February 18, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
One of the first things that many SLPs ponder when doing an AAC assessment is about how language will be stored on an SGD, no-tech communication tool, visual support or AAC app. The issue is this: What symbols are best for this person’s communication aid? This is never an easy question to answer, but the proliferation of symbols used in visual supports, communication aids, SGDs, and AAC apps has made the process even more challenging. – There are several ways in which we go about answering that question, but that’s a post for another day. In this post, we want to share some of the most comprehensive sources for identifying your symbolic options. Here are some sites you may want to bookmark. – 1. A Guide to Selecting Pictures and Symbol Sets for Communication by Sally Millar 2. Comparison chart of AAC symbol sets and systems by Spectronics 3.... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: resources, symbol
February 17, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
The thought of an IEP meeting fills many parents we know with dread and anxiety, particularly if they are in a district where inclusive education is not running very smoothly. Jillian, a very passionate and competent mom of a youngster who uses high tech AAC, was pretty blunt about it. “I’d rather have root canal,” she said, and the parents within earshot gave her a round of applause. — So when we came across an app that provides support to families in this process, we had to check it. Developed at the Syracuse University School of Education, iAdvocate is an app designed to share information that parents can use to support their request for inclusive education. It lists some of the common roadblocks that families sometimes encounter, such as: “Your child needs small group instruction with few distractions and that can only be provided in a separate classroom.” “Meeting your chid’s needs is... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Apps, IEP, schools
February 17, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
We’re always looking for engaging ways to give our preschool children practice with their core word vocabulary. Stop and Go by ShortStack is an app that will get your little friends using core language without even realizing how much practice they are getting. — We love the simple structure of the app, which shows vehicles stopped at a traffic light. We see and hear the name of the vehicle and then press the green light for the vehicle to go. It has an English or a Spanish option and lots of interactive elements to try and then talk about. — Magic Moments with Stop and Go 1. Core Word Practice: As expected, there are tons of opportunities for the child to move the vehicles in this app. Using the strategy of controlled access, we can elicit ‘stop’ and ‘go’ multiple times in this game. 2. More Core Word Practice –... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Apps, intervention, iPad, Magic Moments
February 16, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
One of the reasons that we fell in love with AAC community was the seemingly boundless capacity for creativity. Creativity is something that most people associate with art and writing more than clinical work, but the reality is that creative problem-solving is a key skill among successful SLPs. As clinical educators, we’re always interested in finding ways to help our students (future SLPs) to analyze a problem situation and come up with a host of possible solutions. Creativity is enormously valuable in that process and we’re always looking for great examples of creative approaches to tough AAC problems. – So I was very intrigued by the way that educators, administrators, and therapists in British Columbia set out to help high school students with AAC needs master their systems. Approximately 5 years ago, SET-BC began the process of developing an AAC course that could be used for credit in provincial high... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: intervention, schools
February 15, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
This is the first in an occasional series in which we attempt to address questions posed to us by families, SLPs, and others who are providing AAC services. The first question we’ll tackle came from a school administrator who asked about what happens to AAC devices during transitions. — The Situation: School district A had purchased an AAC device for a student following sound educational practices, such as a feature match assessment in which all key stakeholders played a significant role. The student then moved to a different part of the state but the device did not. The administrator from School District B wondered, “Shouldn’t the student be able to keep her AAC device?” The administrator from the original school district didn’t think so. The device was costly, she reasoned, and while it had been customized for this particular student, it could easily be re-programmed for a different student. Budgets are... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: FAQs, schools
February 15, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
We wanted to take a breather from all the busyness to reflect on the year and to offer up some words of appreciation. For us, 2011 started with our version of a retreat: a long walk in the sun, a half day of venting our frustrations and a half day of planning new projects interspersed with lunch at the beach. (There might have been a bottle of wine in there somewhere, too.) We’d both been feeling more than a bit discouraged that the quality of AAC services is still so spotty. There are some fantastic SLPs and teachers, of course, but not enough to go around. The ‘good ones’ are too busy. And the not-so-good ones were doing too much damage. It seemed to us that too many folks with significant communication challenges weren’t getting what they needed and that stressed us out to no end. Just when we had calmed down, we... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: appreciation, families
February 14, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
1. Various activities for the K-12 set from the SLPs and educators in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. 2. For AAC systems that use DynaVox SGDs make sure to explore the DV Implementation ToolKit 3. For AAC systems that use Pixon symbols 4. All kinds of goodies in Ms. Click’s classroom site. (Those of us here in South Florida especially love the materials for hurricane preparaton.) 5. For AAC systems that use Minspeak/Unity, the AAC Language Lab has a host of resources.
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: download, symbol
February 13, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
So much to love about Speakbook, a lovely and hugely functional tool for people who communicate by eye gaze. – Love the generosity of its designer, Patrick Joyce, in making this available under a Creative Common license Love the creative approach of blending an eyegaze board with a communication book Love the use of color encoding so that the communicator has access to more words/messages Love the plentiful access to the alphabet for spelling novel messages Love the beautiful feel of the Speakbook website – Check out this video when you can and share the eye love.
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: communication boards, eye gaze, free download
February 12, 2012
by Robin Parker -
Early Valentine’s Day Surprises! From time to time we find out about free apps for holidays, other special occasions, or just as a Random Act of Kindness. We will put out our version of a ‘Random Apps of Kindness’ post to let you know. Many will be for the iOS (apple) platform. However, some will be for other platforms like Android, the Web, or even google tv. Enjoy! Be a MeeGenius Newsletter Subscriber and Get a Free Valentines Day Book We wrote a post the other day about MeeGenius and some of the things we Loved about it. Subscribe for Free to the MeesGenius Newsletter and you get will a Valentines Book added to your Bookshelf free. The book, I Love You For Who You Are by Meredith Hairston, is a story about a boy who gets assigned a Valentine’s Day project at school. He ends up finding out that love... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: random apps of kindness
February 12, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
Some people thrive on conflict. Not us. We’re happiest when things are running smoothly and everyone is getting along. Nonetheless, we’re secretly thrilled by the conflict that has erupted between apps and traditional SGDs. — Here’s what we love about this conflict. 1. We LOVE that the technology that launched this controversy has raised the public’s awareness of AAC as an option. AAC in the local papers and New York Times. AAC on 60 minutes and segments of the nightly news. No matter how you feel about apps versus traditional SGDs, you gotta love the fact that more people now know that there are tools out there for people with little or no functional speech. – 2. We LOVE that AAC technology has progressed to a point where there is something to argue about. When I started my AAC career, the Express 3 (PRC), Zygo 100 (Zygo), and the HandiVoice... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Apps, historical perspective, SGD, technology