675 Search Results for communication book
December 14, 2012
by Robin Parker -
As we are talking about communication boards this month, we wanted to share a great free resource that is available to everyone. ConnectABILITY is a virtual community and website focused on lifelong learning and support for people who have an intellectual disability, their families and their support networks. It is based in Canada and funded by a grant from Ronald McDonald House Charities. We have used many resources from ConnectAbility. We love that you can get information for all ages (children through senior adults). We love the multimedia formats. We have listened to podcasts, read about community and participated in interactive learning. But we absolutely love the Visual Engine which helps you learn about and make visual supports. We LOVE the way you can easily create communication boards and recently realized there are easy ways to add photos, symbols, or even your own pictures or photos. The ‘ease of use’... [Read More...]
December 8, 2012
by Robin Parker -
Organizing vocabulary on communication boards sometimes feels overwhelming, especially if you have not had specific training or education in this area. It is a huge responsibility because if the communicator can not navigate the communication book easily and quickly they might ‘lose’ motivation or ‘lose’ a listener. A problem that often occurs in ordering vocabulary for a communication book is that there appears to have been no plan. And when there are no plans, disorganization usually occurs and with disorganization comes chaos. So to avoid chaos, it is very helpful to make long term plan. Long Term Plan Considerations- A Beginning: Language Learning– it is often helpful to order vocabulary on a communication display so that the communicator can learn language and literacy in addition to functional communication. With this in mind, core and fringe vocabulary can be organized in a way that follows a left to right access to... [Read More...]
December 5, 2012
by Robin Parker -
The topic of communication books was introduced this month. We will continue to think about the multitude of decisions to make as we design individual communication books. Obviously, content is the most important issue, but we are often reminded that function and form must go together. Carole gave some great examples of reasons to make the books appealing and personal. I had a situation this week that illustrated this concept perfectly. We continue to learn from the ‘learners’ that we are teaching. I know a little girl with autism who most people think does not care about her peers or how things look. She uses some natural speech and a no-tech communication book. She uses the communication book during her speech-language therapy sessions but only inconsistently outside of the therapy room. She has not expressed interest in taking the communication book with her and although she has some specific visual... [Read More...]
December 1, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
There’s something about the month of December that makes us a bit nostalgic. As we prepare for the holidays, our thoughts drift to the past. Simpler times. Tradition. The way things used to be. And, so, for our Strategy of the Month, we step away from the latest app or fanciest SGD and turn our attention to one of the tried-and-true tools from the past: Communication books. They used to be ubiquitous but now they’re becoming almost a rarity. We’ve decided to focus on them for a couple of reasons, but the main one is to spread the word that it doesn’t take a sizeable budget to give someone access to real language. If you have access to a computer and printer, you can make a really robust communication book for little or no money. It seems so simple: Put some words and pictures in a book. Show someone how... [Read More...]
September 19, 2019
by Carole Zangari -
Looking for resources that help communication partners develop a better understanding of how to interact with AAC users in supportive ways? We’re grateful to AAC SLP Alicia Garcia for sharing updated versions of two helpful resources. Alicia is the clinical lead of the AAC Clinic at One Kids Place, a children’s treatment center in northern Ontario. You can download a packet with an AAC partner strategies booklet and a poster displaying the variety of communication functions that we can support in our AAC work by clicking on the images below. Enjoy!
June 6, 2016
by Carole Zangari -
Looking for book-specific vocabulary that you can highlight, teach, and/or elicit when reading? The Assistive Technology Team at Baltimore City Public Schools has a site with materials that you may find helpful. They’ve created topical communication boards for over 800 books, both fiction and non-fiction, that can be accessed by anyone with the Boardmaker program. Their resources include activity-based communication boards with 9, 20, and 56 locations for the books, and a set of comprehension questions. You can access their Adapted Books site here.
March 17, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
In this post, we continue to explore strategies for advancing the literacy experiences of people who use AAC. Today, we’ll look at a strategy used in the research of Drs. Cathy Binger and Jennifer Kent-Walsh. What is a little different about this strategy is that it uses literacy experiences, specifically storybook reading, to build communication skills. One component of their research focuses on an interactive reading strategy called RAAP: Read, Ask, Answer, Prompt. There is lots to love about this approach, but one of our favorite things is that is makes heavy use of aided language input, an intervention strategy that is critical for partners of beginning communicators to use. You can read more about aided language input and see videos here. It also gets partners using language expansions and extensions, an intervention strategy that is effective for communicators at many levels of proficiency. Finally, we appreciate the frequent use of... [Read More...]
February 20, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
There are many ways for professionals to continue to build their AAC knowledge. Websites and blogs can be very informative. Journal articles, while extremely beneficial, can be challenging both to obtain and utilize. In between are a growing number of books that offer strong content in a readable fashion. Here’s a handful that you might not yet have on your bookshelf. Fundamentals of AAC: A Case-Based Approach to Enhancing Communication by Nerissa Hall, Jenifer Juengling-Sudkamp, Michelle L. Gutmann, and Ellen R. Cohn Augmentative and Alternative Communication: Challenges and Solutions by Billy T. Ogletree AAC Visualized by Morgan Van Diepen and Janna Bedoyan Effective Augmentative and Alternative Communication Practices 1st Edition by Miriam C. Boesch and M. Alexandra Da Fonte AAC for All: Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Practice by Mollie G. Mindel and Jeeva John Looking for a few more? Check out this list from a previous post.
June 20, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Summer is a great time to catch up on reading. If you can squeeze a few more AAC titles onto your bookshelf, we have some suggestions for you. Take a look. AAC for All: Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Practice Mindel, M.G., & John, J. (2022). AAC for all: Culturally and linguistically responsive practice. Plural Publishing Inc. Augmentative and Alternative Communication: Challenges and Solutions Ogletree, B.T. (2021). Augmentative and alternative communication: Challenges and solutions. Plural Publishing Inc. Fundamentals of AAC: A Case-based Approach to Enhancing Communication Hall, N., Juengling-Sudkamp, J., Gutmann, M., & Cohn, E. (2023). Fundamentals of AAC: A case-based approach to enhancing communication. Plural Publishing Inc. Do you have suggestions for books to learn more about AAC topics? We’d love to hear them.
November 18, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
We’re continuing to discuss strategies for helping teams devise ways to test students who use AAC in ways that allow them to show what they actually know in test-taking situations. For the most part, this involves team discussions and collaborative problem-solving to develop a plan based on each AAC user’s individual needs, abilities, and priorities. Today’s post addresses two important topics: How individuals will communicate during testing and how teams document the ways that assessments are administered to a particular individual. TOPIC 12 Communicating During Testing – How will students express themselves during testing? People who use AAC should always have easy access to the tools they use for communication. In testing, professionals may be tempted to remove or restrict the AAC device during testing, but there are several reasons why this is not a good idea. For starters, we’re violating basic human rights in making communication aids less accessible.... [Read More...]