Random App of Kindness Giveaway: Talk About Food

July 23, 2013 by - 6 Comments


Random App of Kindness Giveaway Talk About Food

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:

Tagged With: , , ,

What’s the connection?- Core Vocabulary & Visual Schedules

July 22, 2013 by - 1 Comment


Whats the connection? visual schedules & core words

                     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:

Tagged With: ,

5 Great Ways to Help People with AAC Needs Develop Inner Speech

July 19, 2013 by - 3 Comments


5 Ways to Help Those with AAC Needs to Develop Inner Speech

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:

Tagged With:

How I Do It: 5 Ways to Tell If Your Students are Becoming Competent Communicators with Marlene Cummings

July 18, 2013 by - Leave your thoughts


5 Ways to Tell if Your Students are Becoming Competent Communicators with Marlene Cummings

It’s always a good day when we get to share the thoughts of veteran AAC SLP, Marlene Cummings. In this post, Marlene  talks about the signs to look for as clients gain skills with AAC and wraps up her series of posts on her yearlong experience in providing embedded professional learning  experiences in Oakland Schools.  You can see her earlier posts on cultivating the right mindset, their framework for AAC success, her AAC implementation toolbox, and the communication environment. 5 things in our “Destination Toolbox” “Are we there yet?” or “Five Ways to Tell That Your Students are Becoming Competent Communicators” Students are: Participating in the purposes of communication by novelly generating multiple word phrases demonstrating a variety of communicative functions Taking multiple communicative turns with multiple partners in multiple environments Using words from many different word classes Using words to talk about words Using language to communicate and communicating to learn... [Read More...]

Filed under:

Tagged With: , , ,

Make It PrAACtical: Modify a Battery-Operated Toy to Make It Accessible by Switches

July 17, 2013 by - 5 Comments


Make It PrAACtical: Modify a Battery-Operated Toy to Make It Accessible by Switches

Professionals of a certain age (ahem) may remember when the only switch-accessible toys we had to work with were the ones we adapted ourselves. Now, of course, there are a wide range of battery-operated toys that are already switch-accessible and we can buy as many as the budget will allow. The problem is that most of us have pretty limited resources for purchasing these toys, and a quick search yielded adapted toys in a wide price range ($45.00-$250.00 USD). Buying regular (non-adapted) battery-operated toys and then adapting them yourself is another option. This video explains the principles. “Me?? Adapt a toy for switches?! But I’m not handy.” “That’s okay. You don’t have to be.” The easiest way is to use an inexpensive battery interrupter. You can purchase them in various sizes (e.g. AAA, AA, C, D) or make your own. You can learn more about battery interrupters and how to... [Read More...]

Filed under:

Tagged With: , , , ,

Apps to Prepare, Learn, & Talk About Summer Vacations

July 16, 2013 by - Leave your thoughts


Apps to Prepare, Learn & Talk About Summer Vacation

Vacations are great! But all  great vacations need preparation because new experiences and change can be stressful even if the stress is good. Vacations are also opportunities for lots and lots of meaningful language experiences. Here are some apps specific to vacations but also don’t forget your schedule apps (e.g., Choiceworks, Kids Calendar, etc) or your story creations apps (e.g., Pictello, Story Creator, iCreate… Social Skills Stories, etc.) to customize for specific personal vacations. Prepare, Learn, & Talk About Summer Vacations My Little Suitcase by Moms with Apps Packing for Vacation- Prepare your suitcase for Traveling Bogga Vacation Planes by Byron Barton      Miko Goes on Vacation: An interactive bedtime story book for kids about Miko’s first beach holiday, where he enjoys swimming and making new friends, by Brigitte Weninger illustrated by Stephanie Roehe.    Roxie’s a MAZEING Vacation Adventure Lucy’s First Flight: A Geography Story Panda Book    ... [Read More...]

Filed under:

Tagged With: , , ,

Working with Worksheets

July 15, 2013 by - 5 Comments


Working with Worksheets

We’re not big fans of worksheets. In fact (true confession!), many years ago we actually hid a notebook full of them from a colleague who seemed to think they should play a prominent role in aphasia therapy. However, we concede that they are sometimes useful in limited quantities (‘sometimes’ being the operative word). More importantly, if teachers use them, we want our kids to be able to participate. Those who have difficulty with fine motor skills need alternate ways to manage worksheets so that  they can be as independent as possible. Summer seems like a good time to learn a few new things that will come in handy once school resumes. If you’re looking for ways to make worksheets accessible on a shoestring, check out these resources. This presentation from Lynda Hartmann  gives a good overview of accessible worksheets and provides information on a number of tools that you can use.... [Read More...]

Filed under:

Tagged With: , , , , ,

Getting to ‘Yes’

July 12, 2013 by - Leave your thoughts


Getting to 'Yes'

We wanted to be sure that none of our prAACtical friends missed this series of great posts by Kate Ahern of Ahern TEC (Technology, Education, and Consulting). Kate’s content is informed by her direct instruction with students, but also by her experience in  consulting with families and educational teams, teaching workshops, and presenting at conferences. Her popular blog, Teaching Learners with Multiple Special Needs, is one of our ‘Go – To’ sites for solid content about technology, instruction, and communication for people with significant special needs. We loved the series that Kate did on the concept of teaching yes/no. It explores the complexity of yes/no and provides information on the various communicative functions that are served. The Yes/No Series Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Hope you take a few minutes to explore these posts. There is great information for AAC newbies and seasoned... [Read More...]

Filed under:

Tagged With: ,

Visual Schedule Myths Live On..

July 11, 2013 by - 2 Comments


Visual Schedule Myths Live On and On

There are many myths about visual schedules for learners with special needs. Those myths multiply for older learners as well as for learners who are thought to have higher or lower skills. It is amusing to us (in a not really funny way) that these myths don’t typically extend to the  SLP’s, educators, or other professionals and THEIR schedules/day planners. We have heard a lot of visual schedule myths in the last couple of weeks, which means the topic may need some re-visiting.  Here are some TRUTHS about visual schedules. Please share if these myths come up in your area. Visual Schedules Increase INDEPENDENCE– Independence is supported when you can follow a visual schedule and do not need another person with you to tell you the steps to complete a day or a task. Independence is also facilitated when you can check for yourself when an event is happening rather than... [Read More...]

Filed under:

Tagged With: ,

Did You Know: AADMD Offers Specialty Webinars for Working with Adults with Developmental Disabilities

July 10, 2013 by - Leave your thoughts


This month’s strategy is about AAC and older children. This topic happens to dovetail with some work I am doing regarding healthcare options for many of the children in our community who have quickly become adults.  It seems like so many families struggle to find physicians and dentists who have experience working with adults with autism spectrum disorder and/or developmental disabilities. It seems that as children become adults, their pediatric doctors and dentists say goodbye and families are left to fend for themselves.  A workgroup of parents and professionals are trying to change this trend by finding interested physicians and providing them with formal training options, introducing them to their personal adult children, and working with medical school and residency programs. As I was researching some healthcare training options, I came upon the American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry (Thanks Deborah Chin). As I was reading through the website... [Read More...]

Filed under:

Tagged With: , , , , , ,