October 28, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
For several years, we’ve written many posts on the use of visual supports with AAC learners. One thing we haven’t talked about, though, is what to do when you’re in the midst of therapy or a lesson, and the need for an additional visual support arises. In this week’s featured video, SLP Shannon Hennig does an amazing job of explaining how she improvises to make visual supports on the fly. Like you, I appreciate the plethora of visual supports that have been appearing on Teachers Pay Teachers, SLP blogs, materials exchange sites, and Pinterest. Most of them are just adorable, some of them are well-designed, and all of them make using visual supports more convenient for busy professionals and families. In the end, though, the best visual supports are the ones that meet the needs of the situations. And, while we do our best to predict what will be needed... [Read More...]
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: language therapy, Shannon Hennig, visual supports
October 21, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
Today, we return to the Presence Learning site for more videos by Dr. Barry Prizant. In this 2-part sequence, he discusses strategies for preventing problem behaviors in schools. You can view the Q & A section (Part 2) here.
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: ASD, Dr. Barry Prizant
October 14, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
There is so much we have yet to learn about the best ways to get beginning communicators engaged in language learning. In this brief video, Dr. Nimisha Muttiah talks about a strategy for combining selected features of adapted books and visual scene displays to create an easy-to-use, no-tech communication aid. You can read more about the strategy here. Thanks to Hillary Jellison, Nerissa Hall, and the rest of the team at Communicare for making this available. You can check out more from the Communicare team in these guest posts.
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: adapted books, Communicare, Nimisha Muttiah, visual scene displays
September 30, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
Ever wonder what a group reading experience looks like when the participants are older students who learning to use AAC? Check out this clip from the fabulous team at Willans Hill.
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: literacy, older learners, shared reading, Willans Hill
September 23, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
Looking to support a family who is new to AAC? Working with a teacher or SLP who is ready to boost their implementation of AAC across the day? Do we have a resource for you! The Angelman Syndrome Foundation has put together a truly amazing set of videos and support materials to help us get started in AAC implementation. While developed in support of children and adults with Angelman Syndrome, the information has much broader applicability and is appropriate for a wide range of developmental disabilities. The first one, From Goals to Growth: The Essential Elements Of An AAC System, is presented by SLP Maureen Nevers, an AAC Consultant from Burlington, Vermont. It covers the components of an AAC system and learn specific practices to increase the quality of an AAC system. You can get the handout for this presentation here. In the second video of the series, Maureen addresses the... [Read More...]
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: Angelman Syndrome Foundation, Angelman Syyndrome, ASF, getting started, Maureen Nevers
September 16, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
While our therapy sessions are highly individualized to meet the needs of specific individuals, there are a couple of strategies that are effective with almost every learner on our caseloads. Topping that list is the use of visual schedules. Whether it is a written agenda, a picture schedule for the session, a mini schedule for the parts of an activity, or an object schedule for the day’s events, this is one of the few strategies that has something to offer every learner. We’ve written before about this topic. In this post, you can find links to many of the topics we’ve addressed about making and using them. Today, we’ll look at a few videos on the use of this strategy. To get us started, here’s a video of Ann Syrstad sharing information about using this evidence-based intervention for individuals with ASD. Next, we head to Malaysia, where the Early Autism... [Read More...]
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: object schedule, picture schedule, schedules, visual schedule
September 2, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
Martin Pistorius, author of The Ghost Boy, was featured speaker at a recent TEDx event. Martin’s presentation was captivating and insightful. The recording covers the entire TEDx KC event, so you will need to skip ahead to find Martin’s talk. (It’s worth the effort.) His segment runs from 44:45-59:00. Enjoy! Direct Link to Video: http://livestream.com/tedx/TEDxKC2015
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: Martin Pistorius, TedX, The Ghost Boy
August 26, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
We get lots of requests for information and videos that show AAC implementation, particularly in group activities. In this week’s video, AT Specialist and Special Educator Kate Ahern discusses the process of running a monthly group to learn and practice AAC. Angel Voices is a group that she runs in the Boston area for young AAC learners who have Angelman Syndrome and their parents. In this video, Kate shares lots of helpful tips and strategies for making groups like this run successfully. Thanks to The Angelman Syndrome Foundation for making this video available. Direct Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFwe0q6yFtc&list=TLFaRg-AAP1OoyMjA4MjAxNQ&index=3
Filed under: Video of the Week
August 19, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
In this week’s featured video, we hear from noted ASD researcher and clinician, Dr. Barry Prizant, who discusses some of the challenges faced by individuals with autism and alternative ways to understand and address these challenges. He places a high priority on understanding the perspective of individuals with autism and their families, something that can be a powerful force for change in our service delivery. “There’s no such thing as autistic behavior; It’s all human behavior.” There are lots of prAACtical implications of this perspective and the focus on reflective practices. Enjoy, “Uniquely Human: A Different Way to See Autism and Create Pathways to Success.” Thanks to Presence Learning for producing and hosting this video.
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: ASD, Barry Prizant
August 12, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
I’m so excited to share today’s video, featuring Lindy McDaniel, who writes one of my favorite classroom blogs, The Considerate Classroom. This video project was sponsored by the Nebraska Department of Education, and is part of a collaborative effort between them, TASN Autism and Tertiary Behavior Supports and the Colorado Department of Education. Many children with AAC needs lack essential “learning to learn” skills, which limits them in many ways. I appreciate Lindy’s thoughtful approach to this challenge and the caring, respectful way in which she helps children build their abilities in this important area. Enjoy “Every Second Counts-Embedding Functional Learning Throughout the School Day.”
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: Considerate Classroom, learning to learn, Lindy McDaniel