Monday: AAC Goes to the Dentist Tuesday: PrAACtically Reading : Writing to Read with Karen Natoci Wednesday: Video of the Week – Headpointer AACtion Thursday: 5 AAC-related Handouts from ATIA 2015
The 2015 ATIA conferences was one of the strongest in recent memory, with lots of AAC presentations to choose from. As you can see, I had a blast! There was AAC in every direction, from the Town Hall Meetings, App Smackdowns, expanded poster sessions, traditional sessions, and, of course, the exhibit hall. If professional development in AAC is a priority for you, be sure to put the 2016 conference (in Orlando) on your radar for February 2-6, 2016. In the meantime, here are some of the handouts to whet your appetite. Lori Wise and Marlene Sotelo’s terrific talk on using iPads to build social engagement with people who have ASD along with their app lists here and here was one of my favorite presentations of the conference. [Note: Their handouts are hosted on the ATIA conference site and may only be available for a limited time. Grab them while you can!] Gretchen... [Read More...]
Those of you who are still digging your way out of the most recent snowstorm may not believe it, but it’s almost time to make plans for summer. There are quite a few AAC camps, some that are quite well established and others that have been running for only a few years (see our AAC Camp Pinterest board here). In this post, we hear about one of them from Tina Moreno, an SLP and mom of Mateo, who uses PicturePower 100 on the Maestro to communicate, maintain friendships with his teammates on the cross country team, advocate for himself, reveal his wicked sense of humor, and even sing the National Anthem for his high school’s basketball games. Tina blogs at Voices4All. With the help of Drs. Karen Erickson and David Koppenhaver, she and her friend Gina Cunningham created Camp ALEC together in memory of Gina’s son Alec, who never gave up, and... [Read More...]
Monday: PrAACtically Reading – Where’s Spot with Karen Natoci Tuesday: Strengthening the Core – Modeling January Words Wednesday: Video of the Week – A Recipe For Friendship Thursday: 4 Conference Presentations with AAC Content
Sunday: Video of the Week – More on Dealing with Feelings Monday: DIY Stand for Mobile Devices Tuesday: How I D0 It – Connecting with a Shared Community of Practice by Karen Florka Wednesday: Watch It Wednesday – Word Prediction Funnies Thursday: Happy Thanksgiving
Today, we return to the team at Dynamic Learning Maps. In this video, Karen Erickson discusses key factors in symbol use by students with significant communication difficulties.
When we provide literacy experiences to pre-readers, a question emerges: Should we add symbols to the text? For those of us who have been prAACticing for awhile (you know who you are, friends), there has been a shift in our thinking. Early on, we tried to add symbols to the words. Our thinking was that doing so would enhance the client’s ability to learn to read. A few years ago, we re-examined that belief. Here’s why. Many times, our clients didn’t really know the symbols anyway. Symbols for frequently used words (like of, some, and know) are not at all transparent. So the notion that the symbols would help them understand what they were reading often didn’t pan out. We want the learners to (eventually) develop their reading skills and be able to read conventional text. The symbols distract attention away from the print/text. If we want the learner to... [Read More...]
Today, we go back to the resources at PaTTAN, this time to learn about switches from OT Karen Kangas. These two videos are from a full day workshop, which is a lot to get through, but if you need information on this topic, this is a great resource. You can view Part 1 here and Part 2 here.
Shared book reading is one of our favorite things to do when spending time with AAC learners. We love the interactive nature of shared reading, and appreciate the fact that we can make books engaging with the use of props and by relating the text to the learner’s life experiences. In today’s featured video, we learn more about the use of shared reading and how it can be used with people who have significant disabilities. Dr. Karen Erickson’s video comes from the Dynamic Learning Maps Alternate Assessment System. Direct Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwSxTDsQZb0&feature=youtu.be
Literacy instruction involves lots of reading and writing. Last week, Carole discussed using storybook reading and the RAAP (Read, Ask, Answer, Prompt) strategy by Drs. Cathy Binger and Jennifer Kent-Walsh to teach communication and literacy. To use storybooks with all learners we need to have lots of books that are easily accessible. Books need to be accessible physically as well as through content and interest. It is lucky that with all of today’s on-line resources there is an abundance of ways to obtain as well as make and write storybooks. All learners can and should be be involved in both the reading and writing process. Not only do literacy skills improve but so do communication skills. Involving Learners in the Storybook Process Reader & Writer Vocabulary- Facilitate involvement by using reader and writer vocabulary. Refer to learners as “readers”, “authors”, “editors”, “publishers”, “critics”, etc. When you are treated and referred... [Read More...]