January 24, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. We’re so glad that you’re here to check out some posts from the past week. Monday – PrAACtical Conversations: AAC Decision-making with Talking Mats Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Supporting Core Vocabulary in a Life Skills Classroom Thursday – 5 Books for AAC Professionals ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 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?
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
January 21, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Reading blogs and websites is a great way to get information on practical aspects of AAC. For a deeper dive, consider digging into some of these books. Augmentative and Alternative Communication: Engagement and Participation by Erna Alant Multimodal AAC for Individuals with Down Syndrome by Krista Wilkinson and Lizbeth Finestack Augmentative and Alternative Communication: Models and Applications, 2nd Edition by Filip Loncke Augmentative and Alternative Communication Intervention: An Intensive, Immersive, Socially Based Service Delivery Model by Janet Dodd Tele-AAC by Nerissa Hall, Jenifer Juengling-Sudkamp, Michelle Gutmann, and Ellen Cohn Is there a book that’s made a big difference in your AAC work? Use the comments feature to share your thoughts.
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
January 18, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Today, we welcome back SLT Katherine Small, an AAC Consultant at the Ace Centre, for the second in her series about working with Talking Mats. In her previous post, Katherine shared her experience in implementing Talking Mats with her clients. In this post, she discusses her role in developing a tool designed to help potential AAC users become more active participants in the decision-making process around using and selecting AAC tools. Readiness for AAC is a free resource that can be used to help explain the process of AAC evaluations and options to people with complex communication needs and engage them in sharing their thoughts and preferences. My Experience as Part of the Development of the ‘Readiness for AAC’ Talking Mats Resource When Ace Centre began a collaboration with Talking Mats to create some new mats about AAC topics I was thrilled to get to be part of the project... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC assessment, self-advocacy
January 17, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. If you enjoy talking about academics, language intervention, and AAC, I invite you to join me for “Bridging the Gap: Addressing the Academic Difficulties of Students Who Successfully Use AAC” with Dr. Gloria Soto & AAC Master Clinician Gail Van Tatenhove (more information at https://bit.ly/3qrnQp8). We also have some posts that may be of interest. Take a look. Monday – AACtual Therapy: Using Talking Mats to Support People with Complex Communication Needs Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: AAC Evaluations Thursday – PrAACtically Martin Luther King, Jr Day :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Still have an appetite for some AAC reading? These posts from the archives may be of interest. Reducing Prompt Dependence in AAC Learners: 5 Things to Try When Helping Isn’t Helping: Prompt Awareness in AAC Instruction 5 Things to Consider About Prompts in Teaching AAC Creating AAC Implementation Plans Using AAC to Repair Communication... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
January 14, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
It’s a good day to expand our resource toolkit. Here are some links to explore if you’re looking to integrate AAC and language learning with content about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Martin Luther King Jr Song (Video) Martin Luther King Jr BrainPop Video & Activities Martin Luther King Jr Reader Make a Mini Book: Martin Luther King Jr Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Mini Unit Martin Luther King Jr Close Reading Comprehension Passages Martin Luther King Jr Flipbook Martin Luther King Jr Activities on Google Slides I Have a Dream Activity & Printable Martin Luther King Jr Acts of Kindness and Justice Martin Luther King Jr: Venn Diagram: Great for practice of core and fringe vocabulary, as well as information-giving (e.g., name, birthday) and comparing/contrasting Martin Luther King Jr I Have a Dream Speech: Wonderful for older learners and those focused on Tier 2 vocabulary, more complex sentences, main idea,... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
January 11, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Talking Mats, a powerful tool for helping people with complex needs share their thoughts and advocate for themselves, is a topic we’ve posted about before. Today, we expand that discussion and learn from SLT Katherine Small, an AAC Consultant at the Ace Centre. In the first of a 2-part series, Katherine shares her experience in implementing Talking Mats with her clients. Enjoy! My Experience as a Practitioner who Uses Talking Mats Before training as an SLT, I had a variety of jobs where supporting people to share their views was key. One of the tools I used was ‘In My Shoes’ and I knew how helpful such tools were when I was trying to make sure I gave clients space to think and a means of expression during important conversations. So when I heard about Talking Mats I knew straight away that it would suit my style of working &... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC assessment, AAC user, AAC User Perspectives, participation
January 7, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Supporting individuals with AAC needs can be a complex process. Even when we have access to the full range of tools we need, have used solid assessment data to plot out the journey, and incorporated evidence-based strategies in our teaching, we often encounter speedbumps or have to take detours. Today, we look back on a handful of past posts that can help us think through some of the challenges that arise. Stimming or Learning? Considerations For Kids Who Repeat Themselves with AAC AACtual Therapy: Chaining in AAC The Role of Meaning Making with Beginning Communicators: Motivating Interactions AAC Mythology v2.0: A Few Misconceptions About AAC Intervention AAC Intervention That Teaches More and Tests Less: Thoughts on Implementation AAC Therapy: When the Lesson Plan Fails Things to Try with AAC Learners who Have Short Attention Spans Have you encountered persistent or puzzling intervention challenges that you’d like us to write about?... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
January 4, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
We’re excited to start off 2021 with a new series focusing on supporting students who use AAC during their high school years. AAC SLP Ashley Larisey is the guest author for the AAC in Secondary School series which will have ideas for specific activities in some months and articles on issues pertinent to secondary school AAC in others. 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. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Introduction to the Series: AAC for Secondary Students Some of the most common questions that I hear from my SLP colleagues are specific to AAC treatment planning and implementation. As a high school AAC SLP, I am privileged to have the opportunity to work with students as they prepare and transition into adulthood. I often find that many SLPs are looking to provide their students... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: education, school
January 3, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. Here are some posts that may be of interest. Monday – PrAACtically January: AAC Resources for A Year of Core Words Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: CommunicationFIRST AAC User Chat with Judy Heumann Thursday – School Year of Core Vocabulary Words: AAC Resources for Month 6 (January) by Michaela Sullivan, Alisa Lego, & Beth Lytle ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Ready for a few more suggestions? Here are some past posts that you might enjoy. PrAACtical Ideas for Repurposing Older AAC Technology 5 AAC Downloads to Use and Share 5 Ways to Make Semantic Maps More Effective in AAC Therapy PrAACtical Resources on Language Development When Helping Isn’t Helping: Prompt Awareness in AAC Instruction
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
December 31, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
As we turn the page on the calendar, we’re also thinking ahead to getting back to school after the holiday season. Today, we share the latest post in the School Year of Core Vocabulary Words series, guest authored by Michaela Sullivan, Alisa Lego, and Beth Lytle. This series focuses on a selected set of words to highlight for the month along with a suggested order in which to teach them. Therapists and teachers will appreciate the Activity Packets, containing sheets on highlighting these words in a variety of activities, and Data Collection Forms. For January, they’re discussing an important intervention strategy, descriptive teaching. If you are new to this series, you may want to review the introduction that our series authors created before delving into this month’s target words. You can see the guest authors’ overview here. You can also review the first 5 months of School Year of Core... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: core vocabulary, school