December 2, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
Even before we can create full sentences or create grammatically correct utterances, we are driven to tell the stories of our lives. Being able to share where we’ve been, what we’ve done, and how that felt is important for both children and adults. In today’s featured video, special educator April Weitkamp discusses how she helps students who use AAC develop their skills in writing personal narratives. Many thanks to April and the Special Education Technology Center (SETC) in Washington for this helpful presentation. Enjoy! Direct Link to Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-QqBhtQF4M&ab_channel=SETCSpecialEducationTechnologyCenter
Filed under: Video of the Week
November 25, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
Helping paraprofessionals become skilled AAC partners is a priority for both school-based professionals and families for students with complex communication needs. In today’s featured video, we hear about this topic from Robby Vickery and Kyle Delahanty, SLPs at the Colorado Facility School. The handout for this presentation can be downloaded here. Many thanks to Robby and Kyle, as well as to CoughDrop for this archived presentation from AAC in the Cloud 2020. Direct Link to Video -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NF1iQrUEz-U&feature=emb_logo&ab_channel=CoughDrop
Filed under: Video of the Week
November 18, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
AAC and literacy apps are a great combination. In today’s featured video, Deanne Shoyer, of Small But Kinda Mighty, shows us how her son uses one of his AAC apps along with Book Creator to build language, literacy, and academics. Take a look. Direct Link to Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdZoDIdol_A&feature=youtu.be&ab_channel=SmallButKindaMighty You can learn more from Deanne here and through these free resources that she created. Learn & Play Outside Guide Planetary Sensory Walk Recipes
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: Literacy & Literacy Instruction, Mobile Devices Phones & Apps
November 11, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
With all the stress of the past few weeks, we thought it would be a good time for a little treat. Today, we’re sharing a sample lesson featuring veteran special educator Amy Campbell. Take a look as she finds a recipe on Tarheel Reader and demonstrates the use of AAC while making a fun snack. Direct Link to Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEW8pUA_UcY&ab_channel=AmyCampbell You can learn more from Amy here.
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: lessons & lesson plans, PODD/Pragmatic Organized Dynamic Display, video
November 4, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
How can we help people with AAC needs develop the skills they need for authentic communication. In today’s featured video, SLP Liz Heisler shares thoughts about the interaction of communicative functions, the context or environment, and the communication partners. Many thanks to Saltillo and Ms. Heisler for this helpful presentation. You can obtain the handouts for this session here. Direct Link to Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LrFLb1qhnM&ab_channel=Saltillo
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: communication functions/intent, Intervention & Instructional Strategies, partner skills & training, video
October 28, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
How can we best empower people with AAC needs to achieve their goals, become autonomous, and fully develop their sense of self? Today, we learn from Stephanie Faso, a graduate student in Communication Studies at San Francisco State University, who discusses this topic and ways in which ableism impacts our perception of individuals with AAC needs. This presentation was hosted by USSAAC with the support of ISAAC. We are grateful to those organizations and to Stephanie for this important webinar. You can download the handout for this session here. Direct Link to Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCjY9e2mUxc&feature=emb_logo&ab_channel=InternationalSocietyforAugmentativeandAlternativeCommunication%28ISAAC%29
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: & Empowerment, AAC Users & Perspectives, advocacy, self-advocacy, self-determination, video
October 21, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
Descriptive teaching is a strategy that is widely recommended to support AAC learners. In today’s featured video, we highlight a quick explainer video that captures the essence of this important strategy. Many thanks to Becca Eisenberg, of Language During Mealtime, for this fun video. Direct Link to Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUKE2i_VnYY&ab_channel=LanguageDuringMealtime
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: descriptive teaching, Language facilitation strategies
October 14, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
How can we strengthen our AAC teams and position them to best serve individuals with complex communication needs? In today’s featured video, we hear from Dana Nieder, who has experienced AAC as a parent and a professional. In this video, she shares her thoughts on team leadership and engagement. This was originally presented as part of PaTTAN’s AAC Talks event. Many thanks to Dana and PaTTAN for making this presentation available. Enjoy! Direct Link to Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfNJo8rdXAo&list=PLCkBP2csbOsstD9Wga4bgj-ZK0-zcRLkr&index=1&ab_channel=PaTTAN
Filed under: Video of the Week
October 7, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
Looking for a motivating AAC activity that is fun for both children and adults? In today’s featured video, SLPs Heather Prenovost and Brittany Toney share ideas on creating and using photo albums to promote AAC use. This activity can be used at home, at school, and in therapy. Many thanks to Heather, Brittany, and Saltillo for creating and hosting this video. You can download the planning form discussed in this presentation here. If you need the no-tech communication board, click here. Direct Link to Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jX8iB85oNjU&ab_channel=Saltillo
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: Families caregivers and home, Language experiences and activities, videos
September 30, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
For individuals with complex communication needs who have motor limitations, access to AAC can be elusive. In today’s featured video, we learn from OT Carrie Luse who co-directs the AT Lab at Community Vision. In this archived presentation from the Wyoming ECHO Project, Carrie helps us understand the options for physically accessing AAC systems and explains ways that we can help AAC learners be successful. There are a number of helpful handouts for this webinar that you can access here. We’re grateful to Carrie and the University of Wyoming ECHO Project for creating this presentation and making it freely available. Direct Link to Video – https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pRdflqYNSHy4htjMOy50AD1hXwrXRnce/view
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: alternative access, Scanning, video