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
December 3, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
Anything that can help SLPs do better AAC evals gets a double thumbs up from us. We’ve blogged about the app AAC Eval Genie (Hump Software) before. In this Teach Me Tuesday post, we share some resources to help you get started learning this helpful tool. Quick Start Guide Video Tutorial Facebook Page Where to Go for Help: webmaster@humpsoftware.com
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC Eval Genie, assessment, hump software, Teach Me Tuesday
December 2, 2013
by Robin Parker -
This may be the time of year you are thinking of adding AAC apps to your assessment collection or are planning on getting one for an individual learner or for a group of learners. As you consider which app or apps to purchase, here are some feature considerations as well as some options for learning about the apps. **For any individual learner, a specific AAC evaluation by a qualified speech-language pathologist is always highly recommended. Language Features Core word approach to language learning Functional language approach to language learning Visual scene approach to language learning Pre-made communication displays or create your own Communication Functions (requesting, Choicemaking, commenting, complaining, etc.) Sentence building options Options for morphological learning Allows for full communication including requests, saying no, greetings,ventings, and sharing of information Comprehensive language learning Small Talk Single or sequenced messages Technical Features Customization level Platform Options (iOS, Android, Computer) Digitized (recorded) vs... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Apps, language
December 1, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
The Edublog Awards recognize the power of the individual to make a positive impact in education-related fields. We were so surprised to hear from Jenna Rayburn, author of the popular Speech Room News blog and TpT Store, that she had nominated us for the 2013 Eddies. It got us to thinking about our own favorites from the past year (so many wonderful blogs and bloggers!). Here are our nominees: Best individual blog: Chapel Hill Snippets Best class blog: Considerate Classroom Best ed tech/resource sharing site: Boardmaker Achieve Best teacher blog: Think Inclusive Most influential blog post of the year: SLPs and AAC Evaluations: First, Do No Harm Best individual tweeter: Brian Goldstein, @goldstein25 Best twitter hashtag: #AugComm Best free web tool: Jing Best educational use of audio/video podcast: Laura Mize, Teach Me to Talk podcasts Best educational wiki: CommunicatePA Best open PD/webinar series: AbleNet Best educational use of a social network: Pinterest,... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Edublogs, Jenna Rayburn, Speech Room News
November 29, 2013
by Robin Parker -
December core word prAACtice ideas are here. The best way to TEACH core words is to first provide Aided Language Input- ALI in Meaningful Language Experiences. Then give the learner a chance to be an active participant by having many (many, many) opportunities to USE the core words to request, question, complain, tell, negotiate, explain, refuse, tattle, greet, ask, vent, and discuss. There is a lot of holiday spirit this month. Here are some ideas of activities that can go with the core word words, phrases and sentences: Play Holiday Music– All holidays can be represented. Model “hear it louder”, “surprise us” for the next song, or even wear “silly hats” while singing. Cook & Eat Fun Holiday Food– As you are creating/cooking holiday treats, everyone can take a turn saying “mix it this way” or “add it this way“. Have each learner say “these next” or “please one more” or even “I want... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
November 28, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Thanksgiving
November 27, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
We don’t get to as many AAC conference presentations as we would like to, and are always appreciative when the speakers generously post their handouts online. Here are some that we think you might appreciate, too. Cathy Binger and Jennifer Kent-Walsh: What works in training partners of children who use AAC? Penn State: We need more SLPs who are well-trained in AAC. Sarah Blackstone, Krista Wilkinson, and colleagues: We are not paying enough attention to the emotional development of children with AAC needs. Development of Emotional Competencies in Children with Complex Communication Needs: Implications for Practice and Research Sarah Blackstone, Krista Wilkinson, Jen Thistle, with Gabriela Rangel, Dale Epstein, & Jacob Feldman If you know of other presentation handouts that prAACtical professionals might enjoy, please share the link below.
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: emotional competence, handouts, partner training, presentations, SLP training