327 Search Results for aac awareness

AACtual Celebrations: Juneteenth

June 19, 2021 by - Leave your thoughts

AACtual Celebrations: Juneteenth

Whether you are relatively new to an understanding of Juneteenth or have been celebrating it for decades, we hope today’s post has some ideas for integrating it into the AAC work you do. It became a federal holiday this week and we thought you might enjoy this reprise. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: PrAACtically Juneteenth In the US, June 19th is a day that commemorates the ending of slavery. Although the Emancipation Proclamation became effective on January 1, 1863, it took an additional two and half years for it to take root in all of the states. It wasn’t until June 19th, 1865 that Texas became the final state to uphold the proclamation. There are other days that memorialize the freedom of enslaved people, but Juneteenth is the oldest nationally-celebrated commemoration.  Traditionally marked primarily by African Americans, there is a growing awareness of Juneteenth across a broad spectrum of people. In modern times, it... [Read More...]

Video of the Week: Life Participation & AAC Device Personalization for Adults with Aphasia

June 9, 2021 by - Leave your thoughts

Video of the Week: Life Participation & AAC Device Personalization for Adults with Aphasia

Here in the US, June is the month that we use to build awareness of and support for people with aphasia. Today’s video is from the AAC in the Cloud Conference, hosted by CoughDrop, and features the work of SLPs Amanda Gunn and Caitlin Mueller.  We are grateful to CoughDrop and the presenters for making their work readily available. You can obtain the handouts for this session here.   Enjoy! Direct Link to Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cJuqi95ctI&ab_channel=CoughDrop 

AAC Posts from PrAACtical Week # 22: May 2021

May 30, 2021 by - Leave your thoughts

AAC Posts from PrAACtical Week # 22: May 2021

Happy Sunday, AAC friends. We have some posts that you might like. Monday – PrAACtically June: AAC Resources for a Year of Core Vocabulary Words Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Diversity in AAC Apps Thursday – Throwback Thursday: Getting the Team on Board :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Before you head out the door, here are a few posts to explore in honor of Aphasia Awareness Month, which begins this week. Making It Work: 6 AAC Strategies for People with Aphasia Low Tech AAC for Adults with Aphasia: What Does That Mean? A Fresh Look at AAC & Aphasia with Dr. Kristy Weissling 5 Questions about Aphasia & Communication Books Bridging the Gap: Helping People with Aphasia to Compensate for Their Language Difficulties

AAC in Secondary School: Party Planning AACtivity

May 17, 2021 by - 1 Comment

AAC in Secondary School: Party Planning AACtivity

Today, we welcome back AAC SLP Ashley Larisey to these pages for another post in the AAC in Secondary School series. Ashley is an SLP at Community High School District 218 in Oak Lawn, Illinois. She is also an Adjunct Clinical Supervisor and Instructor at Saint Xavier University. Additionally, Ashley presents on AAC topics at professional conferences. In today’s post, she shares thoughts on using party planning as an activity for teaching language and AAC skills. Enjoy! :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Party Planning If you work in the schools, the end of the school year is right around the corner! The month of May is generally full of celebrations to culminate a year’s worth of hard work for staff and students alike. For high school students, this can also include celebrations surrounding graduation. Parties are often planned by educational staff, but why not bring students into the process? Party planning is full of... [Read More...]

TELL ME About It: AAC Learning with ‘I Like Myself!’

May 10, 2021 by - 2 Comments

TELL ME About It: AAC Learning with ‘I Like Myself!’

It’s time for another set of wonderful suggestions for robust implementation of core vocabulary support using the TELL ME program. Two amazing AAC SLPs, Maggie Judson and Jeanna Antrim, are the guest authors of TELL ME About It series and they’re back with prAACtical ideas for classroom activities, virtual learning tips, supporting AAC learning at home, and more. Also, don’t miss their bonus resources or their video read-alouds of this month’s book with aided language input using three different AAC apps. Maggie and Jeanna are speech-language pathologists who work in the Assistive Technology Department for the Belleville Area Special Services Cooperative (BASSC) in southern Illinois. They are AT/AAC facilitators and provide evaluations, direct therapy, consultations, and trainings with school teams. If you are new to the series, you can check out their previous posts in the TELL ME About It series below. YEAR 1 TELL ME AAC Literacy Kits Brown... [Read More...]

AAC Posts from PrAACtical Week #15: April 2021

April 11, 2021 by - Leave your thoughts

AAC Posts from PrAACtical Week #15: April 2021

Happy Sunday, AAC friends. Here are some posts from our prAACtical week. Monday: AAC in Secondary School: 5 AACtionable Steps to Support the Transition Process Tuesday: AAC Link Up Wednesday: Video of the Week: Use It Tomorrow Tools for Data Collection in AAC Thursday: Growing AAC Professionals: Introducing Middle School Students to AAC Through Project HOPE ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Have time for a little more browsing? Check out these past posts. When Helping Isn’t Helping-Prompt Awareness in AAC Instruction Administratively Speaking: 5 Considerations for Recruiting and Retaining AAC SLPs AAC In the Classroom: Considerations for Modeling Core Vocabulary How I Do It: A Year of Core Word in Action AAC in the High School Classroom: Where Core Vocabulary Meets Life Skills

Growing AAC Professionals: Introducing Middle School Students to AAC Through Project HOPE

April 8, 2021 by - Leave your thoughts

Growing AAC Professionals: Introducing Middle School Students to AAC Through Project HOPE

It’s never too soon to introduce people to AAC. Clinical Associate Professor and SLP Krista Davidson, a strong advocate for AAC, is back to share more about the training of pre-professionals. In today’s post, you’ll hear about the way the Communication Sciences and Disorders program at the University of Iowa faculty and graduate students introduce middle schoolers from the local community to the field of AAC. – Growing AAC Professionals: Project HOPE As I have said in my previous posts, the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) at The University of Iowa uses a team-based approach to clinical education. Each graduate student typically rotates through 6 specialty-based clinical teams, mine being the AAC Team. I am continually looking for a variety of learning opportunities to engage students. This time we connect with Iowa’s College of Education and Project HOPE (Healthcare Occupations Preparation and Exploration). Project HOPE is a STEM... [Read More...]

AAC Posts from PrAACtical Week #14: April 2021

April 4, 2021 by - Leave your thoughts

AAC Posts from PrAACtical Week #14: April 2021

Happy Sunday, AAC friends. Here are some posts you might enjoy. Monday – PrAACtically April – More AAC Resources for A Year of Core Words Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Ethical Issues in AAC Thursday – 30 PrAACtical Ideas for Celebrating Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month Friday – PráctiCAAmente Conectados Con Links Abril 2021 :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: In recognition of Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month, here are some autism-related posts to get you in the mood to celebrate those around us who have autism. Building Engagement in Young Students with Autism AACtual Therapy: Making Core Words Fun for Students with Autism Autism and AAC: 5 Pinterest Boards to Follow Evidence-based AAC Strategies for Students with Autism with Betsy Corporale An ABA Perspective on AAC for Students with Autism Before you go, enjoy the ABC’s of  Autism support…

TELL ME About It: AAC Learning with ‘The Skin You Live In’!

March 15, 2021 by - 1 Comment

TELL ME About It: AAC Learning with ‘The Skin You Live In’!

We are back with lots of great core vocabulary resources in another edition in the TELL ME About It series. In today’s post, AAC SLPs Maggie Judson and Jeanna Antrim share ideas for language learning with the book ‘The Skin You Live In.’ Maggie and Jeanna are speech-language pathologists who work in the Assistive Technology Department for the Belleville Area Special Services Cooperative (BASSC) in southern Illinois. They are AT/AAC facilitators and provide evaluations, direct therapy, consultations, and trainings with school teams. Check out the video read-alouds using 3 different AAC apps, and their ideas for classroom activities, e-learning, supporting AAC learning at home, and more. Also, don’t miss their tips for dealing with communication breakdowns. To read more about how they prepare for a TELL ME week and see resources that are based on other books take a look at their previous posts in the TELL ME About It... [Read More...]

AAC Posts from PrAACtical Week #3: January 2021

January 17, 2021 by - Leave your thoughts

AAC Posts from PrAACtical Week #3: January 2021

Happy Sunday, AAC friends. If you enjoy talking about academics, language intervention, and AAC, I invite you to join me for “Bridging the Gap: Addressing the Academic Difficulties of  Students Who Successfully Use AAC” with Dr. Gloria Soto & AAC Master Clinician Gail Van Tatenhove (more information at https://bit.ly/3qrnQp8). We also have some posts that may be of interest. Take a look. Monday – AACtual Therapy: Using Talking Mats to Support People with Complex Communication Needs Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: AAC Evaluations Thursday – PrAACtically Martin Luther King, Jr Day :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Still have an appetite for some AAC reading? These posts from the archives may be of interest. Reducing Prompt Dependence in AAC Learners: 5 Things to Try When Helping Isn’t Helping: Prompt Awareness in AAC Instruction 5 Things to Consider About Prompts in Teaching AAC Creating AAC Implementation Plans Using AAC to Repair Communication... [Read More...]