April 24, 2013
by Robin Parker -
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...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC goals, goal setting, goals
April 23, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
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...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC services, Christie Needham, clinic, PrAACtical Look
April 22, 2013
by Robin Parker -
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...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: autism acceptance month, Autism Awareness Month, resources
April 19, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
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...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: academics, ASD, choice making, collaboration, Marlene Sotelo, music, music therapy, participation, visual supports
April 18, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
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...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AACtual therapy, communication book, Harlem Shake, Shareka Bentham
April 17, 2013
by Robin Parker -
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...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: National Poetry Writing Month
April 16, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
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...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: pre-stored messages, vocabulary, vocabulary selection
April 15, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
Most American schools are implementing some form of a service delivery model called Response to Intervention (RTI). In this post, we bring you an article by Drs. Sandy Grether and Linda Sickman on how the tiered system of supports in RTI can be applied to students with AAC needs. They discuss the role of the SLP and explain best practices in supporting AAC learners using this approach. Their article was part of a special issue entitled ‘AAC from Preschool to High School: Building Success with Evidence-Based Interventions,’ guest edited by Karen Fallon. The online version, available here, is hosted at the University of New Hampshire. Grether, S.M, & Sickman, L.S. (2008). AAC and RTI: Building classroom-based strategies for every child in the classroom. Seminars in Speech and Language, 29, 155-164.
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: education, Linda Sickman, response to intervention, RTI, Sandra Grether, service delivery
April 12, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
Take a look at these pictures and try to guess their meanings. Now do it again with these symbols. One more time with the symbols below. We’re not gamblers by nature, but if we had to bet we’d say that you had a pretty easy time guessing the first two rows (backpack, banana, bathroom; sleep, wash, eat) and struggled with the last row (know, she, was/were). That presents a bit of a problem, actually, because it’s that last hard-to-guess row that contains important core vocabulary. And these kinds of core words are the ones we need to use frequently during the day. Looks like we have a bit of a dilemma: The symbols that are least transparent are important ones to teach. We often hear SLPs say that they want concrete symbols for some of their clients with AAC needs. We can certainly make that happen for some... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: abstract, core language, core vocabulary, semantics, symbols
April 11, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
Today, we’re happy to introduce you to another AACtual Therapist, Jamie Cooley, the SLP for Belpre City Schools (belpre.k12.oh.us), located in Belpre, OH. She is a graduate of Ohio University (B.S. ’09, M.A. ’11) and currently resides in Athens, OH. Jamie did work at Ohio University focusing on AAC and children with autism under the instruction of Dr. John McCarthy and Dr. Joann Benigno. She has worked for Belpre City Schools for two years with students in grades K-12. In this post, Jamie uses a case study approach to share a lesson using Play Dough. Background Emma is a third grade student. She was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, and her cognitive and communication skills are significantly below age-norms. She receives most of her academic instruction in a resource room. Communicatively, Emma repeats many words and phrases, and combines up to two words on her own. This is... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AACtual therapy, case study, Jamie Cooley, Play Doh, play dough