May 2, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
We’re off to a great start for Better Hearing and Speech Month! Today’s Fresh Look post comes from one of the most experienced AAC SLPs in the United States. Joan Bruno, Ph.D., CCC-SLP has over 30 years experience working in the field of AAC. She is currently maintains a private practice consulting to schools and private agencies and is the Augmentative Communication Specialist at the TECHConnection in Shrewsbury, NJ. Joan has published and presented nationally and internationally on a variety of topics related to AAC assessment and intervention. Joan is the 2011-2013 President of the New Jersey Speech and Hearing Association, and a Past-President of the United States Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication. Since 1992, she has directed Camp Chatterbox, a therapy camp for children using AAC devices. Joan is the author of the Gateway to Language and Learning© page set and the Test of Aided-Communication Symbol Performance© (TASP). In... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: core vocabulary, curriculum, Fresh Look, general education, inclusion, Joan Bruno, Language Arts, schools, word prediction
May 1, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
We’re celebrating ASHA’s Better Speech and Hearing Month with a series of posts for SLPs who are working with people who have significant communication difficulties and aren’t currently using AAC strategies. In these posts, we hope to give clinicians a fresh look and some prAACtical ideas about using AAC with a variety of clinical populations. We’ve invited well-respected authors, researchers, and clinicians to contribute to this series. We’re proud to kick-off a new series called Fresh Look with posts on using AAC with children and adults. Watch for posts on on a variety of topics, including: Using AAC to support people with dementia by Dr. Melanie Fried-Oken AAC in General Education with Dr. Joan Bruno Supporting the friendships of children with ASD by Dr. Erinn Fincke Providing initial AAC supports to people with ALS by Lisa Bardach Language therapy with children who use AAC by Drs. Cathy Binger and Jennifer... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Better Hearing and Speech Month, BHSM
April 30, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
We know that there are lots of PowerPoint haters out there, but we’re not among them. While we have certainly suffered through a presentation or two in which it was used poorly, we’ve also been inspired by those who use it well. It has lots of uses beyond teaching and presentation. Here are some ideas for using it to enhance your AAC intervention. 1. Personal Dictionary: Create a dictionary with slides for the new words the individual is learning. You can record the pronunciation of the word, provide the definitions, give examples, illustrate with images, and link to external sites. 2. Switch-accessible Books: These are fun to make and positively addictive once you get started! In the AAC Literacy Camp we did a few years ago, we made lots of little books like the one shown here and printed hard copies for the kids to take home. Reading online is... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: accessible books, intervention, PowerPoint, reading, resources, therapy, vocabulary, writing
April 29, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
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...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: communication boards, core vocabulary, examples, free download, resources
April 26, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
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...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Calendar, core language, core vocabulary, download, Gail Van Tatenhove, resources, Russell Cross, semantics, vocabulary, year
April 25, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
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...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: classroom, goal setting, goals, How I Do It, IEP, Lauren Enders, schools
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