Core Samples

April 29, 2013 by - 13 Comments


Whether we’re working on a project, cooking with new ingredients, or doing something crafty, one of the things we find most helpful is examples. Seeing how other people have approached a situation can be informative and inspiring. Making communication displays for people who use AAC is no different. Most of us appreciate the opportunity to see what our colleagues have done. We provided a number of examples of communication boards and books that are rich in core language in some of our earlier posts. Here are some of them, just in case you missed those posts. Kate Ahern’s Core Vocabulary in 3 Symbol Types (and Core Word Learning Book) via SlideShare Core language board with 20 PCS and 12 PCS by Yvonne Green via SET-BC PCS communication book (core and fringe) from the AT4All Wiki/Barbara Cannon PCS communication book pages in Boardmaker and PDF format by Polk County Public Schools... [Read More...]

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A Year of AAC Core Vocabulary, Unity Style

April 26, 2013 by - 8 Comments


A Year of AAC Core Words, Unity Style

One of the things we most appreciate about the AAC community is the generosity of spirit and sense of collaboration. When we first posted our Year of AAC Core Vocabulary, Gail Van Tatenhove, Russell Cross, and others in the Minspeak community generously shared it with professionals and families. More importantly, they adapted it with Minspeak symbols so that the resource could be more useful to people learning to communicate with that symbol system. We’re excited to be able to share the Year Of AAC Core adapted by Russell Cross. There are two versions: one for people learning 84-location Unity programs and another for people working with the 144-location version. There is one set of cards for each month with  about 12 core words each so that professionals can provide extra practice of a selected set of core words.  Many, many thanks to Gail and Russell for adapting our work and... [Read More...]

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How I Do It: Writing IEP Goals for Students Who Use AAC with Lauren Enders

April 25, 2013 by - 6 Comments


How I Do It: Writing IEP Goals for Students Who Use AAC with Lauren Enders

We’re so happy to welcome Lauren Enders back to share some more thoughts on AAC and the IEP. In her first post on this topic, Lauren addressed some frequently asked questions. Today, she provides a very valuable perspective on writing IEP goals for students who use or need AAC and some wonderful resources. Very often, I receive requests for support from teachers and speech therapists that are writing IEP goals for their students who use AAC.  When we sit down to discuss their questions, the first thing I remind them is that AAC goals are no different from any other IEP goal.  I recall a workshop I attended years ago presented by Gail VanTatenhove that helps put IEP goals for AAC into perspective.  Gail said that AAC therapy is just language therapy.  Isn’t that true? Aren’t we just teaching language?  For this student, language is simply being expressed in a... [Read More...]

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PrAACtical AAC Goals

April 24, 2013 by - 4 Comments


Practical AAC Goals That Matter

We can not say enough about writing AAC goals that are meaningful to the AAC user, but sometimes this is easier said than done.  During discussions in a graduate seminar class, it was apparent that goal writing is not necessarily intuitive or even specifically taught.  Goals are also the foundation behind any toy, app, or materials we use to set the stage for meaningful language experiences. Sample goals can serve as inspiration to develop specific, measurable, individualized AAC goals. For comprehensive information on a range of AAC goals, check out our PrAACtical Goals That Matter or How I Do It- AAC in the IEP by Lauren Enders.   But to get started,   here are some selected expressive language goals written AAC style. Expressive Language Using Prestored Messages (i.e., multiple words/sentences on one cell/button; E.g., a button with “I want music”) Request a turn using prestored messages (e.g., “Hey, don’t forget me! I... [Read More...]

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A PrAACtical Look: AAC at the Baldwin Wallace Speech Clinic

April 23, 2013 by - Leave your thoughts


A PrAACtical Look: AAC at the Baldwin Wallace Speech Clinic

We’re always curious to know how other SLPs are running their AAC programs. When we got the idea for a series of posts highlighting schools and clinics that embrace AAC, we got excited. Welcome to “A PrAACtical Look”! In this series, we hope to introduce you to AAC programs around the world and give you a peek into what goes on in those practices. Hopefully, it will help strengthen connections in the AAC SLP community as we all get to know more about the ways in which our colleagues approach AAC assessment and intervention. There are many of you out there doing fine work with children and adults who use AAC. If you’d like to tell us about your AAC program, contact us through the blog or our Facebook page.  We couldn’t be happier to start this series by introducing you to a place where undergraduate SLP students get hands-on... [Read More...]

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Keep Learning About Core Words- 8 More Things to Do For Autism Acceptance Month

April 22, 2013 by - Leave your thoughts


Keep Learning About Core Words 8 More Things to do for Autism Acceptance Month

April is Autism Awareness/Acceptance month.  It is exciting that there have been so many positive messages and activities around schools, communities, the country, and even the world.  It has been great that AAC and visual supports have been incorporated into many educational and communication programs (hopefully soon a ‘tipping point’, so that ALL students who need AAC systems will have them). One of the next ‘tipping points’ that would also be great to see is with the use of core words on communication displays. ‘Core Words’ are our Strategy of the Month and we are writing about the first 12 through the first 36. But, if you want more background information or to go well beyond 36 core words (which is the goal), Here are 8 More Things To Do For Autism Acceptance Month: Take a look at AAC Language Lab for Core Word Information Read ASHA- A Few Good... [Read More...]

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Using Visual Supports to Bring Music Alive with Marlene Sotelo

April 19, 2013 by - 1 Comment


Using Visuals to Bring Music Alive

When I first met our guest blogger almost 20 years ago, she was using more visual supports in her music therapy sessions with kids who had ASD than most SLPs were using in their language therapy.  Marlene Sotelo has worn many hats in her professional life, but her passion for helping people with ASD communicate more effectively seems to have permeated all of them. In this post, she discusses some of the ways she uses visual supports to help make music therapy effective. Music is a powerful force that transcends time, cultures, and languages. It can transport you to the past, and bring you hope and excitement for the future. In addition, music can be an effective tool in teaching children with varying abilities. The predictability, rhythmic patterns, and repetitive nature of the structure music lends itself to the development of language, cognitive skills, and motor skills, especially for individuals... [Read More...]

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AACtual Therapy: Harlem Shake, AAC Style with Shareka Bentham

April 18, 2013 by - 1 Comment


AACtual Therapy: Harlem Shake, AAC Style with Shareka Bentham

We’re back again with another AACtual Therapy post from SLP Shareka Bentham. We love the way she creates ‘buy in’ with kids, families, and teachers with this terrific activity. Everyone who knows me knows that I can get a little bit crazy sometimes, so when I went around school informing the teachers that we were going to be doing a school-wide Harlem Shake, no one was surprised. The thing is, my little ones, especially the school aged children are all very aware of the latest trends in popular culture (I have a little one that will only use his Big Mack to request Adele). Whether they are verbal or nonverbal, they can show you all the latest moves. So we just had to do Harlem shake. Well, a modified version… The main focus of the activity was making using AAC to make choices for the dress-up part of the activity.... [Read More...]

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Speak to Me With Your Eyes, My Love

April 17, 2013 by - Leave your thoughts


Speak to Me With Your Eyes My Love

In honor of National Poetry Writing Month, we bring you a special poem.  We have known the author, White Flower for many years. She is a 62-year-old woman with cerebral palsy who uses AAC to communicate.  She continually inspires others through her art. She uses assistive technology to paint, write, and engage in her newest art form, photography.   She has worked and lived independently for the past 11 years.  She has graciously given us permission to reprint this amazingly beautiful poem from her book, Forever My Love, A Book of Poetry.  Her words paint an exquisite picture…..  Speak to Me With Your Eyes, My Love Speak to me with your eyes. Speak to me with your eyes, my friend. Let your eyes get into my soul. Then we can both go to a land that’s free, And we move as the wings of a butterfly. With the clouds as our... [Read More...]

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5 Reasons for Using Pre-Stored Messages in AAC Systems

April 16, 2013 by - Leave your thoughts


5 Reasons for Using Pre-Stored Messages in AAC Systems

Although we are deeply invested in AAC systems that have a robust set of core language, that doesn’t mean we insist that our clients generate sentences word-by-word all the time. There are lots of good reasons for pre-storing longer messages. Here are some of them. Emergency messages: When we’re communicating about things like spasms, seizures, pain, medication, fear, and danger, time is of the essence. The quicker, the better. Examples: “My asthma is kicking up. Get my puffer, please.” “I’m having a back spasm. Take me out of my chair.” “I think my sugar is off. Can you do a finger prick to check my levels?” “I’m scared. Can you help me?” Partner instructions and communication transaction messages: Sometimes we communicate about communicating. In AAC, it’s not uncommon for someone to set the stage for how the interaction will proceed or provide their partner with specific directions. When communicating to... [Read More...]

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