July 21, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
AAC folks are a creative bunch, and there’s no better time than summer to start a new project. Check out these AAC-related do-it-yourself ideas. Make It PrAACtical: DIY Adapted Make It PrAACtical: DIY Switch-accessible Scanner Make It PrAACtical: DIY Customizable Stylus Make It PrAACtical: Cell Phone Stand Make It PrAACtical: Adapted Writing Tool Make it PrAACtical: Make Your Own Battery Interrupters (without Soldering!) DIY Stand for Mobile Devices Make Your Own Communication Book Stand Building PVC Stands for Eye Gaze & Tablets AT Makers Magic Moments with a Crafty Flashlight Make a Core Vocabulary Folder How I Do It: Building & Using Language Kits How We Do It: Making AAC Videos for Core Word Learning
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
July 18, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Whether you are a therapist, educator, or other professional there is a long list of things that people who use AAC need us to do so that they can communicate in ways that help them live their best lives. Today, we begin a series on some of the most overlooked areas that even veteran AAC practitioners often miss. Not because they don’t know about them. Not because they have a philosophical reason to avoid them. Not because they can’t figure out how to implement them. But because there are incredibly frustrating systemic obstacles to providing the kinds of support our clients/students need. In schools, caseload and classroom sizes stack the deck against us. In healthcare settings and private clinics, the funding streams steer us away from a best practice approach. And in almost every setting, the increasing paperwork and organizational demands draw our attention away from what we want to... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
July 14, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
It’s time for a little fun! Check out these past posts on AAC, play, and gaming. AAC in Secondary School: Using Games to Support AAC Learning for Older Students From Solitary Play to Interaction: 5 Things to Try With Kids Who Love Their iPad Games Let’s Play! Using Switch-accessible iPad Games for AAC Learning PrAACtical Resources: Structured Play Groups Building Sentence Length through Conversational Routines & Games 5 Quick and Easy Games That Build AAC Skills 5 Adapted Play Resources for Children with Motor Impairment PrAACtical Play: Creating Communication Opportunities with Favorite Toys Video of the Week: Aided Language Input During Play Video of the Week: AAC & Board Games
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
July 11, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
As the philosophy of AAC immersion and the strategy of aided language input have gained acceptance, there is an emerging school of thought that these two things are sufficient for people with complex communication needs to learn to express themselves with AAC. While it is true that some individuals become proficient in their AAC and language use without explicit instruction, there is a large population of AAC learners who need additional support to achieve their potential and/or reach their goals. In this post, we share some guiding questions to help these individuals and their teams determine whether formal instruction with well-chosen language goals and implementation of specific intervention strategies is needed. Is the AAC user and/or other stakeholders comfortable with their rate of AAC and language learning? Has the individual plateaued in their language growth? Is there a gap between what they understand and what they can express? How do... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
July 10, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. We hope you enjoy browsing through these posts. Monday – July Year of Core Vocabulary & Future Directions for the School Year of Core Vocabulary Words Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Tangible Symbols for AAC Use Thursday – Throwback Thursday: AAC & Medical Encounters :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Looking for some resources to use in your AAC work? Check out some of those listed below. AAC 101 Flipbook Communication Partner Data Collection Form AAC Skills: Caught or Taught? AAC Modeling Handout Gaming & AAC Repairing Communication Breakdowns
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
July 7, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
People with AAC needs face significant challenges in accessing appropriate medical care and getting the help they need to deal with illness, pain, and other symptoms. In today’s edition of Throwback Thursday, we reprise past posts on this topic that may be of interest. Supporting People with Significant Communication Challenges in Medical Encounters PrAACtical Resources: Chronic Pain Assessment in Children with Disabilities Growing AAC Professionals: Resources for Self-Advocacy, Reducing Abandonment, Medical Encounters, & More Pain in Children with Developmental Disabilities PrAACtically SLPs: Working with Children With Complex Medical Conditions Supporting Children in the Pediatric ICU 5 PrAACtical Resources For Better Communication Experiences with Healthcare Providers
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
July 4, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Planning for comprehensive core vocabulary instruction? The Year of Core Vocabulary Words and The School Year of Core Vocabulary Words, two series of monthly resources for core vocabulary teaching, both have resources that can be helpful to therapists, educators, and families. We’re reprising a past post for anyone interested in following along and utilizing the resources developed by quite a few people in the AAC community. We also have an exciting update from the School Year of Core Vocabulary Words team about some resources that we’ll be sharing for the upcoming school year. The initial Year of Core Vocabulary series was based on a small set of core words for each month (see that post here). We followed that with a second set of Year of Core Vocabulary Word resources for a new list of words (click here for that post). Among the many resources are the activity calendars created... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
July 3, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. We have some posts you might enjoy. Monday – Growing AAC Professionals: A Unique Perspective on a Common AAC Assignment Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Maintaining Communication Access & Encouraging Disaster Preparedness Thursday – Throwback Thursday: Alternative Access Friday – PráctiCAAmente Conectados: CAA Con Links – Julio 2022 :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Still have an appetite for some AAC? Check out this sampling of past posts. When Repetition Becomes Problematic SGDs for People with ASD “What Should I Program on the SGD?” Feature Match Chart 5 Features to Look for in SGDs and AAC Apps Making a Back-up for High-tech AAC
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
July 1, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
It’s a great day for sharing AAC resources in Spanish! On the first Friday of every month, we feature a Spanish version of our AAC Link Up, CAA con Links. If you have AAC-related announcements, materials, or videos in Spanish that you would like others to know about, we’d love to have you add that information below. Also, please share this with anyone who might be interested in contributing to or using the materials that get added to these posts. Organized by Claudia Marimon, these posts also feature AAC work being done in Spanish-speaking countries. You can find entries from previous months here. Today, she features resources from The AAC Coach and Assistiveware that may be of interest to the Spanish-speaking community. Enjoy! :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Comenzamos este mes compartiendo conceptos fundamentales de CAA que son necesarios para llevar adelante buenas prácticas basadas en la evidencia. Afortunadamente podemos encontrar algunos recursos que... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
June 30, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Looking for information on scanning, eye gaze, and other forms of alternative access? Here are some posts from the past that may be of interest. Articles Alternative Access for AAC PrAACtical Research: Improving Accessibility for People with Significant Speech Disabilities Make It PrAACtical: DIY Switch-accessible Scanner AAC Assessment Corner with Vicki Clarke: The Eyes Have It-Assessment Considerations for High Tech Eye Gaze Access Videos Methods of Accessing AAC Systems Stepping Stones to Switch Access, Part 1 Stepping Stones to Switch Access, Part 2 Alternative Access for AT & AAC Deep Dive into the Hardware for iPad Switch Accessibility AAC Access for Individuals with Significant Motor Limitations Through Partner Assisted Scanning
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking