and language development. To be sure, there are significant challenges in the implementation of AAC supports and services with these populations, but the practices themselves are now widely recognized for their positive impact on communication, literacy skills, independence, and behavior. But what about individuals with the most significant learning challenges? In this post, we share an article looking... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: beginning communicator, intellectual disability, PMLD, prelinguistic communication, research support
December 9, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
. A strange thing happened while we were busy thinking and writing about AAC. Two strange things, actually. First, we got nominated for the 2013 Edublog Awards by fellow SLP bloggers. (Many thanks to those who put our name into the hat in the Individual Blog and Resource Sharing categories.) Then, we became finalists. Not too shabby for a low incidence topic like AAC! The cool thing about these nominations is that it is yet another way to raise awareness about AAC. It must be working because we’re hearing from professionals who are curious about what AAC is and how it relates to their area of interest, language. There are many deserving nominees in both categories. We listed our nominees here. Take a moment to vote for your favorites. They are ALL winners! Best Individual Blog 2013 – Edublog Awards Best Resource Sharing Blog 2013 – Edublog Awards View more lists from... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Awards, Edublogs, vote
December 6, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
In the US, you’d be hard pressed to find a graduate program in SLP that didn’t have required courses in fluency and voice disorders. Only a minority of SLP programs, though, require students to take a course in AAC. How does this compare to the needs in the field? Not so well, in our humble opinion. ASHA’s 2013 SLP Health Care Survey obtained responses from more than 800 SLPs who work with children in healthcare settings, such as hospitals, outpatient clinics, and home health. On average, they spent more time on AAC services than on services for fluency, voice, or resonance disorders. When asked what percentage of their time was spent providing services in different categories, here’s what the participating SLPs reported: AAC: 5.5% Fluency: 3% Voice: 2% Resonance: 1.3% We acknowledge that requiring graduate students to take courses in specific disorder areas isn’t the only way to help them... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: healthcare
December 5, 2013
by Robin Parker -
Strategy of the Month Thoughts on Teaching Core Vocabulary Teaching Core Vocabulary with Direct Instruction Strategies New Word Teaching: A Look Inside Some PrAACtical Therapy Sessions Core Words, Direct Vocabulary Instruction, & the Beginning Communicator PrAActical Thinking Fun Friday- 5 Tips for Talking About Halloween After it is Over 31 Posts You May Have Missed in October A PrAACtical Literacy Activity for Beginning Communicators Writing Goals for AAC Learners Fun Friday: Holiday Shopping with a Purpose 10 Apps to Gift to An SLP Hockey Lessons Watch it Wednesday: Using Routines to Promote Interactions by the Watson Institute Throwback Thursday: Say This, Not That to Reinforce Vocabulary Learning Fast FAACt Friday: AAC’s 1st Appearance in the Professional Literature How Do You Teach Others to Implement AAC Facilitation Skills? Watch it Wednesday: Time Timers At the Very Beginning: Working with Pre-Intentional Communicators Display Stand for Visual Supports or Books PrAACtical Thoughts on... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC Participation, resources
December 4, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
As clinical educators, we have lots of conversations with student SLPs about reinforcement of specific skills. We’ll save that for another post, but today we want to put reinforcement into a large context. We all learn best in an environment in which we are accepted and encouraged. It’s often hard to ‘see’ how to do that in a therapy session where the AAC learner has so many skill deficits, particularly if you are starting out in your AAC career. Here are some ideas. Accept their responses without judgment.The Dot (click on image) is a great reminder to us all of how our responses to a learner’s attempt can make ALL the difference in how they see themselves. Use the language of communication. Instead of ‘show me on your board’ or ‘point to what you want,’ use communication-oriented verbs, like ‘tell’ or ‘say.’ “Tell me what you’re thinking.” “I like what... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: encouragement, intervention