180 Search Results for rett
July 18, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Whether you are a therapist, educator, or other professional there is a long list of things that people who use AAC need us to do so that they can communicate in ways that help them live their best lives. Today, we begin a series on some of the most overlooked areas that even veteran AAC practitioners often miss. Not because they don’t know about them. Not because they have a philosophical reason to avoid them. Not because they can’t figure out how to implement them. But because there are incredibly frustrating systemic obstacles to providing the kinds of support our clients/students need. In schools, caseload and classroom sizes stack the deck against us. In healthcare settings and private clinics, the funding streams steer us away from a best practice approach. And in almost every setting, the increasing paperwork and organizational demands draw our attention away from what we want to... [Read More...]
April 11, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Jessa is learning to use an AAC app that is rich in core vocabulary. Despite dual diagnoses of autism and Down Syndrome, she’s picking it up quite well. Jessa’s not very keen on coming to therapy, though, and often puts her head down on the table to avoid engagement. Matthew goes with the flow. With more than a decade of therapy under his belt, he’s “learned to comply” and will generally follow directions that are given to him. For the most part, though, he seems to use his AAC because the adults want him to. Interaction using his AAC system doesn’t seem to bring Matthew much satisfaction. Kristina is a pretty proficient AAC user. Most people don’t realize that, though, because she tends to communicate in single words or short sentences. The other students in her special education classroom are far less communicatively competent, so when Kristina engages with 2-word... [Read More...]
February 28, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Independence is so highly valued in our society that the contributions of interdependence often get overlooked. Today, we’ll dive into an approach to AAC support that doesn’t always get the recognition it deserves. Co-construction In a general sense, co-construction is a collaborative process where two or more parties work together to build or create something. When this is applied to teaching and learning, co-constructive approaches feature collaborations, partnerships, coordination, and cooperation. With young children, for example, we co-construct meaning by having sustained interactions in contexts where they feel respected and secure in their sense of agency. We play a supportive role in their play, activities of daily living, and formal learning experiences by… In the world of language, co-construction has a more specific meaning. Linguists use the term to indicate a single syntactic entity developed jointly within a conversation. In discourse, co-construction happens when sentences are built collaboratively by two... [Read More...]
September 30, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Tonight we’ll be turning the page on the calendar and preparing to celebrate AAC Awareness Month! For the past decade, October has given us some extra opportunities to spread the word about all things AAC, and it’s pretty exciting to think back on all we’ve done and also to plan for the current year. Each week during AAC Awareness Month we’ll share suggestions for things to do to help others learn about a field that emerged to support children and adults with complex communication needs. This week, we’ll focus on hands-on activities. A popular approach to AAC Awareness Month is to invite a group of colleagues or families to come together and communicate only through AAC for the event. Some years, we’ve held ‘Silent Snack’ events before class where we put out a variety of board games and invited some of our AAC clients to come in and play along.... [Read More...]
June 24, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Looking to freshen up your library of books that include characters with disabilities? This updated list has a few that you may want to check out. The books in these lists vary in terms of their subject, target audience, and reading level. As with any book that you consider providing to children and youth, be sure to review it first to determine its appropriateness for the individual reader. Some of the books, particularly those for teens, have scenes that are intense and may contain mature content, and/or strong language. Note: If you have others that you would recommend, please reach out to us and we will update the list. Books Featuring Children & Youth with Disabilities AAC Dancing Daisies (2013) by Sara Pyszka Fur Cubs Present First Day of School (2010) by C. Lynne Luster How Katie Got a Voice (And A Cool New Nickname) (2012) by Pat Mervine Inside... [Read More...]
June 14, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Ready for another post with book-related ideas for supporting core vocabulary learning in preschool classrooms? Today, we end another wonderful year of Jeanna Antrim and Maggie Judson’s TELL ME About It series with a terrific post featuring the book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. If you’re in search of ways to support preschool teachers who are implementing the TELL ME program with their young students, this post will give you lots of tried-and-true ideas. Maggie and Jeanna are speech-language pathologists who work in the Assistive Technology Department for the Belleville Area Special Services Cooperative (BASSC) in southern Illinois. They are AT/AAC facilitators and provide evaluations, direct therapy, consultations, and trainings with school teams. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: TELL ME About The Book The last book in this series is “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” by Laura Joffe Numeroff. Such a fun book that introduces a simple plot line to our... [Read More...]
May 3, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Here in the US, we’ll be celebrating Mother’s Day soon. If you’re looking for resources that you can incorporate into your AAC work, we have some ideas for you. These are great for highlight core vocabulary, such as these: Pronouns: I, you, she, we, her, our Verbs: can, do, give, help, love, make, read, see, write Adjectives: good, nice, pretty, smart, strong Conjunctions: and, because, but, with Time Words: later, now, today, tomorrow Questions: what, who, where ACTIVITY SUGGESTIONS Read about Mothers and Mother’s Day with some of these books. From Boardmaker From Tarheel Reader (SDJ) From Tarheel Reader (Nicolaus) Cards and letters are always appreciated and a great way to practice language and literacy skills. Here are a few to check out. From AU-SOME Little Learners From Blooming Kiddos From Education to the Core From Twinkl Printable Resources From Mollie Pouska Add a poem like this one... [Read More...]
March 11, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
It’s not unusual for people who are learning to use AAC to repeat themselves, something we’ve written about before. While it’s not usually a problem, there are times when this is less than desirable. Here are a few things to think about as you determine how to proceed. Look for the meaning. There’s almost always a reason why people repeat things in their AAC systems. We have to do some sleuthing to figure it out, but it’s worth the effort. One memorable example of this was from Candace, who kept navigating away from what I had planned for us to talk about and repeating things about camp. Initially, I didn’t think much of it, but when she persisted, I did some digging and eventually found out that something pretty scary happened to her there. Those repetitions were probably the best way she could think of to engage me in a... [Read More...]
March 1, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Do the AAC users in your life use only a fraction of the core words in their SGD, AAC app, or communication board? One way to help them move forward is to make a concerted effort to use, highlight, and provide additional teaching on a variety of words. It’s hard to do this without getting overwhelmed, so find a strategy that works for you. A few years ago, we decided to approach this by focusing on 12-16 core words each month. (If this is too much for the teams with whom you work, that’s not a problem. Just cut it back to 4-6 words/month.) Each month, we can highlight those words in our conversation (aided language input), direct intervention, and home programming activities with AAC learners. The repeated experiences with those 12-16 (or 4-6) words help our AAC learners develop new skills, and keeps the team focused on the same destination. ... [Read More...]
January 28, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
February is just around the corner and that means we’re looking ahead to ways we can highlight more of the core vocabulary words in our clients’ AAC devices and communication aids. One approach to boosting practice opportunities is to select a dozen or so core words to focus on each month. Throughout the month, we can then pay special attention to that small group of words by highlighting them with focused language stimulation, aided language input, and specific activities designed to teach or practice those words. In previous years, we shared lists of some core words to help you do just that, and every month we share some ideas for prioritizing a small set of words. You can use these materials to remind yourself which words to highlight this month using aided language input and focused language stimulation. What else? Here are some ideas to get you started. Print them... [Read More...]