July 8, 2012
by Robin Parker -
We wanted to sincerely thank everyone for making our first ever giveaway a true PrAACtical AAC celebration. It was so much fun (Thanks Speech Tree, Tech in Special Education, and Rafflecopter). We hope to be doing more very soon. We feel like we got to know so many of you and are very appreciative for your participation and interaction. Congratulations to Jennifer, who is our winner! We know that our giveaway was about AAC and since everyone could not win, we searched for other opportunities that would give you another chance to win or get funding for an AAC app. The iMums The iMums website has a Speech Tree App Giveaway until July 11th. iTaalk: App Facilitator Program iTaalk has a program that will grant apps to applicants with a minimum cost of $25. There is an application process and not all requests can be accommodated but they try very... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Apps, ASD, GiveAways, grants
July 7, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
I have a real love-hate relationship with LiveBinders. The impatient part of me struggles with its quirky interface, but I keep coming back because of the wealth of resources and helpful site administrators. Here are some of the AAC-related binders we use most often. – General AAC Resources by Janice Reese AAC & Music by Deanna Wagner Social Scripts for People who use AAC by Caroline Musselwhite Our binder on Building Communication Opportunities for People who use AAC Our binder on Choice Boards –
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: LiveBinders, resources
July 6, 2012
by Robin Parker -
It’s not too early to begin. It seems that everyone is talking about the London 2012 Olympics. The Olympic conversation is an interesting teaching and learning platform for almost any communication and language goals. It is fun, educational, and most importantly, most smaller and larger ‘communities’ will have Olympic images, videos, television shows, and conversation. There will soon be Olympic immersion. You can TALK and TEACH before the Olympics start, while they are happening, and even after they are over. It is easy to include ALL learners at ALL levels with these free resources that do the time-consuming preparation work for you. Just use your language facilitation strategies and have fun! News 2 You London 2012 Olympics Widget Free Pack- Olympics 2012 Primary Treasure Chest- Olympic Printable Free Resources **Bonus- we often also use these resources for home programming because our clinic is closed... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: augmentative and alternative communication, Conversation, free, Olympics, resources, talking, understanding
July 5, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
Play is the work of children and a gateway to learning about the world. And so when we met a toddler who couldn’t access regular toys for play, we set out on a quest to help solve this problem. Here are some resources we’re using. – Pick out some toys: Sites like AblePlay are invaluable for objective information on which toys to consider. Toys R Us also has a special needs section of their website. How to make battery-operated toys accessible through switches: Instructable by John Schimmel and instructional document by the Alliance for Technology Access How to make battery interrupters so you can make toys switch accessible: Instructable by Gavin Phillips. How to use battery interrupters: Document by AbleNet Once you have your switch-adapted toy, you can make some minor changes to make adapted play a better overall experience Get creative: Creating play environments by Let’s Play. Great info and ideas... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: access, assistive technology, physical disability, play, switch accessible, toys
July 4, 2012
by Robin Parker -
Check out these App sales to celebrate and talk about July 4th! Begin the conversation today and summarize the experience tomorrow with pictures, conversation, writing, and reading. Tech in Special Education– lots of All types of apps on free or discounted. Get these now for conversation and social planning about Independence Day! Visual Work Fireworks 123 I-see- quence fireworks Real Fireworks ArtWork
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Apps, Conversation, July 4th, talking
July 4, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
– Lots to celebrate. Lots still to do. –
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: holidays
July 3, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
Know someone who is new to the AAC field? – Lots of our fellow SLPs did their graduate work before there was much AAC training in the curriculum. If you are mentoring a professional who is trying to learn the basics of AAC, here is a great place to start. Scope provides information and services to people with disabilities in the UK. – A number of years ago, they developed an excellent set of resources that are still very prAACtical and useful today. There are 12 AAC modules with downloadable PDF documents that can help introduce professionals to this area of clinical/educational practice. – Click here to access those modules. –
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: getting started, professional development, resources, SLP
July 2, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
The Fives PrAACtical Suggestions: 5 Ways to Elicit Language Without Asking a Direct Question 5 Tools to Make Aided Language Input Easier “Call Me Later:” 5 Supports for Phone Communication by People Who Use AAC Safety Matters: 5 Resources for People Who Use AAC – PrAACtical Thinking 72 Free and Lite Versions of AAC Apps AAC App Giveaway: It’s a PrAACtical Celebration 7 Apps for Adolescents with Special Needs “Not Dumb Now” (And Actually, Never Was) Pivotal Skills for AAC Intervention: Aided Language Input Before It’s Too Late: A PrAACtical Resource for Emergency Situations PrAACtical Tips for Passing the SLP PRAXIS on the First Try, Part 1 PrAACtical Resources: Making Sense of Picture Symbol Options PrAACtice Fire Safety 25 Under 5: AAC Apps PrAACtical Intervention Ideas: AAC Learning with the Toys, Websites, and Apps You Love PrAACtical Reflections on Father’s Day Introducing RELAAACs: Rubric for Evaluating the Language of Apps... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: resources
July 1, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
Last week, we switched gears and began talking about the SLP PRAXIS exam. As clinical educators, we know how hard SLP graduate students work and how much pressure they are under as they finish up their master’s programs. Their days are busy from start to finish and finding additional time to study for something as big as the PRAXIS is daunting to even the best student. — In our experience, students do best when they study over time rather than trying to cram the last few weeks before the test date. Life is crazy enough without trying to rush things: We suggest that you begin preparing about 3-4 months before you take the exam. Some students need more time, and some need less. Here are some of our thoughts on how to prepare. – 1. Begin by taking a self-timed exam using the Mosby/Ruscello CD. Don’t use their timed mode (it... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: PRAXIS, SLP graduate students
June 30, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
– “It may be conceded to the mathematicians that four is twice two. But two is not twice one. Two is two thousand times one.” (G.K. Chesterton, 1908) 1 budding blog 2 clinical educators 6 months of blogging 200+ posts 26,000+ page views – Numbers don’t always tell the whole story, or even the right one, but in this case, they’ll do just fine. – When we started this process in January, we had only a vague idea of what shape our blog would take. We only knew that the ‘old ways’ of sharing information weren’t having the impact we were looking for. We’ve had a great time learning about the blogosphere and now it’s time to celebrate! – Here in Florida, we can easily do that with another beach retreat, a lovely bottle of wine, and some relaxing al fresco dining. But we wanted to include you in the celebration... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC app, Apps, ASD, developmental disability, free, Giveaway, resources