August 1, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
AAC technology is awesome. It really is. But it isn’t always ‘the answer.’ Here are a few things we try to keep in mind. 1. It’s not always the most efficient way for someone to communicate. Vocalizations, word approximations, gestures, and manual signs may be quicker and easier. 2. You always need a back-up. Another device, an app, a communication board, a PODD book, a print-out of the main SGD screens. Something. 3. It may not be the preferred means of communication with family and close friends. It’s not up to us to make that call. 4. The ‘latest thing’ isn’t always the best. Some of our prAACtical friends still lament the loss of the built-in printer on the Liberator. For them, the smaller, sleeker design of replacement devices weren’t worth the trade-off. 5. We generally don’t maximize the devices/apps we have. In some situations, there are useful features that... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: 5, five, technology
July 31, 2013
by Robin Parker -
We continue to work with core words and if you have been following our ‘Year of Core Words’, here are some ways to use the August words for preparing, playing, & reading for summer fun and beginning school year activities. With some aided language modeling (ALI), repetition with variety, and meaningful language experiences, you will expand communication and core word vocabulary quickly. Stay Calm & Model On… AUGUST WORDS any like any make any drink stop any talk later any play is good bring bring it bring me some after done bring there bring more to me day fun day play is fun day go day after find day to go there fall fall down want fall big fall ready go fall give give some what give me who give that lets give him some hot more hot that is hot put hot thing there it hot not cold now job... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
July 30, 2013
by Robin Parker -
We know it is early, but school starts for some of us as early as 2 weeks from now. As you are thinking of the goals that you will be working on with your students, children, clients, here are some samples, examples, & rationales for developing and writing AAC goals that matter. Once there are goals that make sense, then with meaningful language experiences, the fun can begin. AAC Goals PrAACtical Goals That Matter (Document of Goals) PrAACtical Suggestions for Writing AAC Goals Quick Start AAC Goals PrAACtical Goals That Matter Sample AAC Goals How I do It: AAC in the IEP by Lauren Enders How to Set Goals for Assistive Technology in the IEP Goals to Support AAC Use Scoop it by Lauren Enders: Writing IEP Goals for AAC Users
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: meaningful language experiences, resources
July 29, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
Social Stories™ are a research-supported strategy for helping people to better understand situations and concepts by making these events and the expected behavior within the events more explicit. Initially developed by Carol Gray of The Gray Center, they have a specific structure with rules for development. Here’s a quick overview. Direct Link to Video – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjlIYYbVIrI Other people have developed their own form of social narratives with similar goals but a more flexible structure. If you’re looking for information and ideas for using social stories and narratives, take a look at some of the resources below. First, let’s take care of an important question that should be on the mind of anyone thinking about using social narratives. Where’s the evidence regarding the effectiveness of this strategy? Lucky for us, much of it has been collected at the National Professional Development Center on ASD. Here in our own state, the Florida Diagnostic... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: resources, social narratives, social stories
July 26, 2013
by Robin Parker -
Get ready to increase your AAC knowledge in a fun and fast way. Read, watch, share, & learn: Learn about Ablenet’s updated AAC app: Sounding Board- Bigger and Better. Read past AAC Newsletters: Augmentative Communication, Augmentative Communication News (ACN). Check out Talk About Food app and enter to win it. Learn about Literacy and AAC by checking out Jane Farrall’s blog or 101 Ideas for Literacy & AAC. Watch a recorded Ablenet webinar on a variety of PrAACtical AAC topics presented by AAC leaders. Read Think Inclusive’s– 7 Ways to Use a Sequential Message AAC Device in the Inclusive (or any ) Classroom Join an active AAC friendly facebook group such as Speak For Yourself, Raising and Teaching Individuals with Severe Disabilities, Proloquo2go Professionals, or any other you know of. Learn about AAC (and other) strategies to help prevent wandering: Big Red Safety Tool Kit, Social Stories
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Learning, literacy, resources
July 25, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
Practicing skills outside of therapy is a good way to extend the learning process and generalize skills to functional environments. It isn’t appropriate for every situation, but when it is, here are some things we try to think about. 1. It should focus on skills they have, not ones they need to learn. Why? Because when we’re learning new things, we get it wrong fairly often. And we don’t want to give them practice getting it wrong. Instead, the home practice should be on things they know and can do, but don’t do consistently. Home practice is a great way to build fluency and automaticity. 2. Tie it into the client’s interests. Use materials or topics that they enjoy. 3. Teach it. Resist the temptation to quickly go over the home practice in the last 60 seconds of therapy or in the waiting room. We’ve all done it, but strive... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: 5, family, generalization, home, homework
July 24, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
There’s nothing that says ‘exciting’ like seeing a little person have their first successful experience with AAC. I had just that kind of experience recently and had some fun with a little guy who went from requesting by grabbing to requesting by handing me a picture symbol in about 15 minutes. His parents are interested in using the Picture Exchange Communication System® (PECS®) and that’s probably a good next step. While looking for online information to send them, I can across this wonderful tutorial on how to make your own book in the PECS® style from a 3-ring binder. Hope this excellent post from Educate Autism comes in handy. Picture Exchange Communication System® and PECS® are registered trademarks of Pyramid Educational Consultants, Inc.
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: PECS. DIY, tutorial
July 23, 2013
by Robin Parker -
It’s a summer prAACtical Random App of Kindness giveaway! Thanks to the generosity of Hump Software (& Celeste Helling), we have 3 codes for Talk About Food. Talk about Food has been developed to target vocabulary building and communication skills. It has been designed specifically for children with low vision as well as those who are having difficulty with language development, or just starting to learn and use words through AAC. Pictures of food and food categories are high contrast to spark interest and visual attention. Then, the focus is talking about food (hence the app name). The communication emphasis is on core word vocabulary (Yay!) and building sentences. There are many great features & access settings and you can easily hide and show vocabulary for customization. The Giveaway starts now and ends on Saturday July 27th at 11:59 pm. We will select 3 winners for the Talk About Food App.... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: core vocabulary, Giveaway, hump software, talk about food
July 22, 2013
by Robin Parker -
Because it seems there has been a lot of emphasis on core words and visual schedules over the past couple of months, we wanted to highlight a particular resource titled: Visual Schedules to Expose & Reinforce Core Vocabulary by (the great) Gail Van Tatenhove. This resource can be found on the Minspeak website which shares excellent (& free) comprehensive AAC information for everyone. You can search by categories and get fact sheets, communication boards, curriculum supports and more. AAC users, families, & caregivers Teachers and therapists Academicians & students Teaching Plans & Materials Pixon Project Resources Try out some of the ideas from the Visual Schedule/Core Word Resource or something else and let us know what you think.
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: resources, visual schedules
July 19, 2013
by Robin Parker -
Inner speech is important. Recent research has strengthened our belief that developing inner speech is an important strategy for many people who use AAC and are working to build their literacy, sensory, and language skills. But how do we teach someone to develop that inner voice? Here are some ideas. 1. Begin by using a ‘think aloud’ strategy to make your internal thought processes obvious to the person who uses AAC. Articulating your thoughts as you work through different communication and literacy learning processes gives the learner insight into what you are thinking. Once they are used to that, it is easier to introduce the concept of private/inner speech. – 2. Use explicit instruction. “Say it to yourself.” “Say it in your head.” Using natural gestures, like tapping your temple, can be helpful as well. We’ve found that this allows us to reduce the prompting over time. Fade the verbal prompt and... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: inner speech