163 Search Results for karen
February 26, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Do the AAC users in your life use only a fraction of the core words in their SGD, AAC app, or communication board? One way to help them move forward is to make a concerted effort to use, highlight, and provide additional teaching on a variety of words. It’s hard to do this without getting overwhelmed, so find a strategy that works for you. A few years ago, we decided to approach this by focusing on 12-16 core words each month. (If this is too much for the teams with whom you work, that’s not a problem. Just cut it back to 4-6 words/month.) Each month, we can highlight those words in our conversation (aided language input), direct intervention, and home programming activities with AAC learners. The repeated experiences with those 12-16 (or 4-6) words helps our AAC learners develop new skills, and keeps the team focused on the same destination. It’s... [Read More...]
February 18, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
It was a week that started out like any other, but ended in heartache and tragedy for our South Florida community. Thanks to all who reached out with words of kindness and support. Monday – PrAACtically Reading with Karen Natoci: Yo! Yes? Wednesday – Video of the Week: Using Apps to Engage Young AAC Learners From the Archives: No Words – “We’re Hurting, Too” ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Reading is a welcome distraction from pain and sorrow. If you have an appetite for a little more AAC, check out these past posts on assessment. Parent’s Guide to AAC Assessment AAC Assessment by Pat Ourand PrAACtical Resources: AAC Assessment Modules AAC Assessment Corner with Vicki Clarke: Standardized Tests For AAC Users AAC Assessment Forms ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
January 28, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
We’re just about ready to turn the calendar page to a new month, but before we do, take a look at some posts from our prAACtical week. Monday – PrAACtically Printing: AAC Apps & SGDs Wednesday – Video of the Week: Teaching Peers to Interact with Young Children Who Use AAC Thursday – PrAACtical Resources: Building Our Skills in Interactive Book Reading ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: And while we’re packing up for the 2018 ATIA Conference in Orlando, here are some posts with handouts and such from previous years for you to browse through. 5 AAC-related Handouts from ATIA 2015 Fun Finds at ATIA 2015 3 AAC Presentation Handouts You May Have Missed PrAACtical Fun A PrAACtical Idea for Aided Language Input If you’re headed to Orlando for the 2018 ATIA Conference, I hope to see you there. Come say hello! Tuesday 4:30 – Strand Advisor Meet and Greet at the Cabana Area between Towers 2... [Read More...]
December 31, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Ready to launch a brand new year? Let’s make it full of AAC goodness! In the meantime, here are a few posts from last week to catch up with. Monday: Happy Christmas! Wednesday: Top AAC Videos Thursday: PrAACtically January: AAC Resources for A Year of Core Words Looking for more to browse? Check out these previous posts for a little AAC inspiration. Teaching Peers About AAC A Classroom Journey with PODD Writing to Read It’s All About Us Magic Moments with Tellagami
December 3, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Hello, December! Life seems to be speeding up these days, with little time for reading blog posts. Here are a few that you may have missed. Monday – PrAACtically December: AAC Resources for A Year of Core Vocabulary Wednesday – Video of the Week: CVI – The Everyday Impact on People Who Use AAC Thursday – PrAACtically Reading with Karen Natoci: Hello, Holidays! Shopping, wrapping, baking, decorating…all part of the holiday preparations. But, as AAC interventionists, we’re also thinking about preparations of a different sort – helping our AAC learners get ready for the holidays. Holidays can be tough, not just because of the change in routine, but also because there are so many expectations for conversation. Here are some past posts related to conversational skills. Balance Pans: A Learning Toy that Helps Build Conversation Skills From Conversation to Skill-Building Conversations with Adults who have Intellectual Disabilities AAC Conversation Club Holiday Talk: AAC... [Read More...]
November 23, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Here in the US, it’s a day of thanksgiving and that makes it a perfect time to express my gratitude for the contributions of our guest authors. It is amazing to look back and reflect on the contributions from families, therapists, and teachers, all of whom are incredibly busy. Special thanks to those who’ve come back time and time again to share their ideas, experiences, and resources in one of our recurring series. Vicki Clarke: AAC Assessment Corner and other topics Karen Natoci: PrAACtically Reading Jill Senner and Matthew Baud: How We Do It Amy Devin and Lauren Pawlowski: PrAACtical Teaching in the ASD Classroom Lauren Enders: PrAACtically Pinteresting, How I Do It, and more! Tabi Jones-Wohleber: How I Do It And others! I am grateful to all who make sharing what they know a priority and humbled that some of you choose to do it on PrAACtical AAC. Happy Thanksgiving,... [Read More...]
October 22, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Between the AAC Awareness Activities, conferences, and preparations for Halloween, you might have missed these posts from our prAACtical week. Monday – AAC Awareness Month, Week 3: Look, Listen, & Learn Wednesday – PrAACtically Reading with Karen Natoci: The Family Book Thursday – AAC Assessment Corner with Vicki Clarke: Ready, SETT, AAC Evaluate! Saturday – Faces of AAC: Making It Work in A Busy Family Need a few more posts to browse? PrAACtically Halloween: Considerations for an AAC-friendly Halloween (downloads) Halloween Recipes: Cooking AAC Style AACtual Therapy: Teaching Comments and Social Phrases How We Do It: Handy Tools for Language Sampling in AAC Aided Language Input with Dr. Caroline Musselwhite
September 25, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Know any AAC learners like these? Jeremiah has an SGD with thousands of core and fringe words, but he uses less than 100 of them in day-to-day life. Bella used an AAC app with visual scene displays to interact at playtime and during daily routines for the past several months. Her team just added an app with a grid-based vocabulary so that she can begin to create novel sentences and expand her language abilities. Mason was recently evaluated for an AAC device, but it will likely take a few months to get the funding situation straightened out. In the meantime, his team created a manual communication board that mirrors the main screen of the SGD’s language software. Each of them needs lots of practice to become fluent with the core words in their AAC systems. Are you looking for resources to support your use of core words in therapy, in... [Read More...]
September 24, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Have a few minutes to browse some AAC posts? Here’s a quick selection to choose from. Monday – How We Do It: Using AAC to Repair Communication Breakdowns Wednesday – Video of the Week: Choosing the Right AAC App Thursday – PrAACtical Resources: Teaching Peers About AAC Friday – PrAACtical News: AAC Disaster Relief Book-related Posts PrAACtically Reading with Karen Natoci: Apples PrAACtically Reading with Karen Natoci: It’s Okay to Be Different Infusing AAC Core Vocabulary into Interactive Storybook Reading Adapting Books with Visual Scenes Five Books Featuring Children Who Use AAC
August 9, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Are you working with families who are looking to boost their AAC use at home? If so, you may want to share today’s featured video with them as it is rich in both prAACtical information and inspiration. Karen Owens of We Speak PODD is the presenter at this archived session which was part of CoughDrop’s AAC in the Cloud Conference. Enjoy!