October 24, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
It’s been an exciting AAC Awareness Month! There were 25 lucky winners in the first two drawings and earlier today we drew the names for the third round. The winners for Drawing # 3 are Tanya Keller Scott (#473), Rachel Berry (#266), Carrie Walls (#9), Felicia Moore (#566), Diane Saunders (#34), Jillian Mayo (#164), Juliana Escobar (#425), Amy Vinson Taylor (#138), Allyssa Lucas (#323), Katrina Stebbins (#88), Kristina Frenzel (#480), Jennifer Schroeder (#510), Christine Cobb (#587), Lauren Enders (#53), Mark Neely (#291), Cassie Cann (#213), Amy M (#182), Cassandra Stafford (#366), Monica Venezia (#547), Lizzie Feldman (#579), Melissa Nicole (#364), Erin Finnegan (#434), and Kia Hughes (#383). Congratulations to the winners! Our 4th and final drawing promises to be the best one yet. Please join us in giving virtual round of applause to these generous companies: Ablenet, Inc Abilipad Alexicom Avaz BeeVisual Dynavox/Mayer Johnson Gail Van Tatenhove, PA Hump Software iClick iTalk MarbleSoft Mozzaz News-2-You Patient Provider Communication Paul H. Brookes Publishing Company RJ Cooper Safe N Sound Mobile Say It with Symbols... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
October 23, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
It’s hard for most of us to imagine the experience of having had language all your life and suddenly losing it. Here are some ideas for apps that may be useful in your therapy with people with aphasia. Scene and Heard from tBox Apps and Scene Speak from Good Karma Apps: We’d love to see more people with significant language deficits use visual scene displays to communicate. Lingraphica’s Small Talk Series and their TalkPath apps: Worth exploring these apps as they were designed expressly for this clinical population. Tactus Language TherAPPy apps: Looking for apps that will help your patient develop and practice language and writing skills? Tactus has several to explore. Pictello from AssistiveWare: There is great power in storytelling and one of the things missed most by people with acquired communication disorders is their ability to connect with friends and family. This app has great potential for sharing... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: aphasia, Apps, Emergency, narrative, stroke
October 20, 2012
by Robin Parker -
Sometimes saying ‘no’ to the demands of the day actually helps us rejuvenate and allows us to be more productive. Saying ‘no to false information helps us to advocate for ourselves. The ‘no’ topic seems to be trending now. There have been quite a few blog posts and comments about the issue (Just Say No, How and When to Give Your Students A Break). We are so glad that this topic is getting more focus. Of course everyone agrees that ALL people have the right to say ‘no’. But it is not always so simple. There are many types of ‘no’. There is the outright ‘no’, the ‘no’ to more work, the ‘no’ for disagreement, the ultra important ‘NO’ to unwanted touching, and many more. And depending upon how you say ‘no’ is the difference between it being accepted or… NOT. The issue of saying ‘no’ gets more complicated when... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: breaks, communication, protesting, saying 'no'
October 19, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
Simple Start is a series of posts that discuss AAC-related tools and strategies that are rather quick and easy to make or implement. Whether you are brand new to AAC or relatively experienced, we all come to a point where complicated just won’t do. – In our first Simple Start, we’re talking about Picture Card Rings, a type of visual support for language comprehension. The National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorders defines visual supports as any tool presented visually that can help a person function in their day-to-day life. In this case, we’ve narrowed it down to the specific case of using photos of places around a school to help the student better understand words like ‘cafeteria’ and ‘clinic.’ — Most people with AAC needs do not require a communication system that represents language through photographs. This is a very good thing since there is no way to... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: implementation ideas, photograph, PowerPoint, resources, Simple Start, visual support
October 17, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
We have been having a wonderful time with our prAACtical celebration! So far, we’ve awarded prizes to 25 different AAC-lovers, thanks to the generosity of a lot of companies and individuals. What a terrific group! Ablenet, Inc Abilipad Alexicom Avaz BeeVisual Dynavox/Mayer Johnson Gail Van Tatenhove, PA Hump Software iClick iTalk MarbleSoft News-2-You Patient Provider Communication Paul H. Brookes Publishing Company RJ Cooper Safe N Sound Mobile Say It with Symbols Silver Lining Multimedia SpeechPathology.com TapSpeak TherapyBox/TBoxApps Verbally How Does It Work? We use Rafflecopter to administer the giveaways. All entries made through there will be counted toward our drawings. We’re holding four drawings spaced throughout the month, and will draw two more sets of winners, one on October 24 and the other on October 31. Prizes are randomly assigned to each winner. We’ll send an email to each one letting them know what they’ve one. The winners will have... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC Awareness Month, Giveaway
October 17, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
AAC Evaluation Genie App Abilipad App Alexicomm Apps Blood Draw Kit My Own Bookshelf CD Pixon Cloth Carrying Case Gab n Go Harness Pillow Pet and Storybook TapSpeak Choice App Transition Strategies for Adolescents and Young Adults Who Use AAC Congratulations to the winners of today’s drawing for AAC Awareness Month. Using Rafflecopter, we selected 13 names for prizes from Alexicom, Hump Software, Bee Visual, Dynavox/Mayer Johnson, TapSpeak, Gail Van Tatenhove, Safe n Sound Mobile, Brookes Publishing, and some from us. Congratulations to Shannon Archer (#277), Rachel Berry (#339), Lauren Enders (#95), Alyssa Lucas (#255), Ramya Kumar (#154), Dave Moehn (#382), Tea Moore (#174), Katie Pierson (#229), Claire Rubin (#242), Diane Saunders (#404), Alli Smith (#310), Jeanne Tuthill (#104), and Carrie Walls (#297). We have 2 more drawings to go. Look for Round 3 shortly.
