August 7, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. Here are some posts you might enjoy. Monday – Overlooked AAC, Part 3 Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Partner Assisted Scanning + Eye Gaze Thursday – Throwback Thursday: AAC & Questions Friday – CAA Con Links: Agosto 2022 :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Looking for a few more places to browse? Check out some of these posts on working with teens and young adults. Starting AAC with Teens and Young Adults Conversation Practice with Teens and Young Adults 5 Ways to Use Magazines in AAC Therapy Books for Beginning Readers of Any Age Making the Environment Communicatively Accessible Visual Supports in AAC Therapy with Older Students and Adults Have a great week, everyone!
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
August 4, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Whether we’re asking them or answering them, questions play an important role in casual conversation, academic discussions, and formal exchanges. In today’s installment of Throwback Thursday, we’re sharing some past posts on interrogative language and AAC. Hope you find something useful. Asking Good Questions During Interactive Book Reading with AAC Learners Holiday Talk: AAC Conversations Using Partner-focused Questions On Full Sentences and Questions in AAC Systems “Can I ask you a question?” Using Language Experience Surveys PrAACtical Suggestions: 5 Ways to Elicit Language Without Asking a Direct Question Don’t Ask: 5 Reasons to De-Emphasize Questions in Your AAC Therapy Beyond Requesting: Thoughts on Teaching Interrogatives
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
August 1, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
There are a lot of aspects of AAC service provision, and usually not enough time to address all the things that need to be done. In today’s post, we continue the conversation of things that often take a back seat in AAC services, hoping that it inspires a few of you to action. This time our focus is transitions. Going to nursery or preschool for the first time. Moving from one teacher or therapist to another. Exiting the school system. Transitions always seem to bring a little extra anxiety and a few additional bumps in the road. Here are some things that make some of those changes go a little more smoothly. Entering a New Environment Prepare the individual: Explain what will be happening. Use visual supports, like a picture schedule or calendar, to show when the transition will occur. Keep it in a visible spot and review it periodically... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
July 31, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. Here are some posts from our prAACtical week. Monday – Overlooked AAC, Part 2 Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Making Connections Between Language, Literacy, & AAC Thursday – August Year of Core Vocabulary & School Year of Core Vocabulary Words :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Looking for a few more places to browse? Check out some of these posts on working with teens and young adults. Starting AAC with Teens and Young Adults Conversation Practice with Teens and Young Adults 5 Ways to Use Magazines in AAC Therapy Making the Environment Communicatively Accessible Books for Beginning Readers of Any Age Visual Supports in AAC Therapy with Older Student and Adults Have a great week, everyone!
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
July 28, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Planning for comprehensive core vocabulary instruction? The Year of Core Vocabulary Words and The School Year of Core Vocabulary Words, two series of monthly resources for core vocabulary teaching, both have resources that can be helpful to therapists, educators, and families. We’re reprising those posts for anyone interested in following along and utilizing the resources developed by quite a few people in the AAC community. The initial series was based on a small set of core words for each month (see that post here). We followed that with a second set of Year of Core Vocabulary Word resources for a new list of words (click here for that post). Among the many resources are the activity calendars created by AAC SLP and co-founder of Talking AAC, Rachael Langley. There were many other contributors over the years who added to these efforts. The School Year of Core Vocabulary Words, authored by... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
July 25, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
If you’ve ever engaged the services of a babysitter, housekeeper, or pet sitter, you can probably relate to the thought and planning that went into those initial interactions. Chances are, a lot of care went into building a trusting relationship as you tried to clearly communicate expectations and explain in detail the processes and procedures they would be undertaking in your absence. Having someone else care for that which we cherish and hold dear, is a big deal. We cover the basics – where the diapers are, how to prepare their food, daily routines – and much more. Favorite toys. What it means when they say/do ___. How to do __ in just the right way. We even provide written backup, like a schedule and a list of contacts. The information we share is critical. We can’t imagine trusting a babysitter we’re meeting for the first time to provide a... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
July 24, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. Here are some posts you might enjoy. Monday – Overlooked AAC, Part 1 Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Helping School Staff Model AAC in the Classroom Thursday – Throwback Thursday: Do-It-Yourself AAC Gear :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Have a little more time? You might be interested in these posts from the archives. Back to School with AAC A Collaborative Approach to Implementing Core Vocabulary in a School-based Setting Goodbye, Summer! A Clinician Preps AAC Materials for the New School Year Essential Tricks for Supporting AAC in Schools AAC in the High School Classroom: Where Core Vocabulary Meets Life Skills
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
July 21, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
AAC folks are a creative bunch, and there’s no better time than summer to start a new project. Check out these AAC-related do-it-yourself ideas. Make It PrAACtical: DIY Adapted Make It PrAACtical: DIY Switch-accessible Scanner Make It PrAACtical: DIY Customizable Stylus Make It PrAACtical: Cell Phone Stand Make It PrAACtical: Adapted Writing Tool Make it PrAACtical: Make Your Own Battery Interrupters (without Soldering!) DIY Stand for Mobile Devices Make Your Own Communication Book Stand Building PVC Stands for Eye Gaze & Tablets AT Makers Magic Moments with a Crafty Flashlight Make a Core Vocabulary Folder How I Do It: Building & Using Language Kits How We Do It: Making AAC Videos for Core Word Learning
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
July 18, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Whether you are a therapist, educator, or other professional there is a long list of things that people who use AAC need us to do so that they can communicate in ways that help them live their best lives. Today, we begin a series on some of the most overlooked areas that even veteran AAC practitioners often miss. Not because they don’t know about them. Not because they have a philosophical reason to avoid them. Not because they can’t figure out how to implement them. But because there are incredibly frustrating systemic obstacles to providing the kinds of support our clients/students need. In schools, caseload and classroom sizes stack the deck against us. In healthcare settings and private clinics, the funding streams steer us away from a best practice approach. And in almost every setting, the increasing paperwork and organizational demands draw our attention away from what we want to... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
July 14, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
It’s time for a little fun! Check out these past posts on AAC, play, and gaming. AAC in Secondary School: Using Games to Support AAC Learning for Older Students From Solitary Play to Interaction: 5 Things to Try With Kids Who Love Their iPad Games Let’s Play! Using Switch-accessible iPad Games for AAC Learning PrAACtical Resources: Structured Play Groups Building Sentence Length through Conversational Routines & Games 5 Quick and Easy Games That Build AAC Skills 5 Adapted Play Resources for Children with Motor Impairment PrAACtical Play: Creating Communication Opportunities with Favorite Toys Video of the Week: Aided Language Input During Play Video of the Week: AAC & Board Games
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking