November 5, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Looking for literacy resources to help in your teaching of individuals with AAC needs? Today, we travel to the UK to learn from the team at Communication and Learning Enterprises (CandLE). Their Literacy for All program has been in development for over 15 years and is broken down into 6 elements: Communication Emergent literacy Literacy needs assessment Conventional literacy Thinking skills Mainstream curriculum support On the site, they detail their process for each of these elements and give implementation tips and examples. For those who are interested, they also link to a companion site where their literacy resources are sold. You can explore their site here.
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: CandLE, literacy
November 4, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Happy November, AAC friends! Here are some posts you may have missed in your busy week. Monday – PrAACtically November: AAC Resources for a Year of Core Vocabulary Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Talk AAC with Me Thursday – Building AAC Facilitation Skills with Tabi Jones-Wohleber: MASTER PAL Training, Module 11 (Let the Child Lead) ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Have room for a little more AAC in your day? Here’s a sampling to choose from. Beyond Behavior Problems: How Visual Supports Can Help Our AAC Teaching AAC Intervention: 5 Activities with PrAACtical Potential AACtual Therapy: Positive Behavior Management with Gail Bennell Daylight Savings Time and Behavior Extension Activities for AAC Practice And, finally, if working with young children who have complex communication needs is your thing, we invite you to join us for a full day of preschool AAC in January. (Use the sliding bar on the right to navigate... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: activities, behavior, preschool, summary post
November 1, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Today, Tabi Jones-Wohleber shares the last module in the MASTER PAL training series, which provides tips and strategies for working with children who don’t yet demonstrate joint attention. This module should take 30-40 minutes to present. Join us next week as we do a final wrap-up with suggestions on using this training series in your AAC work. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Model as a MASTER PAL Module 11: Let the Child Lead Facilitator Guidelines It can be really difficult to get communication started with a child who does not demonstrate joint attention. This module explores tips and strategies for traveling with a child on their journey from preoccupation with seeking sensory input/inattention to learning, engaging, and communicating. Because learning emerges from meaningful social emotional experiences, letting the child lead can go a long way toward being invited into their world. Then learning can happen! Here are some things you will need for this... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: child-led therapy, MASTER PAL, Tabi Jones-Wohleber
October 29, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
It’s just about time to turn another page on the calendar, and that means we’re busy preparing materials and activities for our November core words. Are you looking for some ways to help your AAC learners become more competent in using core words? Need to get staff on board with modeling core vocabulary? Trying to get familiar with where core words are stored in a particular SGD or AAC app? Here’s an approach you may want to try: Choose a dozen or so core words to focus on each month. In previous years, we shared lists of some core words to help you do just that. Set 1: A Year of Core (12 words/month) Set 2: A(nother) Year of Core (16 words/month; Note: These are different than the core words covered in 2013) Those posts have links to downloadable grids with the core words for each month that can be used as... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: A Year of Core Words
October 28, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
And just like that, it’s prAACtically time to turn out the lights on another AAC Awareness Month. Before we do, here are some AAC posts that might be of interest. Monday – How We Do It: AAC Training for Educational Assistants Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Realizing the Power of Data Logging Thursday – Building AAC Facilitation Skills with Tabi Jones-Wohleber: MASTER PAL Training, Module 10 (Appropriate Prompting) Friday – AAC Awareness Month 2018: Going Out with a Bang! ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Ready for a little more AAC exploring? Here are a handful of suggestions. Core Values: Suggestions for Language Building with AAC Learners Video of the Week: Supporting AAC Learning Through Non-Directive Language Supporting Language Growth in AAC Learners, Part 1 Supporting Language Growth in AAC Learners, Part 2 Supporting Language Growth in AAC Learners, Part 3 ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Before you go, please help us spread the word in to help... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: #AACaware18, disaster relief, language therapy, summary post, USSAAC
October 26, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
We’re not quite ready to say farewell to another AAC Awareness Month. If you’re still in the mood to spread the word about AAC, you might be interested in some of these resources. If that doesn’t appeal to you, check out the Halloween AAC cards at the end. Click on the images to download the file. Bookmarks AAC Info Card for Halloween Trick or Treaters
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: #AACaware18, AAC Awareness Month, Halloween
October 25, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
The right types of prompts delivered at the right time in the right amount can be enormously powerful in supporting AAC learners. On the other hand, the wrong type of prompt or prompts that offer too much or too little help can impede learning, self-confidence, and cause other problems as well. In today’s continuation of the Model as a MASTER PAL Training Series, Tabi Jones-Wohleber addresses issues related to prompting. As with the other modules, she provides slides, handouts, video links, discussion points and more. This module should take about 30-40 minutes to present. Looking for the earlier modules in the MASTER PAL Series? Check them out here. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Model as a MASTER PAL Module 10: Appropriate Prompting Facilitator Guidelines What it comes to prompting, it’s important to get it right! Inappropriate prompting can result in decreased quality interactions characterized by prompt dependence, passive engagement, and of course poor use of... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC partner training, prompt hierarchy, prompting, Tabi Jones-Wohleber
October 22, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
We’ve been focusing on training communication partners recently and today we’re focusing specifically on paraprofessionals/educational assistants. Our guest post is authored by SLPs Corinna Duffitt, M.Sc., RSLP (practicing for 21 years, 14 years in AAC) and Jennifer Wiegert, M.A., CCC-RSLP (practicing for 21 years, focusing on AAC for the past 6 years). They are colleagues on an AAC team with 4 other SLPs in a large school district in Surrey, BC, Canada. Their school district consists of 101 elementary schools and 20 secondary schools. Corinna and Jennifer are both passionate about giving children a voice and letting that voice uncovers their potential. They recently joined their private practice endeavours, outside of their public school positions, to form Chickadee AAC Communication Services. You can find them on Instagram (@chickadeeaacslps or #chickadeeaac), check in on their website, and/or follow them on Facebook. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: AAC Training for Educational Assistants Some of the challenges we encountered... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC partner training, classroom, educational assistant, paraprofessional, school
October 21, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
It’s been a busy AAC week in our part of the world. Here’s what we’ve been up to. Monday – EET + AAC = OMG! Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Systematic AAC Instruction for Adults Thursday – Building AAC Facilitation Skills with Tabi Jones-Wohleber: MASTER PAL Training, Module 9 (Presume Potential) Friday – Hurricanes, Floods, Fires, & More: AAC Support for Disaster Recovery ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Looking for a few more posts to browse? Take a look. PrAACtically Halloween! Considerations for an AAC-Friendly Holiday Halloween Recipes for Cooking AAC Style 5+ Fun AAC Things to Do to Get Ready for Halloween The Communication Book is Ready! Now, What? AACtual Therapy: Teaching the Use of Social Phrases and Comments
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Halloween, summary post
October 19, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Can you help us get this information into the hands of people in the US and its territories who lost access to their AAC device in a major disaster? With the support of some wonderful donors, USSAAC’s AAC Disaster Relief Committee is able to provide assistance to those whose communication systems got lost or damaged in a hurricane, flood, wildfire, or other major disasters. One of our biggest challenges is getting the word out to those in need. Can you help? To learn more about this project see the graphic below. Use the slider on the right to navigate or click here for the full-sized version.
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: emergency preparedness, USSAAC