March 15, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
Although AAC implementation may look different around the world, the right to communicate is universal. In today’s video, we share a conversation on key issues featuring Dr. Ensa Johnson (researcher and educator), Netsai Gwata (educational psychologist), Faatima Ebrahim (occupational therapist), and Vuledzani Ndanganeni (speech-language pathologist). Many thanks to the panelists and the Margaret McNamara Educational Grants for this insightful discussion. Direct Link to Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=Ve_8uMFszf0&ab_channel=MargaretMcNamaraEducationGrantsMMEG
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
March 13, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
We continue to dive into our AAC Implementation Framework, guest authored by AAC SLP Vicki Clarke. In this post, Vicki discusses the way that she approaches AAC training when working with school teams. She shares lots of prAACtical ideas and resources to use in this process. You can see the earlier posts in the AAC Implementation Framework series using the links below. Steps to Learning Step 1, Determining the Target ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: AAC 101 Steps of Learning: TRAIN In Step Two, we begin the process of training HOW we say the word or message we are targeting. We are learning where the symbol lives on our AAC system, what it looks or sounds like, the motor sequence to navigate through pages on our AAC applications, and of course, signing or saying the word, if that’s appropriate. The most significant thing to remember at this step is that we are not specifically... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
March 12, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. Enjoy some AAC content from our prAACtical week. Monday – PrAACtical Heroes: Judith Heumann Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Helping Parents Model AAC at Home Thursday – Throwback Thursday: Visual Supports ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Stick around for a bit more if you can. Here are some posts that may be of interest. Let’s Go Outside! 5 PrAACtical Ideas At the Very Beginning: Working with Pre-Intentional Communicators Sometimes I Feel Sunny AAC Access for Individuals with Significant Motor Limitations Through Partner-Assisted Scanning Supporting AAC Learners in Emergent Writing: 5 Helpful Resources
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
March 7, 2023
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: PrAACtical Thinking
February 27, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
Only a small percentage of people with complex communication needs get the AAC support they need. Though AAC is becoming more widely accepted, the huge gap between the people who need AAC and those who get adequate AAC support is longstanding and pervasive across service delivery standards. There are many fine people who work tirelessly to make changes to this unfortunate reality, and we are deeply grateful for their work. They are exhausted, hard-working, frustrated, and represent various stakeholder groups. Still, there are far too many professionals who fail to provide AAC support to those they work with who need to use other means of communication. How can we change their perspective in ways that will steer them in the direction of providing AAC support? How we talk and write about AAC matters. It’s only a small piece of this challenging conundrum, but one that, nonetheless, can contribute to systems... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
February 26, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. We have some posts you might enjoy. Monday – 5 Books for AAC Professionals Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: AT Resources for Writing Thursday – March Year of Core Vocabulary & School Year of Core Vocabulary Words ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Some of our AAC friends are beginning to prepare for upcoming IEPs so our thoughts have been turning to the classroom, curriculum, and academics. Here are some of the posts we’ve been revisiting. Take a look. Integrating AAC Instruction with Curriculum Standards Research Tuesday: Literacy Instruction for Students with Significant Disabilities Educating Students with Complex Support Needs in a Standards-Aligned System PrAACtical Partnerships: AAC and Academics Helping the General Education Team Support Students Who Use AAC
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
February 23, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
Planning for comprehensive core vocabulary instruction? The Year of Core Vocabulary Words and The School Year of Core Vocabulary Words, two series of monthly resources for core vocabulary teaching, both have resources that can be helpful to therapists, educators, and families. We’re reprising those posts for anyone interested in following along and utilizing the resources developed by quite a few people in the AAC community. 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... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
February 16, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
If you’re in the role of supporting people with AAC needs who have vision difficulties, this edition of Throwback Thursday is for you. Check out these previously published articles and videos. Supporting Communication Development in Children with Vision and Hearing Impairments AAC & CVI: Can We Chat? Video of the Week: Exploring the Complexity of CVI and CCN Video of the Week: CVI – The Everyday Impact on People Who Use AAC Video of the Week: Supporting the Communication Needs of Children with CVI Video of the Week: The SLPs Role in Cortical Visual Impairment
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
February 14, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Valentines Day, 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... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
February 13, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
Today, we continue our series sharing an AAC Implementation Framework for classrooms, featuring guest author, Vicki Clarke. In her initial post, Vicki shared the contours of the framework. In this post, she digs into the specifics, with prAACtical strategies and downloadable forms that you may find helpful. Don’t miss the video at the end. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: AAC 101 Steps of Learning: Step One- Target In Step One, we will be determining which words and messages we need to specifically target for instruction. We often complete the step, not only for targeting specific words and messages, but also when we are first designing the AAC system that our students will be using. We will use three techniques to choose our target words and messages: Consider which words and messages are important to the individual student, their family, friends, and teacher. We will be asking all of these partners for their input as we... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking