September 27, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Our two series of monthly resources for core vocabulary teaching, Year of Core Vocabulary Words and School Year of Core Vocabulary Words, continue to be used by therapists, educators, and families. 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. We’re reprising those posts for anyone interested in following along and utilizing the resources developed by quite a few people... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
September 26, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. Here are some posts you may have missed in your busy week. Monday – AAC-friendly Library Visits: 5 PrAACtical Ideas Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Teaching Language in the Classroom to Students Who Use AAC Thursday – AAC Fair Testing Practices: Response Modes :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: In the mood for some more AAC exploration? Here are a few suggestions. Building AAC Awareness: Using AAC to Express a Range of Functions From Activity-based AAC to Robust Language: Part 1 From Activity-based AAC to Robust Language: Part 2 Social Stories and Narratives PrAACtically Reading with Karen Natoci: Apples Have a great week, everyone!
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
September 23, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Over the past few weeks, we’ve been talking about the concept of Fair Testing Practices and how that might apply to people who use AAC. If you missed those posts, you can check them out using the links below. Introduction to Fair Testing Practices in AAC AAC Fair Testing Practices: Preparation In today’s post, we consider how students will respond to a number of testing situations. Teams can explore each of the topics listed below, brainstorm possible solutions, and work together to make decisions about how the student will respond with forced-choice questions, open-ended questions, and test items that require physical manipulation of test materials. Topic 4: How will the student answer forced-choice questions, such as true/false or multiple-choice questions? Many AAC users can answer these types of questions the same way that their speaking peers do. Adjustments may be needed for individuals with fine motor difficulties, such as... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
September 21, 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: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
September 20, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
The community of AAC practitioners and families includes many people who have strong connections to their school or community libraries. In today’s post, we share some thoughts and resources on making library visits more accessible and engaging to those with AAC needs. Social narratives are a wonderful, evidence-based way to help AAC learners prepare for the experience of visiting the library. These work best when the pictures and text are customized to fit the specific library situation that the AAC learner will encounter. Here are some examples. Nicole Caldwell’s example of a social narrative Lancaster Public Library Social Narrative for Children Social Narrative for Teens Take a video tour of the library, like this one from Powell River Library. If your local library doesn’t have an online video tour, suggest that they create one or, if you’re feeling ambitious, create your own. Create a visual schedule or picture checklist for... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
September 19, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. We have some posts that you might enjoy. Monday – AAC in Secondary School: Using Games to Support AAC Learning for Older Students Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Text-based AAC Tools Thursday – AAC Round-up: School-based Services ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: If you have time, here are a few more posts to check out. PrAACtical Suggestions: 5 Ways to Elicit Language Without Asking a Direct Question Are you AACtually Listening? PrAACtical Suggestions: How to Get Started with A New AAC Client PrAACtical Questions: How Do I Find Good AAC Service Providers? Have a great week!
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
September 16, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Looking for information on supporting AAC uses in schools? The posts in this list might be helpful. Building an AAC Culture in Schools Back to School AAC Tips 3 Resources for an AAC-friendly School Year Progress Monitoring for Secondary School Students Introducing Middle School Students to AAC Through Project HOPE School-based SLPs: Confidence in AAC Assessment Supporting Students Who Use AAC with School-wide Implementation Roadmap to a Communication Positive School Tips for Supporting Students Who Use AAC in School How We Do It: Incorporating Core Vocabulary Throughout the School Day AAC Goes to High School: The Power of Peers How We Do It: Increasing AAC Acceptance and Making Better Communication Partners In Our School PrAACtical Resources: AAC for School Staff AAC Goes to High School: Community-based Instruction Aided AAC & the IEP How I Do It: AAC in the IEP PrAACtical Resources: AT & the IEP AAC & the IEP:... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
September 13, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Looking for activities that will help in teaching older students to be effective communicators with AAC? AAC SLP Ashley Larisey is back with us to share another post in the AAC in Secondary School series. 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. In today’s post, she shares ideas and resources for using games to support AAC learning by high school students. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Using Games to Support AAC Learning for Older Students It’s no secret that using games is a great way to increase student engagement. Games provide opportunities for language and literacy learning, personal enjoyment, social connectedness, and laughter. Games can be used to target communicative functions like requesting (I want the green piece), commenting (No way!, Me too, Get out of here!), rejecting/refusing (Not that one, Don’t like, Don’t... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
September 12, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. Here are some posts you may have missed. Monday – A PrAACtical Labor Day Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Reading and Talking with AAC Thursday – AAC Round-up: Preschoolers with Complex Communication Needs ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: We’ve got a few more posts for you to browse. On the Same Page: Helping Team Members Recognize and Respond to Unconventional Communication Signals From Referential to Descriptive Teaching with AAC Learners Aided Language Input – How Much Language Should We Model? PrAACtical Resources: Promoting Inclusion and Participation for People Who Use AAC When Students are Reluctant to Use AAC: 5 Things to Try
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
September 9, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Do you support children with AAC needs? Check out this list of posts from the archives with an array of articles and resources. Enjoy! PrAACtically Reading: Books Featuring Children & Youth with Disabilities Parent-Implemented AAC Intervention for Young Children From Wheelchair to Hands-free Walker for Preschool Children with AAC Needs, Part 1, Part 2 Using Vest Displays with Preschoolers on the Autism Spectrum with guest author Dr. Carol Goossens’ Mining the Preschool Routine for PrAACtical AAC Opportunities Supporting Preschoolers with AAC Needs: A Case Study Visual Supports in Action in the Preschool Classroom TELL ME: AAC in the Preschool Classroom TELL ME About It TELL ME AAC Literacy Kits Brown Bear, Brown Bear I Went Walking From Head to Toe Here Are My Hands What Do You Like? Go Away Big Green Monster No, David Come Out and Play, Little Mouse The Lunch Box Surprise If You’re Angry and You... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking