794 Search Results for praactical teaching
June 14, 2013
by Robin Parker -
Some great free AAC resources for communicating with dad this Father’s Day and beyond: Talk to dad with visual conversational starters from Autism Teaching Strategies/Joel Shaul. Play a Mayor-Johnson symbol based memory game. Print, color, and create the game together and then have fun playing and communicating. Father’s Day Activity and Social Story (for those dads that like gardening) from Positively Autism For more ideas or inspiration about Father’s Day, see PrAACtical Reflections. Have a Great Father’s Day!
May 8, 2013
by Robin Parker -
It’s PrAACtically Mother’s Day and we are thinking about gifts and activities that promote communication, language, & literacy. Here are 5 activities that are fun and interesting to plan for and do interactively. In the end, there will also be a tangible and/or intangible gift for mom. Enjoy and please share any additional activities that you have done or seen that you think are great. Visual Supports to Support Conversations with Moms-Thanks so much to Joel Shaul at Autism Teaching Strategies for creating this great visual support that helps support meaningful conversations with mom. Saying I Love You On Mother’s Day– Ideas for teaching communication of “I Love You” for beginning communicator. Mother’s Day Word List– Ideas for using this Mother’s Day Word Bank to create a poem, story, or more.. Words, words, and more words for conversation about mom. Your Special Chef– Use this picture recipe and lesson plan... [Read More...]
May 1, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
We’re celebrating ASHA’s Better Speech and Hearing Month with a series of posts for SLPs who are working with people who have significant communication difficulties and aren’t currently using AAC strategies. In these posts, we hope to give clinicians a fresh look and some prAACtical ideas about using AAC with a variety of clinical populations. We’ve invited well-respected authors, researchers, and clinicians to contribute to this series. We’re proud to kick-off a new series called Fresh Look with posts on using AAC with children and adults. Watch for posts on on a variety of topics, including: Using AAC to support people with dementia by Dr. Melanie Fried-Oken AAC in General Education with Dr. Joan Bruno Supporting the friendships of children with ASD by Dr. Erinn Fincke Providing initial AAC supports to people with ALS by Lisa Bardach Language therapy with children who use AAC by Drs. Cathy Binger and Jennifer... [Read More...]
April 20, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
Last week, we talked about two key strategies for teaching core language: using aided language input and creating frequent opportunities to teach and elicit core words. In today’s post, we’ll expand the number of words and discuss two additional considerations for teaching core words. Aided language input is always important in working with beginning users of AAC. It exposes them to their new means of communication, provides them with a competent model of their AAC system, and introduces them to words and symbols they don’t yet know within a meaningful context. It also forces us to slow down when talking, something that can be very beneficial when you consider that many beginning users of AAC also have difficulty processing oral language. (It may take them longer to decode what they’re hearing and they may have to concentrate more than the average kid.) If you’ve actually tried pointing to symbols as... [Read More...]
April 8, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
New to teaching core vocabulary in AAC? On board with the concept? Know that it’s important but find it a little intimidating to teach? Welcome to the club! Actually, it’s quite a big club but you wouldn’t know it because lots of members are still closeted. That’s okay – no one here is going to ‘out’ you. But if you want to move forward in your AAC teaching journey, here are some things to try. Breathe and forgive yourself: It’s easy to feel like everyone else knows this but you. Not true. We tend to beat ourselves up for not being out ahead of the curve, but you know what? It’s not worth it. We’re all a work in progress, so let it go and just start where you are. As one of our favorite eminent scholars** has repeatedly said, “When you know better, you do better.” Get your own... [Read More...]
April 6, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
Among the many changes that the AAC field has experienced in the last decade is the notion that core vocabulary is (or should be) an integral part of any AAC system. We grew to understand the limitations of AAC supports that consist primarily of nouns and descriptors, realizing that those kinds of communication displays restricted our clients to requesting and labeling. Our field realized the inadequacy of providing only prestored messages (e.g., limited the client’s ability to communicate anything novel, not flexible enough to meet most communication needs, etc.). In essence, we realized that without core vocabulary, we were imposing a ceiling on language development. We’re thrilled to see so many communication boards, books, SGDs, and AAC apps reflect this knowledge. Having tools with the appropriate vocabulary is a big step in the right direction. But to really shatter the ceiling of language development, we have to be good at... [Read More...]
March 22, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
March 9, 2013
by Robin Parker -
Personal narratives are the first story skills that develop. They tell about ourselves and our connection to activities, places, and events. They tell about how we feel about people and experiences. Personal narratives help us structure and organize the events of our lives and even become a way of thinking about ourselves and our identities. We know many AAC users have significant difficulty with narratives. We always wonder though, is it a function of language difficulty or of access, exposure, and PrAACtice or more likely a combination. There are key intervention strategies that help AAC learners be able to tell personal narratives. You probably won’t be surprised by what strategies work but the research from Gloria Soto and colleagues has shown us that when applied to personal narratives, AAC users can be competent story tellers. Some Thoughts on Personal Narrative Assessment Even before assessment of the AAC learner, in all fairness,... [Read More...]
March 8, 2013
by Robin Parker -
We have been out and about in our community these past couple of weeks. We have worked with speech-language pathologists, teachers, resource specialists, paraprofessionals, and families. We love doing AAC facilitator training because the impact is so important for not only our current AAC learners but for future AAC learners as well. There are really great professionals who want to provide the best AAC support possible. They want and need AAC information that will help them integrate AAC facilitation strategies into their already very busy days. Here are 5 AAC facilitation strategies that have made the most impact: Using Aided Language Input (ALI)– Talk AAC to the learner. This strategy is not only a very powerful teaching tool, but when discussed with new AAC facilitators, seems to make perfect sense (many have never heard of it). One key for learning ALI is to practice it in a variety of activities... [Read More...]
March 6, 2013
by Robin Parker -
Subscribe to a blog with an AAC focus– Spectronics Blogs, Uncommon Sense, Jane Farrall Consulting, PrAACtical AAC Program a one hit message device and use it for a new reason– 101+ Things to do with a Big Mac or Other Single Message Communication Devices Follow an AAC topic Pinterest board– PrAACtical AAC, AAC by Katie Ahern, AT/AAC/Adapt/Modify/Accessibility/Accommodations, AT for Communication, AAC by Constantly Speaking, Communication-AAC Print out and hang up or give someone an AAC Awareness Image– 10 Commandments of AAC Devices, AAC It’s as Easy as 1,2,3 Register for a free AAC professional development webinar from Ablenet Print out an AAC Poster– AAC Boot Camp-Getting AAC Users to Communicate, The Periodic Table of AAC, Learn about technology and apps for AAC and learning from Pinterest– Lauren Enders Pinterest Boards, Tech in Special Education Print out song visual supports Read a Tar Heel Reader Book with an AAC learner... [Read More...]