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
June 27, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
With our academic year behind us, we have the opportunity to hear and learn from those who teach AAC to future professionals. In today’s post, Vicki Haddix returns to share a student’s unique perspective on an AAC assignment. Vicki is an AAC SLP and a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Memphis. You can read other posts by Vicki here. Watch for her interview with Rachel Madel on an upcoming episode of the Talking with Tech podcast. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: I’ve written in the past about some of my students’ final projects for the AAC class, but I wanted to specifically share something a little different this time. About halfway through the semester-long class, the students get an assignment requiring them to create a communication board to use themselves during a regular activity. This assignment comes after we’ve talked about the different ways to organize vocabulary and they’ve had a few chances... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
June 26, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. We have some posts that you might enjoy. Monday – AAC Reading Material: 3 Book Suggestions Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Funding for AAC Thursday – Throwback Thursday: Summertime & AAC :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: If you have the time, here are some past posts you may enjoy. Beyond AAC Modeling: 3 Things to Add to Your AAC Teaching Plan AAC Skills Assessment for Direct Selectors Selecting AAC Apps & Devices: A Handful of Reasons Not to Skip the Trial Period Observational Assessment of Beginning Communicators Bilingual AAC Assessment Tips by Lindsay Oesch Say What?!? AAC Assessment for Children Who Speak with Dr. Jill Senner and Matthew Baud
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
June 23, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Given that summer is officially in bloom, we thought it might be helpful to reach into the archives for past posts with a summery bent. Take a look. PrAACtically Reading with Karen Natoci: How Do You Know It’s Summer? A Recipe for Summer AAC Summer Reading A Few AAC Blog Suggestions 5 AAC Suggestions 3 Book Suggestions Apps to Prepare, Learn, & Talk About Summer Vacation PrAACtical Summer Activities AAC-friendy Camps
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
June 20, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Summer is a great time to catch up on reading. If you can squeeze a few more AAC titles onto your bookshelf, we have some suggestions for you. Take a look. AAC for All: Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Practice Mindel, M.G., & John, J. (2022). AAC for all: Culturally and linguistically responsive practice. Plural Publishing Inc. Augmentative and Alternative Communication: Challenges and Solutions Ogletree, B.T. (2021). Augmentative and alternative communication: Challenges and solutions. Plural Publishing Inc. Fundamentals of AAC: A Case-based Approach to Enhancing Communication Hall, N., Juengling-Sudkamp, J., Gutmann, M., & Cohn, E. (2023). Fundamentals of AAC: A case-based approach to enhancing communication. Plural Publishing Inc. Do you have suggestions for books to learn more about AAC topics? We’d love to hear them.
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
June 19, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends, and Happy Father’s Day to those who are celebrating. In the US, it is Juneteenth, a day of commemoration of the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. Whether this is a time for celebration or thoughtful reflection in your household, we wish you well. If you have a little extra time and energy, we have some AAC posts for you to browse through. Monday – AAC-friendly Resources for Juneteenth Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: AAC & Aphasia Thursday – Throwback Thursday: AAC Assessment & Intervention for People with Aphasia :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Still have an appetite for AAC? Here are a handful of past posts to browse. Faces of AAC: Making It Work in a Busy Family PrAACtically Reading with Karen Natoci: The Family Book Family Collaboration by Dr. Barry Prizant From Presence to Contribution: A Family’s Journey Toward and Inclusive Life From... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking