610 Search Results for visual support
July 13, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Things move more slowly in the summer and that makes it a good time to play catch-up. Here are some posts that may be worth a second look. Getting ready for a core vocabulary journey Make It Monday: Manual communication boards with core vocabulary Make It Monday: More words, please! Expanding our manual communication boards Super Size It: 5 ideas for making large communication boards Beyond requesting: A week of routines to increase AAC use at mealtimes 5 ways to build understanding Free resources for making AAC and visual supports 5 places for shared AAC materials What else are you catching up on these days? —
May 22, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
In a great many places, SLPs are in short supply. SLPs with specialized skills, such as those who can support students with AAC needs, are even harder to find. How can program administrators find, and, even more importantly, retain qualified SLPs? In this series, we share a few thoughts on the topic of space. One of the most meaningful things that an administrator is pretty simple: Ensure that the SLP has appropriate space in which to work. This basic requirement is frequently overlooked, particularly in educational settings. In schools, the SLP space is sometimes transient (e.g., M/W/F in the psychologist office, T/Th in the OT/PT area), inadequate (e.g., former book storage closet), or inappropriate (e.g., noisy environment, too small to hold groups). Sometimes, the space for SLP work is completely nonexistent. In the past few weeks, I’ve heard from SLPs who are expected to function without a dedicated workspace beyond... [Read More...]
May 21, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Here are some posts you may have missed in your busy week. Monday: How We Do It: Assessing AAC Skills and Competencies to Inform Intervention & Show Progress Wednesday: Video of the Week: AAC Conversation Club Thursday: How I Do It: Using an App to Create AAC Materials & Visual Supports
May 14, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Mother’s Day! Here are some posts you may have missed in your prAACtical week. Monday: Site of the Month: Preschool AAC and Visual Supports from Orange County Public Schools Wednesday: Video of the Week: AACtual Advocacy Thursday: How We Do It: Pragmatic Skill Intervention in AAC with Dr. Jill Senner & Matthew Baud
May 11, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Better Hearing and Speech Month is in full swing and we are excited to see SLPs talking about tools and strategies for supporting people with AAC needs. Many individuals with AAC needs have difficulty using language in expected ways, particularly in social interactions. In this post, we welcome back guest authors Jill Senner and Matthew Baud to discuss ways in which they target pragmatic language in their clinical work. They have a prAACtical approach to this subject and are generous in sharing AAC resources, including vocabulary/pagesets for some popular AAC apps/SGDs. Enjoy! ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Chat with Me: Pragmatic Skill Intervention in AAC with Jill E Senner, PhD, CCC-SLP & Matthew R. Baud, MS, CCC-SLP Pragmatic skills, commonly referred to as social skills, play an important role in the successful integration of individuals with disabilities. People with disabilities need adequate social skills to live and be educated in the least restrictive environment, to be... [Read More...]
March 9, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Looking for information of use to service providers, people who use AAC, and their families? Our March Site of the Month features a website that fits the bill. Scope, an Australian disability service agency, has information and downloadable resources that you may want to explore. Here are some of the highlights. CIRCus Blog The agency supports a blog with content from Scope’s Communication and Inclusion Resource Centre and includes several topics related to AAC. Eye gaze: For people with significant motor difficulties, eye pointing or eye gaze may play an important role in their access to communication. Having communication partners who know how to maximize the success of this strategy can make the difference between incredible success and perpetual struggle. In this post, they walk us through the process of supporting people who use eye gaze. Schedules: Therapists and teachers regularly use visual schedules to help people with AAC needs... [Read More...]
February 26, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, prAACtical friends! Hope you are having a restorative weekend and are looking forward to a fulfilling week ahead. Here are some posts that you may have missed in your busy week. Monday: PrAACtical Resources: Data Collection Forms for Communication Partners Wednesday: Video of the Week – Voice by Choice Thursday: Free Resources for Making AAC and Visual Supports
February 12, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Valentine’s Day, prAACtical friends! Hope there’s a lot of AAC love in your week. Monday: Make it PrAACtical: Switch Mounts Wednesday: Video of the Week: Designing & Using Visual Supports for Older Students Thursday: PrAACtically Valentine’s Day: Core Vocabulary Activities
January 26, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
“He knows what to do. He just doesn’t do it.” “He’s prompt-dependent. How can I get him to use AAC on his own?” “I love his strong-willed nature, but it works against him sometimes. He doesn’t initiate.” If any of these remarks sound familiar, it may be time to think about alternative approaches to build independent communication. Here are a few things to try with AAC users who’ve learned to wait for support before communicating. Exaggerate the pause time: Many of our AAC learners need at least 5 seconds of pause time after a communication opportunity presents itself. This helps them process the experience, organize their thoughts, decide on a response, and then begin to execute that response. Sometimes, though, we work with people who’ve learned that if they just wait, the communication partner will start to help (whether or not they need it). We can sometimes nudge the learner... [Read More...]
November 7, 2016
by Carole Zangari -
Symbols, templates, software, tools, and more. That’s what you’ll find on the November PrAACtical Site of the Month: ARASAAC, the Aragonese Portal of Augmentative and Alternative Communication. Supported by the Department of Education, Culture and Sports of the Aragonese Government and the General Directorate of Innovation, Equality and Participation, this award-winning site has been serving the AAC community for over two decades. They may be best known for the picture symbols that they share so freely, which allows professionals, users of AAC, and families to create free resources in Catalan, Euskera, English, French, German, Italian, Galician, Portuguese, Spanish, and more. The online tools section has a variety of things to explore including tools to make communication boards, animations (gifs), schedules and calendars, custom symbols, and games. There are also wonderful resources for Spanish Sign Language in pictures and videos. There is also a Materials Exchange section where you can download communication... [Read More...]