December 19, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. Here are some posts from our prAACtical week. Monday – PrAACtical Questions: “What Does a Robust AAC System Look Like?” Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: AAC & Board Games Thursday- Self-Advocacy & AAC: 5 Skills to Consider Targeting ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: If you can squeeze in a few more, take a look at some of these posts from the archives. PrAACtically Reading with Karen Natoci: Hello, Holidays! How We Do It: Using AAC to Repair Communication Breakdowns Data Collection for the Beginning AAC User: Essential Things to Measure AAC & ASD: Beyond Scripting More Words, Please! Expanding Our Manual Communication Boards Activity Schedule AACtion Wishing all of you the magic of the season!
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
December 16, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Many AAC users need support from family, friends, and professionals in learning to advocate for themselves. Therapists and educators can support this process in many ways, starting with their ability to recognize all communicative acts and respond in respectful ways. At times, formal instruction and intervention are necessary to build specific skills that make it possible to advocate for one’s views and interests. If you are supporting AAC users who are learning to advocate for themselves, here are some skills to consider targeting. Protesting and Rejecting: Objecting to events around us and refusing things that are offered are early-developing communicative functions that don’t seem to get enough attention. These are critical skills for all of us and AAC learners should be given the opportunity to develop a variety of strategies for this type of expression. Ranking: When AAC users can express their preferences by rank ordering different options, they can... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
December 13, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
“We use core boards in our classroom to ensure everyone has access to basic communication but our students need more language. I keep hearing that students with complex communication needs should have access to ‘robust’ systems but I’m not sure what that really means.” Many classrooms now use a universal system for core vocabulary so that all students have access to a basic set of words. This buys them some time to consider what the specific needs of their students are and plan a comprehensive assessment that will lead to individualized communication aids. As they approach that next step, the team is often looking to develop a more comprehensive AAC system that addresses the student’s current needs and abilities but also sets the stage for further growth and development of communication skills. What makes an AAC system robust? Multiple Components: An ‘AAC system’ is comprised of different elements that work... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
December 9, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Today we are revisiting posts on the topic of IEPs and how to best incorporate AAC and AT. Hope you find them helpful. Aided AAC & the IEP How I Do It: AAC in the IEP PrAACtical Resources: AT & the IEP AAC & the IEP: 5 Resources to Explore 5 Reasons to Put AAC Training for Staff and Parents into the IEP AAC in Secondary School: Centering AAC Users in the IEP Planning Process Part 1 Part 2 How I Do It: Writing IEP Goals for Students Who Use AAC with Lauren Enders
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
December 6, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Students with disabilities rarely play an important role in developing and discussing the plan that guides their educational experiences, the IEP. That needs to change. Today, we’re delighted to welcome back AAC SLP Ashley Larisey to continue an important discussion on this topic. Ashley Larisey, an SLP at Community High School District 218 in Oak Lawn, Illinois, discusses ways to support students who use AAC as they prepare to transition out of school in the AAC in Secondary School series. Ashley, who is also an Adjunct Clinical Supervisor and Instructor at Saint Xavier University, has some prAACtical suggestions that are important for school teams, students who use AAC, their families, and school administrators. You can find Ashley’s first post on this topic here. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Centering AAC Users in the IEP Planning Process Part Two: Putting It into Action Last month, we discussed different strategies for including AAC users in the... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
December 5, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. Here are some posts you might like. Monday – December Year of Core Vocabulary & School Year of Core Vocabulary Words Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Assessing Classroom AAC Practices Thursday – Throwback Thursday: AAC & the Teenage Years Friday – PráctiCAAmente Conectados Con Links Still have time for a little more AAC? Here are some of our suggestions. 10 Apps to Gift an AAC SLP Helping Beginning Communicators Expand Their Sentence Length 5 Ways to Make Semantic Maps More Effective in AAC Therapy PrAACtically Reading with Karen Natoci: The Family Book How I Do It: A Year of Core Words in Action Have a great week, everyone!
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
December 2, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Teenagers are a fun and exciting group to work with. In today’s post, we reach into the archives for some past posts that address some of the issues that arise in serving this age group. Starting AAC in the Teen Years: 3 Considerations for Families & Practitioners How I Do It: Starting AAC with Teens & Young Adults by Angela Adams How I Do It: Pocket Flipbooks for Adults & Teens How I Do It: Pocket Flipbooks for Adults & Teens, Part 2 How I Do It: Pocket Flipbooks for Teens, Part 3 How I Do It: Conversation Practice with Teens and Young Adults by Angela Adams Faces of AAC – Zainab Omar Let’s Hit the Town, AAC Style Bridging Literacy and AAC for Adolescents Communication Strategies for Adolescents as They Transition through Adulthood AAC in Secondary School: Defining Age Respectful
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
November 29, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
In 2013, when schools and other clinical programs were expanding their emphasis on teaching core vocabulary words, PrAACtical AAC published a set of resources for families and professionals that included symbol cards, sample sentences to model, activity suggestions, and more. All of these were 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). Over the years, the resources were expanded and grew to include a wonderful series of calendars with daily activity suggestions developed by AAC SLP and co-founder of Talking AAC, Rachael Langley. There were many other contributors over the years who added to these efforts. In 2020, a new series was launched, School Year of Core Vocabulary Words, authored by guest contributors Michaela Sullivan, Alisa Lego, and... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
November 28, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. We have some posts that you might like. Monday – AAC Fair Testing Practices: Implementation & Beyond Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: ‘Twas The Night Before Thanksgiving Thursday – A Day To Be Thankful Before you go, we have a few more posts that may be of interest. PrAACtically Reading with Karen Natoci: I Eat Thanksgiving Dinner PrAACtically Reading with Karen Natoci: Hello, Holidays! 5 Different Gifts to Give To A Classroom PrAACtical Ideas: AAC Core Vocabulary Practice for Workshops and Inservices Video of the Week: Helping Students with Autism Prepare for Non-routine Events
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
November 25, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
grat·i·tude /ˈɡradəˌt(y)o͞od/ noun the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness Today, we pause to reflect on our blessings and offer thanks. We’re grateful for: The people who use AAC and their families for all they do to help us get better at this business of supporting communication Service providers in homes, schools, clinics, hospitals, and community agencies The university programs that have a dedicated AAC class, especially if they have a permanent faculty member with expertise in this area Bonus thanks to those that also offer supervised clinical or student teaching experiences with AAC mentorship opportunities or an AAC lab with SGDs, AAC apps, switches, and mounts. The professional and service organizations that support AAC through professional development opportunities, grants, mentorship programs The power of e-communication platforms for the AAC support on listservs, blogs, groups, threaded discussions, and through the sharing of images and... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking