November 23, 2021
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
November 22, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Fair testing practices based on individual needs, abilities, and priorities can be a game-changer for people who use AAC. These are created when teams* come together to engage in collaborative problem-solving and develop a set of guidelines that address an important question: How can we assess this individual so that we are tapping into what they actually know? You can see previous posts in this series here. What Are AAC Fair Testing Practices & Why Should We Use Them? Preparation for the Assessment Modes of Responding in Tests & Assessments The Testing Environment Test Materials Test Administration Procedures Communication & Documentation Today, we explore two final topics. First, we’ll think about the transition from planning our AAC fair testing practices to actually implementing them. Secondly, we’ll consider ways to continue the conversation about these practices with an eye on continuing to refine them over time. TOPIC 14 Implementation: How can... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
November 21, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. Here are some posts that you may have missed. Monday – AAC in School: Classroom Communication Goals Grid – Revised Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: AAC for Emergent Communicators Thursday – AAC Fair Testing Practices: Communication & Documentation ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: While you’re here, check out some of these previously published posts. 5 Ways to Tell If Your Students are Becoming Competent Communicators A Look at PODD Books Using Visual Supports to Bring Music Alive Supports for When Modeling AAC is Hard AACtual Therapy: Use Your Best Spud to Teach Vocabulary With Tanna Neufeld The Critical Nature of Literacy in AAC
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
November 18, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
We’re continuing to discuss strategies for helping teams devise ways to test students who use AAC in ways that allow them to show what they actually know in test-taking situations. For the most part, this involves team discussions and collaborative problem-solving to develop a plan based on each AAC user’s individual needs, abilities, and priorities. Today’s post addresses two important topics: How individuals will communicate during testing and how teams document the ways that assessments are administered to a particular individual. TOPIC 12 Communicating During Testing – How will students express themselves during testing? People who use AAC should always have easy access to the tools they use for communication. In testing, professionals may be tempted to remove or restrict the AAC device during testing, but there are several reasons why this is not a good idea. For starters, we’re violating basic human rights in making communication aids less accessible.... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
November 17, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
How can we support learners who are at the earliest stages of communicative development? In today’s video, we feature a presentation by Yedida Levine Sterenberg, an AAC SLP at the OMER Center for Augmentative and Alternative Communication, that covers this important topic. This video is an archived recording of a session at the 3rd International Conference on Augmentative and Alternative Communication which was held virtually in 2020. Many thanks to Ms. Sterenberg and the conference organizers for making this recording available. Enjoy! Direct Link to Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajfXanz9cgM&ab_channel=AAC2020online
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
November 16, 2021
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
November 15, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
AAC SLP Vicki Clarke is known to long-time readers for her excellent series, AAC Assessment Corner, and her collaboration with Holly Schneider in creating the Dynamic AAC Goals Grid (DAGG-2). Today, we welcome her back to tell us about the revised version of her goal-setting guide designed especially for school settings. Join us in learning about the Classroom Communication Goals Grid and download a free copy. Classroom Communication Goals Grid- Revised https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/AAC-Classroom-Communication-Project-2021-Intro-and-Tools-4219461 It’s been over 5 years since I developed the Classroom Communication Goals Grid. During that time it’s been in use in many of our districts helping teachers and therapists assess the communication skills of their students, select goals relevant to the academic environment, and show progress at annual IEP time. The Grid needed some revision, a little more review of current research, a little reorganization of goals, and a facelift! This article is to introduce you to the... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
November 11, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
We love learning from people who use AAC and sharing their perspectives on things related to supports and services. So when Mike Hipple reached out with an offer to guest post, we jumped on the chance to publish his thoughts. In this post, Mike, an AAC user who founded the Wisconsin AAC Network, shares his experiences and thoughts on AAC and special education. Enjoy! ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: There are many false facts about the augmentative alternative communication community that may interfere with students getting what they need. One AAC false fact that always bugs me as an AAC communicator is all AAC Communicators have a cognitive disability. Mmm, this couldn’t be more wrong. Yes, some do but there is a large number like me that do not. Google says 5.7% of students in public schools during the 2018-19 school year had a cognitive disability. Sadly, when doing research for this paper, I... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
November 8, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
In theory, teenage students with disabilities should play an important role in developing their IEPs and in meetings to discuss them. In practice, this rarely occurs. Today, we’re addressing this important topic with another post in our series focusing on supporting students using AAC during their high school years. AAC SLP Ashley Larisey, an SLP at Community High School District 218 in Oak Lawn, Illinois, is here to discuss ways to support students who use AAC as they prepare to transition out of school. 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 administration. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Centering AAC Users in the IEP Process When supporting older students who use AAC and are quickly approaching adulthood, our Individualized Education Plans (IEPs), goal development, services, and progress monitoring will... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
November 7, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. We have a handful of posts for you. Monday – AAC at Upcoming Professional Conferences: 3 Online Learning Opportunities Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Implementing Comprehensive Literacy Instruction for Students Who Use AAC Thursday – AAC Fair Testing Practices: Test Administration Procedures Friday – PráctiCAAmente Conectados Con Links – Noviembre 2021 :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: While you’re here, why not sample some of these past posts? Organizing Vocabulary for Communication Books: Getting Started More on Teaching Core Vocabulary Join Together Core and Fringe AAC In the Classroom: Considerations for Modeling Core Vocabulary PrAACtical Resources: Mini Communication Boards
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking