1456 Search Results for link up
June 20, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
AACtual Therapist Tanna Neufeld comes through again, putting a prAACtical touch on an activity we all know and love. Tanna has generously shared both her ideas and the communication boards that she uses for this activity. You can download them in our eToolBox or go to the links at the end of this post. Tanna has great intervention tips (love her 80/20 idea!) that are prAACtical and effective for keeping kids engaged and learning. Mr. Potato Head is one of my favorite therapy tools for working with all kids, but especially beginning communicators. This awesome spud is not only a versatile toy-ripe for building, pretending, and interacting-but also a great tool for modeling vocabulary. For those little ones that you can keep engaged beyond the putting in and out of the building stage (tap into that good old fashioned, therapeutic use of self!), this toy really goes the distance. I... [Read More...]
June 17, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
We’re so pleased to be able to share the thoughts of our friend and colleague, Dr. Kristy Weissling, on providing AAC supports to people with aphasia. She received her professional doctorate from Nova Southeastern University and is currently an Assistant Professor of Practice and clinical supervisor at the Barkley Speech-Language and Hearing Clinic at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her research and teaching interests include, aphasia, cognitive communication impairments, and AAC. She participates in implementation of a portion of the RERC grant project at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She has been an instructor in aphasia and cognitive linguistic impairments for 15 years and teaches in both online and live formats. Her clinical load includes individual and group treatment of individuals with aphasia, traumatic brain injury, and early cognitive decline. In this post, Kristy reflects on three articles that have shaped her clinical services and teaching. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: I have been working with people who... [Read More...]
June 14, 2013
by Robin Parker -
Some great free AAC resources for communicating with dad this Father’s Day and beyond: Talk to dad with visual conversational starters from Autism Teaching Strategies/Joel Shaul. Play a Mayor-Johnson symbol based memory game. Print, color, and create the game together and then have fun playing and communicating. Father’s Day Activity and Social Story (for those dads that like gardening) from Positively Autism For more ideas or inspiration about Father’s Day, see PrAACtical Reflections. Have a Great Father’s Day!
June 13, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
Now that the school year is winding down, some of you have a little more time to read, process, and prepare for next year. We are really excited to share more ideas from Marlene Cummings, one of the most experienced AAC SLPs that we know. Those of you who have been following Marlene’s posts on the AAC implementation will be pleased to see the next part of the Framework for Success that she developed with the AAC Team at Oakland School District. If you missed her first and second posts, go take a peek at them when you can. 5 Things in our “Implementation Toolbox” When we begin the process of implementing AAC it is important to consider our “thinking”. We always want to approach every student, every team and every classroom with as much wisdom and respect as possible. One of my colleagues, Dr. Penny Hatch, from UNC Chapel Hill... [Read More...]
June 10, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
Like many of you, we never imagined the role that social media sites would play in our professional development. We’d love to expand our horizons and connect with you on Facebook, Twitter, Scoop.It, Pinterest, Linked In, SpringPad, and places like that. If you feel the same way and have a presence on these sites, let us know how to follow you.
May 21, 2013
by Robin Parker -
Please excuse this somewhat tangential post because it really relates to communication and language learning….. Fun and communication go together. Meaningful (and fun) communication and language activities can often make the difference between a disengaged passive learner and a participatory, engaged, and excited learner. We have talked about many picture symbol communication boards, but there are also tangible and tactile communication boards that have been essential for learners that have vision impairments as well as those who have difficulty discriminating between picture symbols. While exploring a variety of communication boards, we came across Adaptive Design Association Inc. Adaptive Design Association Inc. reminds and teaches us about the role of appropriate customized adaptions to allow for authentic communication, developmental, social, and academic learning (who knew what you could do with cardboard?). Within our search through adaptive design, there was a link or connection to the fun theory. Fun can change behavior for EVERYONE and... [Read More...]
May 13, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
We’re thrilled to continue our Fresh Look series in celebration of Better Hearing and Speech Month (#BHSM). In this post, Dr. Melanie Fried Oken, from the Oregon Health and Science University, talks about some AAC strategies for people with dementia. I was captivated by her 2012 presentation on this topic at ISAAC 2012, and knew it was important to be able to share some of you work with you. We have much to offer these individuals with dementia, and Melanie’s post and linked resources are a great way to get started. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Hey, what about us AAC providers who work with adults? We love reading PrAACtical AAC and can often adjust the tips, equipment recommendations, and strategies to meet our population needs. So when Carole gave me an opportunity to blog about AAC for adults with dementia, I grabbed the chance. I’d like to share with you some facts about... [Read More...]
April 30, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
We know that there are lots of PowerPoint haters out there, but we’re not among them. While we have certainly suffered through a presentation or two in which it was used poorly, we’ve also been inspired by those who use it well. It has lots of uses beyond teaching and presentation. Here are some ideas for using it to enhance your AAC intervention. 1. Personal Dictionary: Create a dictionary with slides for the new words the individual is learning. You can record the pronunciation of the word, provide the definitions, give examples, illustrate with images, and link to external sites. 2. Switch-accessible Books: These are fun to make and positively addictive once you get started! In the AAC Literacy Camp we did a few years ago, we made lots of little books like the one shown here and printed hard copies for the kids to take home. Reading online is... [Read More...]
April 29, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
Whether we’re working on a project, cooking with new ingredients, or doing something crafty, one of the things we find most helpful is examples. Seeing how other people have approached a situation can be informative and inspiring. Making communication displays for people who use AAC is no different. Most of us appreciate the opportunity to see what our colleagues have done. We provided a number of examples of communication boards and books that are rich in core language in some of our earlier posts. Here are some of them, just in case you missed those posts. Kate Ahern’s Core Vocabulary in 3 Symbol Types (and Core Word Learning Book) via SlideShare Core language board with 20 PCS and 12 PCS by Yvonne Green via SET-BC PCS communication book (core and fringe) from the AT4All Wiki/Barbara Cannon PCS communication book pages in Boardmaker and PDF format by Polk County Public Schools... [Read More...]
April 20, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
Last week, we talked about two key strategies for teaching core language: using aided language input and creating frequent opportunities to teach and elicit core words. In today’s post, we’ll expand the number of words and discuss two additional considerations for teaching core words. Aided language input is always important in working with beginning users of AAC. It exposes them to their new means of communication, provides them with a competent model of their AAC system, and introduces them to words and symbols they don’t yet know within a meaningful context. It also forces us to slow down when talking, something that can be very beneficial when you consider that many beginning users of AAC also have difficulty processing oral language. (It may take them longer to decode what they’re hearing and they may have to concentrate more than the average kid.) If you’ve actually tried pointing to symbols as... [Read More...]