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
October 18, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
We continue our AAC partner training series, authored by SLP Tabi Jones-Wohleber, with a 60-minute session on presuming potential. In addition to her work with the AT Team for Frederick County Public Schools in Maryland, Tabi serves young children and their families at West Virginia Birth to Three programs. You can see the first 8 modules here. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Model as a MASTER PAL Module 9: Presume Potential Presuming potential is a belief system that influences our words and actions both consciously and unconsciously. As such it cannot be overstated that our words and actions shape the nature and trajectory of opportunities for learning, communicating and engaging for those with whom we interact who use AAC. This module showcases a parent perspective, and utilizes many video examples to invite participants into an honest and reflective conversation on the need to shed assumptions about where an individual’s learning will “max out”. It... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC partner training, presume potential, Tabi Jones-Wohleber
October 16, 2018
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 while... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC Link Up
October 15, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Supporting language development through well-planned intervention is a favorite topic here, and it is with pleasure that we feature Indiana-based SLP and ATP, Beth Waite-Lafever. Beth is a speech-language pathologist and has RESNA certification in Assistive Technology. She has worked in the field of AAC over the past 30 years in outpatient rehab, private practice, and public schools. Beth is a frequent presenter at national conferences, including ATIA and Closing The Gap, and teaches monthly online courses in implementation and use of speech generating devices. Currently, she is an SLP and Assistive Technology Coach for MSD Martinsville, a school district 30 miles south of Indianapolis and maintains a private practice. In this post, Beth shares her experiences in using the Expanding Expression Tool in language therapy with students who use AAC. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: EET + AAC = OMG! You may have heard of EET; Expanding Expression Tool, a multi-sensory strategy designed by speech-language... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Beth Waite, language therapy, narrative language