844 Search Results for core vocabulary
July 3, 2013
by Robin Parker -
Begin the July 4th conversation now, talk about it on the 4th as it is happening, and then summarize the experience on Friday (after) with pictures, conversation, writing, and reading. We love holiday celebrations for the preparation as much as the celebration itself. It builds excitement AND gives us a chance to prAACtice core words as well as begin special activities. If you have not already started, today is a good day to introduce a social story™ especially if a learner has difficulty with loud noises (firecrackers), crowds or lots of people, new foods (picnics) or routine changes. A participation story is also helpful just to prepare learners for the celebration activities. It is also a good idea to develop meaningful language activities about July 4th today. Get some great free stories from TarHeel Reader – July 4th Books. Make art projects, play games, sing songs, prepare recipes which will help teach new... [Read More...]
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...]
May 29, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
Need information on selecting vocabulary for someone with AAC needs? You can’t go wrong with Lauren Enders’ Pinterest board on this topic. She’s collected some wonderful posts, documents, and videos. Check it out here.
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 27, 2013
by Robin Parker -
This month we have talked about core words and teaching strategies & considerations for facilitating USING core language. We have talked about aided language input, creating frequent opportunities, making connections b/w symbols and their referents, and motor planning/automaticity. As April ‘goes out’, we add graduated prompting/prompt hierarchies, and wait & signal/time delay prompts. The key to teaching AAC core word language is strategies…. Aided language input (ALI) is fairly simple to do but sometimes overlooked. However, once it becomes habit, it is hard not to do even when you are ‘just’ talking about AAC displays. There are many clinical rationales or reasons why ALI is so important. It provides a model of the language we expect from the child (or adult), and how would anyone speak a language if they never ‘heard’ it. ALI also helps by introducing new words and symbols in meaningful contexts. If we are speaking AAC throughout the day then... [Read More...]
April 22, 2013
by Robin Parker -
April is Autism Awareness/Acceptance month. It is exciting that there have been so many positive messages and activities around schools, communities, the country, and even the world. It has been great that AAC and visual supports have been incorporated into many educational and communication programs (hopefully soon a ‘tipping point’, so that ALL students who need AAC systems will have them). One of the next ‘tipping points’ that would also be great to see is with the use of core words on communication displays. ‘Core Words’ are our Strategy of the Month and we are writing about the first 12 through the first 36. But, if you want more background information or to go well beyond 36 core words (which is the goal), Here are 8 More Things To Do For Autism Acceptance Month: Take a look at AAC Language Lab for Core Word Information Read ASHA- A Few Good... [Read More...]
April 13, 2013
by Robin Parker -
The focus this month is on core word vocabulary and effective teaching strategies. Most core vocabulary is represented through abstract symbols that range from translucent (i.e., makes sense after it is explained) to opaque (i.e., doesn’t have any resemblance to the word or concept) which makes the need for effective teaching all the more important. It also makes it more fun because meaningful language experiences, emotional language experiences, and repetition with variety experiences are going to be the platform for teaching. Within the platform of authentic language experiences, layers of teaching strategies can be applied. The more strategies we apply to learning, the more we assure ALL learners will benefit from our teaching. Core word vocabulary teaching begins with a few premises that underlie the process. These are not new ideas but ones that should be reaffirmed as you begin teaching. It is important, as always, to presume competence. All learners... [Read More...]
March 12, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
I had such a blast using this great (free) app that I couldn’t wait to get some time to blog about it. ‘It’s Cool to be Clever’ is about being different and uses the story of Edson Hendricks, an innovator who grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania and went on to develop an early design for what we now know as the world wide web. The app is based on a book by a former teacher, Leanne Jones, and contains compelling video and some lovely original music. It was created by Agio Studios. In his own voice, Hendricks tells his personal experiences of growing up feeling different from his peers, family, and community. There are four segments to the app. The Story: Narrated version of Hendrick’s biography, written by Leanne Jones, can be viewed so that you can read on your own, or have it read to you... [Read More...]
January 21, 2013
by Robin Parker -
Use a visual format to teach about Martin Luther King. Presume Competence with visual language & AAC teaching. What core words would you use? Check out PrAACtical AAC’s A Year of Core Vocabulary for ideas. THANKS ONLINE COURSES
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...]