October 25, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
It’s prAACtically November and we’re reprising some past posts in two popular series, Year of Core Vocabulary Words and School Year of Core Vocabulary Words. The initial series was 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). Among the many resources are the activity calendars created by AAC SLP and co-founder of Talking AAC, Rachael Langley. There were many other contributors over the years who added to these efforts. The School Year of Core Vocabulary Words, authored by guest contributors Michaela Sullivan, Alisa Lego, and Beth Lytle, was first published in 2020. If you’re following along and utilizing these resources, which were developed by quite a few people in the AAC community, you can access the content for... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
October 24, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. Here are some posts you may have missed. Monday – AAC Goal Writing with Lauren Enders: 5 Common Challenges Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Relationships and AAC Thursday – Growing AAC Professionals: AAC Awareness Month If you’re looking to make this an AAC-friendly Halloween week, check out this post from the archives. Go Away, Big Green Monster is a popular book this time of year. Check out these suggestions for using it to build AAC skills in this post by Maggie Judson and Jeanna Antrim. Halloween makes us think of bobbing for apples and enjoying candy apple treats. If you’re up for some reading about apples, this post from Karen Natoci has some ideas that you might enjoy. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Looking for a few more posts to browse? We’ve got a few suggestions for you. PrAACtically Reading with Karen Natoci:... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
October 21, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Preparing graduate students to become effective clinicians for individuals with complex communication needs goes beyond classroom and clinical experiences. Future clinicians also have to learn how to advocate: for their client, for themselves, for their profession, and for the AAC field. Today, Clinical Associate Professor and SLP Krista Davidson, returns to share more about the teaching pre-professionals in the Communication Sciences and Disorders program at the University of Iowa about AAC Awareness Month. Growing AAC Professionals: AAC Awareness Month I love October! Not only is autumn my favorite season, but it’s also the month we celebrate AAC (although if you’re reading this, and you’re like me, you probably celebrate AAC all year long). Each October I ask my clinical team of students to complete a project in honor of AAC Awareness Month. In the past, they have created educational videos, infographics to share around our building and on social media, and... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
October 18, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Goal writing is a challenging topic even for veteran AAC service providers. Today, we continue the AAC Goal Writing series guest authored by AAC and AT expert, Lauren Enders, who works as an AAC/AT Consultant for Bucks County Intermediate Unit in eastern Pennsylvania. A frequent presenter at local, regional, and national conferences, Lauren uses her knowledge to support families and professionals alike. In this post, she provides suggestions for addressing some of the most common challenges in writing AAC goals and objectives. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: FIVE COMMON AAC GOAL WRITING CHALLENGES In the inaugural post of this series, you learned that if you feel intimidated by the process of writing goals and objectives for AAC learners, you are not alone. AAC goal writing can be intimidating. The good news is that with guidance, resources, tools, and practice, AAC goal writing gets easier. In this post, we’ll examine common AAC goal writing... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
October 17, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. Here are a few posts that you might have missed. Monday – AAC in Secondary School: Collaborative Teaming for High School Students Who Use AAC Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: This Is Not About Me Thursday – AAC Fair Testing Practices: The Testing Environment ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: If you have a little bit more time, these posts from the archives may be of interest. The Faces of AAC: Gretchen and Zach The Faces of AAC: Justyna & Wictoria The Faces of AAC: Dianna & Brian The Faces of AAC: Zainab Omar Enjoy your week, AAC friends!
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
October 14, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Today, we’re continuing our discussion of Fair Testing Practices for people who use AAC and need to participate in assessments. So far, we’ve talked about the rationale for this approach and considered things that we need to address in two areas: Preparation for the assessment and the various options for how to respond when faced with different types of test questions (e.g., multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank). In this post, we turn our attention to things that impact the test environment. Topic 7: Can anyone test this student or are there specific skills and characteristics that the evaluator should possess? There are many things that influence our performance on tests. For individuals who use AAC, it’s important to consider who will be administering the assessment. Here are some topics that teams can discuss to approach this in a way that will be fair to the AAC user. AAC Knowledge and Skills: In most... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
October 11, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
To be effective in supporting students who use AAC during their high school years, professionals have to work together as a collaborative team. Today, AAC SLP Ashley Larisey is back to discuss some of the most common challenges and share solution strategies. Ashley is an SLP at Community High School District 218 in Oak Lawn, Illinois. She is also an Adjunct Clinical Supervisor and Instructor at Saint Xavier University. If you are new to this series, you might want to check out her previous posts in this series here. Be sure to see her video on this topic at the end. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Collaborative Teaming for High School Students Who Use AAC Collaborative teaming is one of the most critical components in maximizing student outcomes for learners who use AAC. However, collaboration is not always easy. Whether it be finding the time, fostering a shared vision, or meaningful implementation, teams report... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
October 10, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. We’ve got a lot to share with you today, starting with these posts from our prAACtical week. Monday – Social Media Images for AAC Awareness Month Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Checking In With The AAC Crew Thursday – Printable Resources for AAC Awareness :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Next up: A few more suggestions for AAC reading PrAACtical Ideas: AAC Core Vocabulary Practice for Workshops and Inservices How I Do It: Working with Multiple Symbol Sets PrAACtically Reading: Over on the Farm with Karen Natoci & Karen Baca 5+ Ways to Make Page Fluffers and Spacers Classroom CORE Book by Tabi Jones-Wohleber (Downloadable file) :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Have you seen the selection of items in the USSAAC Virtual Auction? From AAC apps & software, to AAC equipment (eye gaze, switches, low tech device, & more), to books and therapy materials, memberships (USSAAC Professional and AAC... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
October 7, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Many AAC professionals are known for their generosity in creating and sharing resources to support individuals with complex communication needs. In today’s post, we feature a sampling of some that can be helpful during AAC Awareness Month and beyond. Print and display an AAC Poster. From The AAC Coach: Never Too Late or Early From CoughDrop: Keys to Modeling From Rachael Langley: Subway Art From Lauren Enders: AAC Do/Do Not From Kate Ahern: The Periodic Table of AAC From Noodle Nook: 5 Tips for Communicating with Nonverbal Students From Scope: Speak Up and Be Safe From PrAACtical AAC: More Teaching, Less Testing Share handouts Print, hang, or give someone an AAC awareness image 10 Commandments of AAC Devices Hanen Center: Tips for Parents of Children Who Communicate Without Words Susan Berkowitz: Partner Strategies for Augmentative Communication Scope: AAC Strategies in Healthcare Settings Have fun with AAC memes created by a... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
October 4, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Are you looking for ways to support AAC Awareness Month on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter? If you’re on a mission to help people with complex communication needs get access to AAC, join our efforts to boost the presence of AAC on your social media feeds. Today’s post has a selection of AAC Awareness Month graphics to choose from. These are not branded or watermarked so you can use them freely. Download some Facebook banners and profile images for AAC Awareness Month 2021 by clicking on the images below. Facebook Banner Image Facebook Profile Image Facebook Banner Image Facebook Profile Image You can grab another style of Facebook banner here. Is Instagram your jam? We’ve got you covered. (Click on the images below to download.) Twitter Are you more of a Twitter fan? No worries. We’ve got something for you, too. (Click on the image below... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking