21 Search Results for multiple modalities

Say Cheese! 5 PrAACtical Ideas for No/Low Prep Activities Using a Phone Camera

July 17, 2023 by - Leave your thoughts

Say Cheese! 5 PrAACtical Ideas for No/Low Prep Activities Using a Phone Camera

Cell phones are ubiquitous these days, and almost all of them have a camera. In today’s post, we share some ideas for how to use that for AAC and language learning. If you’re looking for no-prep activities, this post is for you. Create a Collage: Pick a target word or language concept, and walk around looking for things that are associated with it. Snap pictures of a handful of things, then use a free app like PicCollage to create a collage. You’ll find a lot of opportunities to say and practice the target word, both in taking the photos and making the collage. Fun with Filters: Use Snapchat or another app to take photos with playful filters. The discussion about which filter to use and what accessories to add will offer multiple opportunities for you to model and elicit some of the words, phrases, sentences, and questions that are relevant... [Read More...]

2023: A PrAACtical New Year

January 2, 2023 by - Leave your thoughts

2023: A PrAACtical New Year

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...]

How We Do It: Navigating Successful Post-Secondary Transitions in a Virtual World

March 22, 2021 by - Leave your thoughts

How We Do It: Navigating Successful Post-Secondary Transitions in a Virtual World

AAC professionals can provide a great deal of support to help students prepare for post-school life. Today, guest authors Meredith Gohsman, Jamie Lawson, Heather Patton, and Melanie Melton team up to share their thoughts on helping students who use AAC move successfully toward this transition. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Speech-language pathologists, educators, and other AAC stakeholders all share responsibility in preparing students for successful post-secondary transition. The need to explicitly address post-secondary transition is well-established. Despite benefits of employment for both the employer and employee (McNaughton et al., 2002; McNaughton et al., 2003), individuals using AAC are unemployed at a staggering rate. For individuals using AAC, communication remains a vital component in the workplace (Bryen et al., 2007). Communication interactions and skills are associated with income, as well as job options (Mank et al., 1997; McNaughton & Bryen, 2007; McNaughton & Richardson, 2013). This includes all 5 communicative competencies: Linguistic Competence: Mastery of... [Read More...]

AAC in Secondary School: Using Surveys to Support Language Learning

March 8, 2021 by - 1 Comment

AAC in Secondary School: Using Surveys to Support Language Learning

It’s a great day to explore ways to support AAC use, and today AAC SLP Ashley Larisey joins us with some activity suggestions and lots of implementation tips.  Ashley is an SLP at Community High School District 218 in Oak Lawn, Illinois. She is also an Adjunct Clinical Supervisor and Instructor at Saint Xavier University. This post, part of the AAC in Secondary School series, focuses on the use of language experience surveys with students who are learning to use AAC. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Surveys Surveys can be used within almost any classroom activity to provide students with opportunities to communicate with both familiar and non-familiar listeners. Questions that are used for the survey can be used to gather more information about a topic that guides decision-making. Surveys can be embedded into academic, social, vocational, and community-based instruction. Take a look at some examples of how to use surveys in your classroom... [Read More...]

Alternative Learning Experiences in Clinical Education: An AAC Video Case Study

June 11, 2020 by - Leave your thoughts

Alternative Learning Experiences in Clinical Education: An AAC Video Case Study

When SLP students are connected with real-world AAC situations, there can be a deep and lasting impact. Today, guest author and SLP Clinical Educator Krista Davidson shares her experiences in connecting graduate students with Kim Rankin and her son, Nathaniel, who uses AAC. Initially connected through social media, they worked together to build a valuable learning experience for these future SLPs. Alternative Learning Experiences in Clinical Education: An AAC Video Case Study I am a clinical associate professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at The University of Iowa. At Iowa, our graduate students rotate through a variety of clinical teams, mine being the AAC team. Each semester I have a new group of students to educate, supervise, and mentor as they provide therapy to my caseload of clients who use AAC at the Wendell Johnson Speech and Hearing Clinic. Due to the recent pandemic, like most universities,... [Read More...]

How We Do It: The Talk Flock – Taking Care of Caregivers

July 1, 2019 by - 2 Comments

How We Do It: The Talk Flock - Taking Care of Caregivers

How can we better support parents and caregivers of children with AAC needs? Meredith Laverdure and Jaime Lawson, who are SLPs and former co-workers, wanted to do more for the families they served. Meredith is currently a doctoral student at Old Dominion University.  Her clinical and research interests include building communicative competence for children with complex communication needs with group interventions, as well as family- and community-level support.  Jaime has predominately worked with pediatric clients, focusing on AAC/AT evaluations and intervention. Her clinical and research interests include enhancing communicative opportunities for children across settings and in various social settings, group intervention, family-centered therapy, and communication partner training. In this post, Meredith and Jaime share their experiences in developing The Talk Flock, a parent education and support group. Enjoy! The Talk Flock: Taking Care of Caregivers As speech-language pathologists in the outpatient pediatric setting with a busy AAC/AT clinic, we tried to... [Read More...]

SPEAKall! A PrAACtical Research-to-Practice Project

January 30, 2014 by - 2 Comments

SPEAKall! A PrAACtical Research-to-Practice Project

It is a pleasure to welcome back Dr. Oliver Wendt, who graciously agreed to give us an update on the SPEAKall! app designed by faculty and students at Purdue University. You can see the original post here. There is a proud tradition of AAC research at Purdue, and we’re delighted to see that their latest prAACtical contributions. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: We wrote the first announcement about SPEAKall!, a therapy app for AAC in autism and developmental disorders, over a year and a half ago. SPEAKall! was originally created by the Purdue Program for Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS) in conjunction with the Purdue AAC Research Lab and the Purdue Speech-Language Clinic. SPEAKall! is specifically designed to start AAC intervention in prelinguistic learners. It has a very intuitive and “sensory-friendly” interface that reduces cognitive load, which makes it ideal for individuals with severe, non-verbal autism or severe developmental speech and language delay.... [Read More...]

Core Words, Direct Vocabulary Instruction, & The Beginning Communicator

November 30, 2013 by - Leave your thoughts

Vocabulary Instruction & the Beginning Communicator

Direct vocabulary instruction is important for all level learners.  The beginning communicator needs to learn core word vocabulary from USING the words and one of the best  ways to learn how to USE core words, is to receive specific direct instruction with many opportunities for active participation. 6 Essential Philosophies &  Strategies Vocabulary instruction involves a systematic TEACHING process.  Add vocabulary or Words as an activity on the daily schedule and then have a mini-schedule for the specific vocabulary instruction activities for that day. Initially, apply an errorless learning paradigm. Then, gradually, add comprehension checks, but do not wait for ‘proof’ of comprehension before adding new words because we often notice that the beginning communicator will demonstrate comprehension during ‘unexpected opportunities- or when you are least expecting it. Once learners become familiar with some of the specific vocabulary activities, then have some choice making opportunities as to which ‘word activities’... [Read More...]

Complete Vocabulary Instruction Ideas & Activities

November 24, 2012 by - Leave your thoughts

Complete Vocabulary Instruction Ideas & Activities

We love incorporating new vocabulary into fun motivating activities even when we are doing direct vocabulary instruction.  We embed new vocabulary in activities using all of the language modalities- reading, writing, talking, and listening. We use planned vocabulary instruction activities as well as unexpected opportunities to embed new vocabulary.  We like to stay within the theme of vocabulary learning but try and stay flexible in case a perfect opportunity arises that allows us to reflect back on an old vocabulary theme or mention a future planned theme.  The main goal of direct vocabulary instruction is more than learning a new list of words, it is learning robust word knowledge so that language skills can be broadened.    Consider these vocabulary instruction steps by Robert Marzano. These steps were not specifically developed for AAC users but if we add a language focus and a little more fun and active participation, they... [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...]