December 6, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
When your child has little or no functional speech, it is tempting to jump right into purchasing AAC technology and get started with therapy and instruction. Usually, though, it helps to slow down just a bit. Families who are new to this journey may not realize that the best way to get started is with a good AAC assessment, and, thus, will not know to advocate for that at school or with private service providers. In today’s featured video, Dr. Jill Senner explains the rationale for starting with an AAC assessment and provides an overview of the process. Enjoy! Direct Link to Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7uGjxZDD7I&feature=youtu.be
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: AAC assessment
November 29, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Visual difficulties are common in individuals who use AAC, and few of us know more than ‘the basics’ of vision impairment. If you work with individuals with cortical visual impairment (CVI), this post may influence your selection of AAC and learning materials, how you present them, and much more. In today’s featured video, Dr. Christine Roman-Lantzy provides a detailed explanation of CVI with a focus on how it impacts our AAC learners. Many thanks to USSAAC and ISAAC for hosting this helpful presentation. Direct Link to Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GE23MGY87PQ&feature=youtu.be You can hear more from Dr. Roman-Lantzy here.
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: cortical visual impairment, CVI, vision impairment
November 22, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
There is no doubt that people with AAC needs are incredibly vulnerable in emergency and crime-related situations. In today’s featured video, SLPs Sarah Mankey and Mariesa Rang discuss ways they address this issue proactively and provided free training to firefighters and law enforcement officers in their community. In addition to introducing them to basic concepts in AAC, first responders learned how to communicate with people who use AAC and worked through real-life scenarios. Kudos to these professionals for this important work and to USSAAC and ISAAC for making this video available. Direct Link to Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wuZGcyt-EY
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: crime, Emergency, first responder
November 15, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
If you are confused by the different tools available for AAC assessment or overwhelmed by the complexity of this process, you’re not alone. Given that there is not a standard test battery for AAC assessments, it is understandable that many professionals struggle with this issue. In today’s video, the team at Grant Wood Area AT Program tackle this confusion in a very prAACtical way. They created this brief presentation to delineate assessment tools that can be useful for emergent communicators, context-dependent communicators, and independent communicators. Although the video is a few years old, it may help to clear away some of the AAC assessment fog. Direct Link to Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvrR1EJYTDQ
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: AAC assessment, assessment tools
November 8, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
For AAC learners, one of the most important things we can do to facilitate communication and language growth is to ensure the presence of supportive strategies throughout the school day. Today, we turn to Project ACCESS, from the Florida Department of Education, to learn more about a tool that we can use to analyze key elements of the communication environment. The Design to Learn Environmental Inventory was created by Dr. Charity Rowland (see also the Communication Matrix) and Philip Schweigert. You can learn more about this tool, what it covers, and how to use it in this 2-part series. It was created by Project ACCESS, funded by the Florida Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services, which focuses on helping educational personnel better understand the alternate achievement standards for students with significant cognitive disabilities. Design to Learn Environmental Inventory, Part 1 Part 2 We are grateful to the Florida DOE... [Read More...]
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: assessment, classroom
November 1, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
In most special education settings here in the US, professionals recognize the relationship between problem behavior and communication. For the most part, we’ve gotten better at acknowledging that when people hit, yell, flop to the ground, or throw materials, there’s a reason for their behavior. And many times, the behavior is a means of communicating. How do we determine what the communicative function is? How can we help the person communicate in safer, more effective ways? In today’s featured video, Laura Ferguson, of the Kentucky Autism Training Center at the University of Louisville, addresses these questions. Direct link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-S7eIRvvoL0&list=PL2_i8EyveJe_UNsVzunszW3-Y3dEplws3
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: Challenging Behavior, FCT, problem behavior
October 11, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Would it be helpful to have an overview of some of the most common AT tools in classrooms? Stay tuned! Today’s post features Sharon Plante, and covers a wide range of AT tools that are used for reading, writing, executive functioning, and more. Many thanks to the Center on Technology and Disability for making this available. Direct Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyfDRWatUwU
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: assistive technology, classroom, video
October 4, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Looking for a good overview of core vocabulary? Today, we turn to the Louisiana AT Initiative for a video on this topic by SLP Sharon Edwards. After the video, you can peruse additional resources that the team curated here. Enjoy! Many thanks to Sharon and the team at the Louisiana AT Initiative for making this recording available.
Filed under: Video of the Week
September 27, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Today, we return to CoughDrop’s free online conference, AAC in the Cloud, to share one of the archived presentations. In this session, SLPs Vicki Haddix and JoClaire Merrill share their experiences and ideas on overcoming some of the barriers to effective implementation of AAC supports. Many thanks to the CoughDrop team for organizing the conference and archiving the presentations, and to Vicki and JoClaire for sharing their perspective. Direct Link to Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIB6osi-K4w&index=22&list=PL8oiM_hsU8kYofdlpC4vcYX49yuBZvv9v —-
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: implementation, video
September 20, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
We’ve posted many times on the topic of AAC assessment and selecting the right AAC tools through the feature match process. In today’s featured video, Justin Sims from the Louisiana AT Initiative shares his thoughts on selecting AAC apps. Many thanks to Justin and the wonderful team at LATI for making this available. Direct Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HrkCqOw9zg
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: AAC apps, device selection, feature match