January 11, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
We’re excited by the growing number of professionals who support the AT needs of young children, and, like many of you, always appreciate learning more about the practices of agencies and school systems that have initiatives in this area. It takes a lot of courage to share your practices and approaches, and we respect those organizations willing to do so. In today’s video, we learn about the processes in place in Fairfax County, Virginia which serves approximately 25,000 special education students. Dr. Cheryl Temple and her colleagues Celeste Rodrigo and Malia Waller, explain their process for supporting young children with AT needs, including AAC, in early childhood and preschool classrooms. Many thanks to the Center on Technology and Disability for hosting this webinar and making the recording available. AT Assessments and Interventions: Tots Can Tech, Too You can access the handouts for this session from the CTD website here... [Read More...]
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: assessment, early childhood, preschool, school, toddler
January 4, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Across the world, many adolescents and young adults grew up with little or no access to appropriate AAC services. How can we support the communication needs of this group as they transition to adulthood? In today’s featured video, Pat Ourand has some ideas. Many thanks to her and to the Center on Technology and Disability for making this available. Direct link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0o15ABNqmMg&list=PLRt8N3Siu_0hcGQnJI9ujwCwvNhjRn5IK&index=18
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: adolescent, teen, video
December 21, 2016
by Carole Zangari -
Working with learners who have difficulty transitioning from one activity to the next? Visual schedules are a well-known strategy for supporting transitions, but most of us use pictures to represent the various activities. In some cases, this may not be the best approach. Today’s video describes a case example of a young learner who needed the support of objects. Hear how his team addressed this need and get useful tips for implementation. Be sure to download the handout and supporting resources while you’re there. Many thanks to TASN for making this available. Direct Link to Video: https://www.ksdetasn.org/resources/590
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: object symbols, schedule, visual support
December 14, 2016
by Carole Zangari -
There are a myriad of challenges in addressing the AAC needs of children with CVI. Today’s video, based on a presentation by Drs. Christine Roman-Lantzy and Sarah Blackstone, raises a number of important issues of interest to families and professionals alike. Many thanks to the West Virginia Department of Education for making this video available. http://wvde.state.wv.us/player.php?m=m4&vid=osp/cvi/complex-communication
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: CVI, low vision
December 7, 2016
by Carole Zangari -
Encounters with healthcare providers can range from the mundane (e.g., getting a prescription filled) and routine (e.g., doctor’s appointment) to situations which are more complicated and urgent (e.g., Emergency Room visit, hospital stay). People who use AAC are part of a larger group of individuals whose communication challenges make these situations more complex. In today’s featured video, Dr. David Beukelman discusses ways in which effective communication between patients with communication challenges and their healthcare providers can be supported. This video was part of the USSAAC webinar series, which is made possible through the support of ISAAC. Many thanks to those organizations and the Patient Provider Communication organization whose free resources and information are shared in the presentation. Please consider joining and supporting these organizations so that they can continue to serve the AAC community with information, advocacy, and resources like these. Direct Link to Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uxd-hWODfm8
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: advocacy, healthcare, Medical
November 30, 2016
by Carole Zangari -
When working with learners who use AAC, we often overlook instructional strategies or programs designed for students without disabilities or those with high incidence disabilities. That means we may be missing out on approaches that may be effective for our students. In fact, many AAC learners can benefit from well-designed instruction that was developed for individuals with different kinds of challenges. In this week’s featured video, we return to one of our favorite sources of instructional information, Kansas TASN, to learn more about teaching young children to build their self-regulation skills. Dr. Kristie Pretti-Frontczak discusses a 5-step process for teaching self-regulation to young children during play, giving ample information on how to implement each step. While this approach may not be ideal for all AAC learners, it may well be helpful for some of the students with whom you work. Many thanks to TASN and KSDE Early Childhood, Special Education and... [Read More...]
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: behavior, instructional strategies, play, self-regulation
November 23, 2016
by Carole Zangari -
Looking for information on how to help people with autism and significant communication challenges become readers and writers? Dr. Janice Light has a full webinar on this topic that will certainly be of interest. Many thanks to the AAC RERC for the support in making this available to all.
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: ASD, Instruction, literacy
November 16, 2016
by Carole Zangari -
Have you been tuning into the USSAAC webinar series? If not, this is something to add to your calendar. Offered with the support of ISAAC, this series has had some wonderful speakers and topics. In today’s post, we share the most recent presentation with John Costello as the speaker. Enjoy! US friends, please consider supporting these efforts by becoming a USSAAC member. It is the only US organization to bring together people who use AAC, their families, and professionals from various disciplines. Direct Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2vmiH9tqUQ
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: ALS, message banking
November 2, 2016
by Carole Zangari -
Developing effective communication systems for individuals with significant motor challenges is a challenging process. Ultimately, the goal is to provide them with tools and strategies that allow them to communicate independently and help them develop the skills needed to say what they wish to throughout their daily life experiences. As we all know, this can be a long journey. And while we work toward systems that allow them to communicate independently, they need access to language and communication now despite their motor limitations. Partner assisted scanning (PAS) is one option that works for many AAC learners. In this post, we feature a video overview of this strategy presented by SLP Maureen Nevers as part of the Communication Training Series by the Angelman Syndrome Foundation and the Foster Family Charitable Foundation, and a video of PAS in action by the Dynamic Learning Maps Professional Development (DLM PD) group under the direction... [Read More...]
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: access, PAS, video
October 19, 2016
by Carole Zangari -
Although guided access has been around on iOS devices for awhile, there are some professionals and families who are just starting to use this wonderful feature. In this post, we share some helpful videos that can be used to familiarize the team with this feature and how to use it. Setting up Guided Access by SENICT Direct link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34_LqW8xgjs How to exit Guided Access when you forget your passcode by iAgents Direct Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHtshhfhNOE
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: accessibility, iPad