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC Awareness Month, Giveaway
October 16, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
“If I am not for myself, then who will be for me? And if I am only for myself, then what am I? And if not now, when?” (Rabbi Hillel) Join the 4th Annual 24-Hour Global AAC Chat tomorrow, which starts tomorrow October 17 at 8:00 am (Eastern Time, USA) and runs until Thursday morning. The AAC Chat will continue nonstop for 24 hours on Skype, Facebook, and Twitter. Judy Bailey and Justin Bergers have organized this year’s event. Join people from around the globe in a chat session, by tweeting, or posting to a web page. Share information and resources. Share a story, ask a question, or encourage someone on their AAC journey. Make new friends. Connect with others. Everyone with an interest in AAC is welcome. Here’s how you can support this effort: Skype: Send your Skype name to info@aacawareness.org or contact Judy Bailey directly (via Skype at judy.bailey3) to... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC Awareness Month, chat, Facebook, internet, twitter
October 15, 2012
by Robin Parker -
Fire Safety Week is over now but the need to learn fire safety strategies is NOT. If you missed these great fire safety resources, here they are to help you prepare for an fire emergency The 3 P’s to Keep Your Kid Safe During an Emergency Sensory Breaks & Learning Activities Firefighters are being Educated in Auburn On-Line Fire Safety Games for Kids How To Teach and Present Information, Lesson Plans, and Visual Supports for children and adults with Intellectual Disabilities For Teachers and SLPS Fire Rescue– an app for children that teaches the basics of fire safety through games, mazes, puzzles, matching, and more Apples 4 Teacher- kids fire prevention activities and information
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: communication, Fire Safety, Social Story
October 13, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
As SLPs who do the work of AAC, we all play many roles. We’re therapists and educators. We counsel and coach. We make materials, troubleshoot technology, take data, and write documentation. We advocate for the individual, institution, and society. A common thread that runs through many of these roles is this: Very often, we want people to change their behavior. We may want them to implement a strategy, use different materials, provide more services, agree to a decision, fund a communication device, learn more about what they’re doing, or something else. But we are trying to influence others to change. It is taking us (Robin and Carole) a lifetime to figure out how best to do this. Like you, we face it practically everyday. Each week, we cross paths with a few people who have bad information about AAC, or not enough information, negative attitudes, indifference, or apathy. We try... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: change, implementation ideas, influence, teams
October 12, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
Being sick is no fun, but when you can’t communicate effectively with your healthcare provider, it can be disastrous. Here are some resources that SLPs can use to help promote effective communication and prevent adverse affects. Accommodations Cards: One of the simplest things we can do to help healthcare providers understand the needs of a person who uses AAC, is to give some basic information on an accommodations card. Health Bridges is a project of the Western Pennsylvania Initiative to support individuals who have hearing and vision loss. Their website includes a section that allows you to create quick accommodations cards for this population and serve as a good example for ones that you can make on your own. Accommodations cards don’t solve all the problems, but they’re a quick and easy way to make a start. Patient-Provider Communication Website: Amazing array of information and resources from around the world.... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: communication, communication boards, doctor, healthcare, hospital, Medical, resources