March 27, 2019
by Carole Zangari -
Have you worked with AAC learners who’ve acquired a good deal of knowledge about their SGD but communicate primarily in single symbol messages? In today’s featured video, veteran SLP Susan Berkowitz provides helpful information on this topic. This archived presentation, AAC Users-Moving Beyond Single Words, was part of the wonderful AAC in the Cloud Conference hosted by Coughdrop in 2018. Handouts for this session can be downloaded here. Heartfelt thanks to the entire team at Coughdrop for organizing their wonderful conferences and making these presentations available. Coughdrop continues to host this amazing online conference which is free to participants around the globe. You can register for the 2019 AAC in the Cloud Conference here. You can learn more from Susan at her blog, Kidz Learn Language. Direct Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8D_-yjcVhE
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: language intervention, sentence building, single word messages
March 20, 2019
by Carole Zangari -
Our video for today helps us think about some of the linguistic underpinnings of AAC systems. Hosted by Liberator Australia, AAC (Re)Boot Camp: It’s Not About the Technology, is presented by Russell Cross, who always seems to find a way clear and engaging way to discuss complex language concepts as they relate to AAC. Many thanks to Russell and Liberator Australia for making this presentation available. Direct Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKTP9w69zXs
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: AAC symbols, vocabulary
March 13, 2019
by Carole Zangari -
Over 100 young children with AAC needs and their parents participated in research to look at the ways that their communication changed when families were trained to provide support. For today’s featured video, we turn to the Edmonton Regional Learning Consortium (ERLC) and the Alberta Regional Professional Development Consortia (ARPDC) to learn more about what research teams led by Drs. Maryann Romski and Rose Sevick found out. Learn about the methods and strategies they used in this archived webinar. Many thanks to the ERLC. the ARPDC, and Drs. Romski and Sevcik for making Parent-Coached Augmented Language Intervention for Toddlers available. Direct Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=373&v=rnILKJu_ai0
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: AAC implementation, coaching, Maryann Romski, research, Rose Sevcik, young children
March 6, 2019
by Carole Zangari -
Planning AAC evaluations can be confusing and overwhelming. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if there was a tool to guide us in planning what sorts of assessment activities to do with the various individuals on our caseloads or in our classrooms? Today, we look at the AAC Assessment Planning Tool (APT) developed by the Grant Wood Area Education Agency AAC Resource Team team in Iowa. In this short video, you learn about the APT. Check out this slide deck for more on the APT. You can download the APT here. Many thanks to everyone at Grant Wood AEA for creating and sharing this wonderful tool. Direct Link to Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NmgSSWqA8I&feature=youtu.be
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: assessment, assessment tools
February 27, 2019
by Carole Zangari -
How can we help individuals who are in the earliest phases of communicative development become more effective in expressing themselves? In this video, Dr. Cynthia Cress, from the University of Nebraska, discusses ways that we can use the Communication Signal Inventory and other strategies to document current skill repertoires and develop intervention plans these beginning communicators. You can access the handouts here. Many thanks to Dr. Cress and to the Edmonton Regional Learning Consortium for creating this archived webinar and making it freely available. Direct Link to Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26HM8K2Xu84
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: beginning communicators, Cynthia Cress, emerging communicators, gesture dictionaries
February 20, 2019
by Carole Zangari -
How can we use modeling to help AAC learners move toward linguistic competence? In today’s featured video, Dr. Melissa Malani has lots of ideas for how to do this in the context of shared book reading. Many thanks to Melissa and the wonderful team at Saltillo for creating this presentation and making it widely available. Direct Link to Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehvAwtDX-lM
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: aided language input, modeling, shared reading
February 13, 2019
by Carole Zangari -
Social stories(TM) are a type of narrative that are used to help learners with social pragmatic and other difficulties gain a greater understanding of a particular context, skill, or concept. For example, we may use social stories to help a preschooler understand what happens in a fire drill or at a birthday party. We may write social stories for a high school student who asks overly personal questions or talks only about their own favorite topics. First developed by Carol Gray, these stories are written using a specific process so that they meet 10 defining criteria. Both the process of writing social stories and the narrative structure that is used in this genre differentiates them from other types of social narratives. You can see examples of well-written social stories here and learn more about the early history of social stories here. Ready to get started learning how to write ‘real’ social... [Read More...]
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: Carol Gray, social narrative, social stories, TASN
February 6, 2019
by Carole Zangari -
We’ve mentioned Tar Heel Reader many times here at PrAACtical AAC, but are still encountering people who don’t yet utilize this game-changing resource and those who aren’t aware of some of its most powerful features. In today’s post, we highlight some videos that will help you get started reading (and writing) with one of the world’s most important literacy tools for individuals with significant disabilities. Overview Direct Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSmP4qwQNkU&index=7&list=PLPOEH_2JO5cUEvngWh4RmO-imE7Mosqjt Tutorial by the Pacer Center Direct Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MF3yGOW3KQs&index=1&list=PLPOEH_2JO5cUEvngWh4RmO-imE7Mosqjt Write and Publish a Book in Tar Heel Reader (Gary Bishop) Direct Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91b4UQwgaNc&list=PLPOEH_2JO5cUEvngWh4RmO-imE7Mosqjt&index=3 Are you using Tar Heel Reader in your work with AAC learners? We’d love to hear about it. —
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: reading, Tar Heel Reader, writing
January 30, 2019
by Carole Zangari -
Where can I find information on the various AAC apps that address core vocabulary and resources to help with teaching it? Today, we turn to an archived webinar from CALL Scotland to learn from Gillian McNeill. Many thanks to Gillian and CALL Scotland for this helpful presentation. Direct Link to Video: https://www.callscotland.org.uk/professional-learning/webinars/WEB128/
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: CALL Scotland, core vocabulary
January 23, 2019
by Carole Zangari -
What are some of the ‘big ideas’ that we should have in mind as we approach the process of selecting AAC supports for an individual student? There is much to consider during this process, as SLP and AT Specialist Chris Bugaj notes in today’s featured presentation. Thank you to the Commonwealth of Virginia’s TTAC Program for making the archived sessions from their TechKnowledgy Conferences available to all. Click here for the handout for this session. Note: You may need to create a free account in order to view this video. Also, you can check out their upcoming TechKnowledgy Conference here.
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: assessment, AT consideration, schools