705 Search Results for model
March 4, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
Each month we feature a Spanish version of our AAC Link Up, CAA con Links. If you have AAC-related announcements, materials, or videos in Spanish that you would like others to know about, we’d love to have you add that information below. Also, please share this with anyone who might be interested in contributing to or using the materials that get added to these posts. You’ll find the place to add that information at the very bottom of this post. Organized by Claudia Marimón, these monthly posts also feature AAC work being done in Spanish-speaking countries and offer translations of material that can help families and service providers. We are so delighted that today’s post focuses on literacy learning for children who use AAC as this is such an important topic for families and professionals to focus on. Meet Carolina and her charming son, Samuel, as they share ways they’ve... [Read More...]
February 27, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
Only a small percentage of people with complex communication needs get the AAC support they need. Though AAC is becoming more widely accepted, the huge gap between the people who need AAC and those who get adequate AAC support is longstanding and pervasive across service delivery standards. There are many fine people who work tirelessly to make changes to this unfortunate reality, and we are deeply grateful for their work. They are exhausted, hard-working, frustrated, and represent various stakeholder groups. Still, there are far too many professionals who fail to provide AAC support to those they work with who need to use other means of communication. How can we change their perspective in ways that will steer them in the direction of providing AAC support? How we talk and write about AAC matters. It’s only a small piece of this challenging conundrum, but one that, nonetheless, can contribute to systems... [Read More...]
February 13, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
Today, we continue our series sharing an AAC Implementation Framework for classrooms, featuring guest author, Vicki Clarke. In her initial post, Vicki shared the contours of the framework. In this post, she digs into the specifics, with prAACtical strategies and downloadable forms that you may find helpful. Don’t miss the video at the end. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: AAC 101 Steps of Learning: Step One- Target In Step One, we will be determining which words and messages we need to specifically target for instruction. We often complete the step, not only for targeting specific words and messages, but also when we are first designing the AAC system that our students will be using. We will use three techniques to choose our target words and messages: Consider which words and messages are important to the individual student, their family, friends, and teacher. We will be asking all of these partners for their input as we... [Read More...]
January 19, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
Welcome to the first post in a series by BilingüeAAC on supporting individuals with AAC needs in Spanish. In today’s post, they introduce us to the series focusing on ways that monolingual therapists can better support Spanish bilingual individuals who are AAC users. BilingüeAAC is a group of SLPs with a shared belief in providing evidence-based intervention strategies and resources to bilingual Spanish AAC clients, families, caregivers, and professionals. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: A Monolingual SLP’s Guide to Demystifying CLD Practices for Bilingual Spanish AAC Intervention If all languages hold unique systematic rules, can we translate English AAC core words to Spanish and begin modeling? What about morpho-syntax? What about inclusive practices? How can monolingual therapists provide culturally linguistically responsive intervention to their bilingual clients? BILINGUAL AAC USERS Currently, there is limited research on the number of Spanish-speaking AAC users and providers. However, according to the Demographic Profile of ASHA Members Providing Bilingual... [Read More...]
January 9, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
We’re so pleased to welcome PrAACtical AAC contributor Vicki Clarke back to these pages. While you may remember Vicki from her outstanding AAC Assessment Corner posts, her most recent efforts focus on strengthening our AAC practices. Throughout the series, Vicki draws on her experiences supporting AAC users and teams in clinical and school settings and shares prAACtical information that we can all learn from Introduction to AAC 101 Steps to Learning It is no small task to consider how we will help our students progress from communicating only through behaviors to communicating any message they desire independently and spontaneously. In fact, in 1997, Gloria Soto conducted survey research that tells us: Teachers have always believed that communication training for students is positive, and Communication training is a collaborative effort between teachers and SLPs, Despite these beliefs, there is still a prevalent hesitancy to begin to explicitly instruct students in AAC.... [Read More...]
January 2, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
With 2022 in the rear-view mirror, we’re excited to welcome some prAACtical additions in the New Year. Here are a few things to watch for in the months to come. AAC Implementation Series PrAACtical AAC contributor Vicki Clarke will be back with a limited series on strengthening our AAC practices. Here’s what she shared about the direction of this series. The journey from acquiring an AAC system to using it to communicate autonomously is a long one, with many different routes. Knowing where to begin is a challenge for all of us! AAC 101 Steps of Learning Process is our effort to define this process in our schools, to help professionals and families support their students. In this series of posts, we are considering 5 steps, to move from training to talking, offering a defined path for you and your student learner. Learning to communicate is a shared journey between... [Read More...]
December 28, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Videos are a great tool for building our AAC knowledge base and strengthening our implementation practices. Here are the ones that were most popular in 2022. Helping School Staff Model AAC in the Classroom Introduction to the Communication Matrix Resources AAC Modeling at Home AAC Apps for Visual Scene Displays Dealing with Emotions, AAC Style AAC with Eddie the Elephant Getting Familiar with Partner-Assisted Scanning TELL ME – AAC in the Preschool Classroom Getting Started with Eye Gaze SGDs Video Models & Visual Supports for AAC Look for more helpful videos on AAC and related topics in 2023. Happy New Year, everyone!
December 22, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Looking for some last-minute activities to use in your AAC work? Here are some AAC-friendly materials to explore. Communication Boards for Hanukkah and Christmas for AAC Users by Susan Berkowitz Help Santa by Joyful Occupational Therapy Pete the Cat’s 12 Groovy Days of Christmas Visual Supplement by Paige Sullivan Christmas Helpers Adapted Book EASY READER (Autism Support) by Alicia Mitchell Santa Emotions Boom Cards™ by Speechie Adventures There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bell – Companion AAC Materials by Weave Chat AAC The Ninjabread Man (by C.J. Leigh) – AAC Companion Material by Weave Chat AAC How the Grinch Stole Christmas Adapted Book for Autism / Special Education by Anna Waddell Christmas Visual Grounding Mindfulness Activity by Behavior Belle Christmas Conversation Starters Visuals Task Cards Social Skills by LitRead Christmas Cookie AAC Mat by Sped Ventures Christmas Core Vocabulary Book by B and B SLP No Print Boom... [Read More...]
December 2, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Each month we feature a Spanish version of our AAC Link Up, CAA con Links. If you have AAC-related announcements, materials, or videos in Spanish that you would like others to know about, we’d love to have you add that information below. Also, please share this with anyone who might be interested in contributing to or using the materials that get added to these posts. You’ll find the place to add that information at the very bottom of this post. Organized by Claudia Marimón, these monthly posts also feature AAC work being done in Spanish-speaking countries and offer translations of material that can help families and service providers. Today’s post focuses on supporting literacy and AAC featuring a fun Christmas book. Take a look and don’t forget to scroll to the bottom to add your link and see what others are sharing. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Comenzando Diciembre queremos invitar a nuestra comunidad... [Read More...]
December 1, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
In 2013, when schools and other clinical programs were expanding their emphasis on teaching core vocabulary words, PrAACtical AAC published a set of resources for families and professionals that included symbol cards, sample sentences to model, activity suggestions, and more. All of these were based on a small set of core words for each month (see that post here). We followed that with a second set of Year of Core Vocabulary Word resources for a new list of words (click here for that post). Over the years, the resources were expanded and grew to include a wonderful series of calendars with daily activity suggestions developed by AAC SLP and co-founder of Talking AAC, Rachael Langley. There were many other contributors over the years who added to these efforts. In 2020, a new series was launched, School Year of Core Vocabulary Words, authored by guest contributors Michaela Sullivan, Alisa Lego, and... [Read More...]