August 1, 2019
by Carole Zangari -
We’re thrilled to continue our series on visual supports, guest authored by AAC SLP Tabi Jones-Wohleber. Tabi has been an AAC service provider for many years and graciously offered to share some of her resources with our PrAACtical AAC readers. In today’s post, Tabi focuses on supplemental AAC supports that promote communication throughout the day. Be sure to download the files for the templates and resources she is sharing. In case you missed them, here are the links to the previous posts in this series. Part 1: Visual & Environmental Countdown Part 2: Organizing Time & Tasks Part 3: Self-Regulation & Understanding Expectations :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: PrAACtically Visual: Visual Supports for Communication Across Activities and Environments As the near entirety of this site is dedicated to resources for AAC implementation and access for individuals with complex communication needs, I’m not going to attempt to summarize here, as I have with the other... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: downloads, Tabi Jones-Wohleber, visual supports
July 30, 2019
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 camp 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
July 29, 2019
by Carole Zangari -
The summer is zooming by here in Florida and lots of professionals and families are starting to think about heading back to school. Teachers, therapists, and aides play a pivotal role in helping AAC learners develop skills with core vocabulary so that they have a body of words that can be used across activities, environments, and communication partners. There are lots of ‘right’ ways to support these students. Among them is an instructional approach in which a new set of core words is introduced every few weeks in order to build their experiences with AAC. Our Year of Core Words materials has two versions, Set 1 (12 words/month) and Set 2 (16 words/month; Different than the previous year’s core words). If you’ve been following along, or are just getting started, these resources may be of interest. Set 1 Words: any, bring, day, fall, give, hot, job, know, other, sick, sorry, together Set 2 Words: aide,... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: A Year of Core Words, Another Year of Core Words
July 28, 2019
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. Here are some posts you may have missed. Monday – AAC Resources for Core Vocabulary Teaching Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: A Recipe for Summer AAC Thursday – PrAACtically Visual: Supports for Self-regulation & Understanding Expectations :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Here are a few more to explore before you go. Why We Love Language Experience Activities 5 Things to Do If You’re Not Confident Teaching Core Vocabulary Building Sentence Length through Conversational Routines & Games 5 Quick & Easy Games That Build AAC Skills 5 Ways to Promote Generalization of AAC Use Have a great week, AAC friends!
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: activities, core vocabulary, self-regulation, summary post
July 25, 2019
by Carole Zangari -
Looking to up your game in creating and using visual supports in your AAC work? Sit tight because the post below has plenty of information and downloadable files to help you out. Today, AAC SLP Tabi Jones-Wohleber is back to continue her series, this time focusing on supports for self-regulation and comprehending expectations for different situations. Tabi has worked in schools and early intervention supporting families, professionals, and individuals with AAC needs in West Virginia and Maryland. Tabi’s prAACtical approach to supporting AAC professionals has enriched the work of many of our readers. If you missed the initial segments in the series, you can get those here. Part 1 Part 2 Visual and Environmental Supports for Self-regulation & Understanding Expectations I hold the position that all behavior is communication. Attending to what an individual is attempting to communicate through behavior provides insight into why the behavior is occurring. And to... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: downloads, Tabi Jones-Wohleber, visual supports
July 23, 2019
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 camp 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: AAC Link Up, PrAACtical Thinking
July 22, 2019
by Carole Zangari -
Let’s start the week with some downloadable resources for those of you teaching core vocabulary. Today, we’ll head to the online marketplace for educators, Teachers Pay Teachers, to check out some of the free AAC resources. Enjoy! DIY AAC Visuals Freebie (Speechy Musings) Customizing AAC Systems Top 10 Tips for Augmentative Communication Users (Susan Berkowitz) Word of the Week: Come (Sister SLPs) Visual Supports/AAC for Pizza and Birthday Cake Toys (Speech Universe) Expressing Negatives Lesson Plan (AAC Language Lab)
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: core vocabulary, downloads, resources
July 21, 2019
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. Here are some posts you may have missed. Monday – PrAACtical Resources: A Potpourri of Visual Supports, AAC Handouts, & More Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Thinking Beyond the Device – What Autistic Adults who Use Speech & AAC Can Teach Us Thursday – PrAACtically Visual: Supports to Organize Time and Tasks ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Before you go, here are a few of Karen Natoci’s popular literacy-focused posts to check out. PrAACtically Reading with Karen Natoci: Yo! Yes? PrAACtically Reading with Karen Natoci: The Family Book PrAACtically Reading with Karen Natoci: Hello Baby PrAACtically Reading with Karen Natoci: The Five Senses PrAACtically Reading with Karen Natoci: Are You My Mother?
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Books, Karen Natoci, reading, summary post
July 18, 2019
by Carole Zangari -
We’re glad you’ve returned for Part 2 of Tabi Jones-Wohleber’s series on Visual Supports. As an AAC specialist, Tabi uses these with children who have complex communication needs and teaches others to incorporate them as well. Let’s learn some of the ways in which visual supports can be used to help with organization, transitions, and independence. You can click on the images in the Downloadable Templates section to obtain the visual support files. If you’re interested in seeing more of Tabi’s work, you can check out Part 1 of the series here. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Visual and Environmental Supports to Organize Time and Tasks “But he knows his schedule” isn’t the whole picture. We all use schedules to help us manage our time and keep us on track when non-routine activities occur. For instance, you may know your schedule for any given Tuesday, but what about that Tuesday when you have... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: implementation ideas, visual schedules, visual supports
July 16, 2019
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 camp 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