138 Search Results for schedules

Happy World Autism Day!

April 2, 2013 by - Leave your thoughts

Happy World Autism Day

Enjoy! Voices of Autism- The SongStream Project explores the role of music in the lives of four young musicians on the autism spectrum. This project contributes to the conversation about autism beyond statistics and into the domain of appreciation and celebration. AAC Image Links (Great for training and education)- Speak for Yourself – Autism & AAC Awareness (bonus- enter to win Speak for Yourself AAC App) AAC Do’s & Dont’s by Lauren Enders AAC It’s Easy as 1,2,3 by Marcia Sterna World Autism Day Free or Discounted Apps-  These are worth checking out! Look for more at the Appy Mall.      

It’s PrAACtically Saint Patrick’s Day

March 13, 2013 by - Leave your thoughts

It's PrAActically Saint Patricks Day

Saint Patrick’s Day is coming up.  We love focusing on holidays in our sessions because it is a chance to teach new vocabulary and as importantly (if not more for some learners) it is a chance to teach social conversation about what many people in the community are talking about. Holiday’s also give us fun ways to focus on many other goals as well. The theme (in this case – a holiday) can serve as the platform for any goal that is appropriate. We just always ask ourselves (and our graduate students)- ‘What is the point’ or ‘What is the Goal’ when we have a great new themed activity. This is a time to work on core and fringe vocabulary, social conversation and interaction, play skills, and more. These are some fun activities matched to goals that we use to get ready for  Saint Patrick’s Day. Surveys & or Questions–... [Read More...]

Flip Book Love

February 13, 2013 by - 1 Comment

Flip Book Love

We love the versatility of flip books and charts. They are a great format option for communication books, particularly the flip books that have a static ‘base’ and a set of strips/mini pages that you can flip through for additional vocabulary. Once you have a template, it’s not too difficult to make a number of them that fit different purposes. Here are some resources to explore. SET-BC has wonderful material on communication supports including a brief video about flip books here. They also have some terrific downloads, including this one by Kathy Ryan. Flip ‘n Talk has been around for a long time, but it continues to be a really useful tool. We typically have the core language as the static portion, but here’s an example of doing it the other way around. There are so many ways to use flip books for language learning. We love this one for... [Read More...]

PrAACtical Supports- Walking the Walk AAC Style!

January 28, 2013 by - Leave your thoughts

PrAACtical Supports in the Community: Walking the Walk

We are extremely proud to be part of the Dan Marino Foundation WalkAbout Autism,  which is a large South Florida event.  It is a true collaboration between the community, volunteers, sponsors, donors, walk partners, and the Miami Dolphins.  The Walkabout helps raise money for organizations that provide programs and services for individuals with autism and other developmental  disabilities.   It also promotes a sense of community collaboration and awareness about autism spectrum disorder and developmental disabilities.  We are writing about the WalkAbout, not as a plea for money  (although read about the WalkAbout and donate if you are so inclined), but instead to tell you how we continue to try to integrate AAC  & visual strategies into community events.  We are so grateful to Dan & Claire Marino and their family and Jeff & Rachel Ireland and their family for continuing to dedicate their time and effort for this amazing event. This past weekend was the 3rd WalkAbout Autism.  It was a... [Read More...]

5 Resources for Your AAC Therapy Designed by Teachers & SLPs

January 15, 2013 by - Leave your thoughts

Resources for Your AAC Therapy Designed by Teachers & SLPs

2012 was certainly the year that saw an explosion of SLPs and teachers authoring materials that they offer for sale. TeachersPayTeachers (TpT) is one of several sites that became popular this year and is credited with giving a huge boost to the movement. Here are some of prAACtical interest.   Kate Ahern’s Core Word Boards: This set of communication boards can be a big timesaver for anyone who wants to implement a core word approach and needs help in getting set up with some initial materials. (17 pp) Fun for Learning’s visual support with a Star Wars Theme. Use this (or one of her other thematic kits) to customize picture schedules and supports based on the learner’s area of interest. (Free) Working on semantics? This PowerPoint template for making vocabulary teaching supports from Jerilyn can be used to provide practice. (Free) Teaching interrogatives is something that most of us don’t... [Read More...]

Magic Moments with Verb Circus

January 4, 2013 by - 1 Comment

We are so excited to see the expanded web presence by SLPs who are blogging, running groups on Facebook, sharing resources on Pinterest, and maintaining online stores on TeachersPayTeachers. We’ve been thinking about how to connect with some of these creative professionals, both to extend our own professional learning networks and also to broaden the reach of our AAC message. Recently, when an opportunity to forge a few connections presented itself, we decided to collaborate with a few new SLP friends. Periodically, we will be featuring the materials of a fellow SLP who typically writes for colleagues serving primarily children with high incidence disabilities. They post great ideas and materials for students with articulation and phonological difficulties, fluency problems, and language disorders. We hope to put a prAACtical spin on their great ideas. In our inaugural post of this type, we hope to inspire some Magic Moments with fellow SLP Jocelyn... [Read More...]

5 Ways to Improve Therapy Sessions for People Learning AAC

December 28, 2012 by - Leave your thoughts

1. Start therapy as soon as you see the client: Savvy SLPs don’t waste a single second of therapy time. As soon as she saw 4 year-old Jonah in the waiting room, Chloe Clinician started sprinkling him with practice opportunities. They used vocalizations and gestures to greet other people. He ‘signed in’ at the front desk using a sheet she made up for Jonah to trace the first letter of his name. She blocked the door with her foot until he told her to ‘open’ and delayed his access to the beloved elevator button until he asked to go ‘up.’ By the time Jonah got to his therapy room, he had practiced skills in 5 different areas. This makes a clinical supervisor’s heart sing! 2. Speak AAC whenever you talk to the client. We’ve been shouting this from the virtual rooftops for quite awhile, but for those who missed it,... [Read More...]

Hello Holidays: 10 Great Apps to Gift

December 6, 2012 by - 8 Comments

Hello Holidays: 10 Great Apps to Gift

The holidays are prAACtically here and depending upon the holiday traditions you celebrate they may be closer than you realize.  Time seems to fly after Thanksgiving and before you know it, social norms seem to dictate gift exchanges, lots of invitations to people’s houses, and of course many gifts for friends and family.  An easy way to accomplish gift giving is to ‘gift an app’. You can give apps that are pure fun, educational or a combination of both.  To top it off, it is easy to stay within budget, avoid traffic, avoid crowds, and save tons of time (no need to wait for it to arrive). Before you think it’s too complicated, check out these ‘Gifting an App’ instructions by Cult of Mac.  The process could not be simpler and you can email the recipient(s) or print out a gift certificate (if necessary right before the gift is needed).... [Read More...]

Vocabulary Learning Materials & AAC Strategies

November 20, 2012 by - 2 Comments

Vocabulary Instruction Materials & AAC Strategies Title

We are super big fans of Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT).   We need the PrAACtical resources that TPT offers.  In addition to paying ridiculously low prices for some great teaching materials and cool classroom resources, there are also many free options.  Check out these free vocabulary resources and have lots of fun.  As always, the materials are only as good as the teaching strategies that go with them. As we check out these awesome vocabulary resources,  we will use the following guiding principles and we will create appropriate communication opportunities for ALL learners to participate in direct vocabulary instruction. Active Participation for Everyone– Make sure all learners can make choices within the activity, respond to questions, add information, request clarification, and even ask for a break if they need it.  To do this we will need one hit message devices, visual supports, individual and group communication displays, choice boards, switches, etc.... [Read More...]

Ideas about Vocabulary Instruction for the Beginning Communicator

November 10, 2012 by - 1 Comment

Ideas About Vocabulary Instruction for the Beginning Communicator

Vocabulary instruction is a topic not often discussed for beginning communicators.  As we work with beginning communicators the primary focus is often vocabulary selection for communication displays.  This is understandable as the beginning communicator has many needs, but that is no excuse for leaving out vocabulary instruction.  Direct vocabulary instruction helps expand broader vocabulary selection options, literacy skills, and world knowledge.  With that in mind, see below for vocabulary instruction philosophies, notes, and activities for the beginning communicator. Please let us know about your favorite vocabulary instruction activities. Vocabulary Instruction for the Beginning Communicator: 5 Philosophies Vocabulary instruction involves a systematic TEACHING process.  Add vocabulary as an activity on the daily schedule and then have a mini-schedule for the specific vocabulary instruction activities for that day. Carole introduced general steps for vocabulary instruction last week.  For the beginning communicator, also apply an errorless learning paradigm. Gradually, add comprehension checks, but... [Read More...]