April 20, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Looking for a short video to help families new to AAC get started using it at home? In today’s featured video, SLP Liv Meriano of the Down Syndrome Resource Foundation offers concrete suggestions for how to support children with AAC needs at home. Take a look. Many thanks to Liv and the Down Syndrome Resource Foundation for this helpful and engaging video. Direct Link to Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKffahOXTGo&ab_channel=DSRFCANADA
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
April 19, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Tuesday, AAC friends! Once a week we invite you to share your own AAC-related content, product news, or anything else that you’d like others in the AAC community to know about. It may be a recent post you’ve written, a slide deck from your AAC presentation, a handout, video, or meme that you’ve posted online, an AAC product you’ve created, an announcement for an AAC course or conference, or any other prAACtical content you developed and want to share with the AAC community. To post your own link, scroll all the way down to the bottom of this post and complete the form. Enter the URL and the name/title in the boxes provided below. If you are on a mobile device, click over to the full website version to do this. The AAC Link Up is moderated to keep us from being spammed so it may take a little... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
April 18, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
It doesn’t get as much attention as other disabilities in the AAC community, but some people with complex communication needs can trace the cause of their disability to Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy (HIE). April is HIE Awareness Month so today we’re sharing information and resources for those who want to learn more. Let’s start by breaking down the term HIE. Hypoxic = lack of oxygen Ischemic = restricted blood flow Encephalopathy = affecting the brain Whether diagnosed as newborns or later in development, this form of brain injury is frequently associated with other conditions, such as cerebral palsy, seizure disorders, limited hearing and vision, feeding difficulties, and developmental challenges. There are many causes of HIE, including uterine ruptures and placental issues, near drowning, cardiac arrest, and other things that interrupt oxygen flow to the brain. By some estimates, 75-80% survive HIE, 50-70% experience seizures, and 40-50% develop a permanent developmental disability.... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
April 17, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends! Here is some AAC reading and viewing that may be of interest. Monday – (Re)Building a Desire to Use AAC: 3 Activities to Try Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Partner Assisted Scanning to Spell Messages Thursday – Throwback Thursday: Ideas for an AAC-friendly Earth Day —————————————————————— And while you’re here, check out some of these past posts. 5 Ways to Promote Consistent AAC Use Twin Powers Unite: Teaching AAC and Sight Words Pragmatic Skill Instruction and AAC with Matthew Baud and Dr. Jill Senner Parent Collaboration in AAC Therapies PrAACtical Questions with Vicki Clarke: What’s the Role of Core Vocabulary? Video of the Week: Telepractice in AAC – Working with What You’ve Got
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
April 14, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
For today’s Throwback Thursday, we’re reprising a past post with ideas for an AAC-friendly Earth Day. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Looking for some fun Earth Day activities that can be used for AAC practice and language learning? Here are some ideas for you. Learn about the importance of Earth Day with this book from Boardmaker. Getting to the Core of Earth Day Let’s Read Let’s Create Write an acrostic poem like this one by Donna O’Reilly. Make infused water for a planet-friendly drink using these resources from the AAC Language Lab. Play Earth Day BINGO with these LessonPix materials by Liz Sturgill. Let’s Go Outside! Make some Earth Day waffles with this recipe from Shevi Greebel. Create a language experience survey. Here are some possible questions for your survey What are your favorite outdoor activities? Tell me about a time when you had an outdoor adventure. What are some ways that you reuse and... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
April 13, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Partner-assisted scanning is a versatile access strategy that can be extremely beneficial for people with significant motor challenges. In today’s featured video, AAC expert and master clinician John Costello discusses how to use it for spelling and demonstrates this powerful strategy. You can learn more and download a copy of the communication materials here. Direct Link to Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyBkofHqBkY&t=6s&ab_channel=JohnCostello
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
April 12, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Tuesday, AAC friends! Once a week we invite you to share your own AAC-related content, product news, or anything else that you’d like others in the AAC community to know about. It may be a recent post you’ve written, a slide deck from your AAC presentation, a handout, video, or meme that you’ve posted online, an AAC product you’ve created, an announcement for an AAC course or conference, or any other prAACtical content you developed and want to share with the AAC community. To post your own link, scroll all the way down to the bottom of this post and complete the form. Enter the URL and the name/title in the boxes provided below. If you are on a mobile device, click over to the full website version to do this. The AAC Link Up is moderated to keep us from being spammed so it may take a little... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
April 11, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Jessa is learning to use an AAC app that is rich in core vocabulary. Despite dual diagnoses of autism and Down Syndrome, she’s picking it up quite well. Jessa’s not very keen on coming to therapy, though, and often puts her head down on the table to avoid engagement. Matthew goes with the flow. With more than a decade of therapy under his belt, he’s “learned to comply” and will generally follow directions that are given to him. For the most part, though, he seems to use his AAC because the adults want him to. Interaction using his AAC system doesn’t seem to bring Matthew much satisfaction. Kristina is a pretty proficient AAC user. Most people don’t realize that, though, because she tends to communicate in single words or short sentences. The other students in her special education classroom are far less communicatively competent, so when Kristina engages with 2-word... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
April 10, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. We have some posts that you may be interested in. Monday – Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month 2022 Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Equitable Health Access to Health Care for AAC Users Thursday – AAC Goal Writing with Lauren Enders: Tools to Support Identification of AAC Learning Targets :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: If you are looking to do some book-related AAC teaching this week, check out some of Karen Natoci’s popular literacy-focused posts from the archives. PraAACtically Reading with Karen Natoci It’s Okay To Be Different I Like Myself Yo! Yes? The Family Book Hello Baby The Five Senses Are You My Mother? Over on the Farm (with Karen Baca)
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
April 7, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
We’re ending the week with some wonderful resources shared by AAC expert, Lauren Enders. In her continuation of the Goal Writing series, she reviews some important tools that can help in determining which skills to target when writing goals for AAC learners. You can see other posts in this series using the links below. AAC Goal Writing with Lauren Enders 5 Common Challenges Laying a Solid Foundation :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: In the first post of this series, you learned that you are in good company if you find AAC goal writing to be intimidating. Thankfully, you were also assured that despite the learning curve, you CAN write meaningful goals for AAC learners given the right tips, tools, and guidance. In the second post, you learned how the Four Communicative Competencies (Linguistic, Operational, Social, and Strategic) (Light et al., 1989, Light & McNaughton, 2014)) plus Psychosocial or Emotional Competency (Light & McNaughton, 2014, Blackstone... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking