375 Search Results for complex communication
September 19, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Whether they are therapists, educators, or come from some other background, AAC practitioners tend to be overworked and under-resourced. The day-to-day work of planning instruction, measuring growth, documenting services, communicating with other team members, creating or adapting materials, making adjustments on the SGD/AAC app, and advocating on behalf of the AAC user leaves little time for the other types of support that are needed. Thus, things that need attention but can wait for another day when there is more time and energy often get moved to the side. Today, we continue our series of things that get overlooked even by the best professionals and most dedicated families. Time and energy are always in short supply. We’ve already talked about the importance of backing up AAC apps/SGDs but did you know that depending on the specific equipment and software, you’re not always backing up everything you need? (If you missed the... [Read More...]
July 7, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
People with AAC needs face significant challenges in accessing appropriate medical care and getting the help they need to deal with illness, pain, and other symptoms. In today’s edition of Throwback Thursday, we reprise past posts on this topic that may be of interest. Supporting People with Significant Communication Challenges in Medical Encounters PrAACtical Resources: Chronic Pain Assessment in Children with Disabilities Growing AAC Professionals: Resources for Self-Advocacy, Reducing Abandonment, Medical Encounters, & More Pain in Children with Developmental Disabilities PrAACtically SLPs: Working with Children With Complex Medical Conditions Supporting Children in the Pediatric ICU 5 PrAACtical Resources For Better Communication Experiences with Healthcare Providers
June 5, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. We have some posts that you might like. Monday – June Year of Core Vocabulary & School Year of Core Vocabulary Words Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: 3 Keys to AAC in the IEP Thursday – School Safety Resources Friday – CAA con Links ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: While you’re here, check out some of these previously published posts. 5 Ways to Tell If Your Students are Becoming Competent Communicators A Look at PODD Books Using Visual Supports to Bring Music Alive Supports for When Modeling AAC is Hard AACtual Therapy: Use Your Best Spud to Teach Vocabulary With Tanna Neufeld How We Do It: Changing AAC Mindsets & Outcomes Engaging AAC Learners with Complex Bodies
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...]
December 20, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
In a perfect world, everyone who needs AAC would participate in a comprehensive assessment to guide the selection of what SGD and/or AAC app will best meet their needs. That evaluation would include a records review, interviews with key stakeholders, observation, direct assessment, and a period of trial use with the communication aids that seem to be the best fit. It’s a complex and time-consuming endeavor, but the feature match process has been the gold standard for AAC device/app selection for several decades. At times, this process is skipped in favor of a quicker approach. Bhodie’s school team already supports several other students with AAC needs and most of them use a popular AAC app on an iPad. Since they are already familiar with that tool and it seems to be working well for other students, they tried it with Bhodie, too. He was successful in using it to request... [Read More...]
July 12, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Core boards have gained popularity as an on-ramp to AAC in classrooms and therapy centers, and can be a valuable way to bolster implementation in those settings. AAC users need and deserve to use communication tools that reflect their individuality, though, so these are generally seen as a stepping stone to an approach that uses assessment data to make AT decisions. In the meantime, how can we ensure that the core boards we use are functional for the complex AAC learners we serve? Here are three areas to consider addressing. Vision: If the AAC learner has visual difficulties, it’s important to determine what changes need to be made so that they can see and use the core board. In collaboration with a vision specialist who knows the AAC learner’s needs and abilities, the team should consider things like: The size of the individual symbols and words, Optimizing color and contrast, ... [Read More...]
July 8, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
What are the language learning priorities for the AAC users in your life? Expanding vocabulary? Increasing sentence length and complexity? Using a greater range of communicative functions? Applying morphological markers? Given the heterogeneity of our AAC learners, it’s no surprise that the language goals we address are just as diverse. Today, we dig through the archives to highlight activities that can be used to target an array of language learning objectives. Browse through the list to see if you can find some that are of use in your AAC work. Concept Sorts Using Surveys to Support Language Learning Magic Moments with Tellagami New Word Teaching: A Look Inside Some PrAACtical Therapy Sessions Teaming Up to Build Communication with a Treat Cart: Part 1, Part 2 AACtual Therapy: Use Your Best Spud to Teach Vocabulary With Tanna Neufeld PrAACtical Supports for AAC Learners: AT Recipes for Success – Sensorimotor Activities AAC... [Read More...]
March 15, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
We are back with lots of great core vocabulary resources in another edition in the TELL ME About It series. In today’s post, AAC SLPs Maggie Judson and Jeanna Antrim share ideas for language learning with the book ‘The Skin You Live In.’ 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. Check out the video read-alouds using 3 different AAC apps, and their ideas for classroom activities, e-learning, supporting AAC learning at home, and more. Also, don’t miss their tips for dealing with communication breakdowns. To read more about how they prepare for a TELL ME week and see resources that are based on other books take a look at their previous posts in the TELL ME About It... [Read More...]
February 15, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Today, we welcome Katrina Cohen Cosentino, Head of Communications at Cboard app. Katrina has been working with Cboard, a free web-based AAC app, for the past 3 years. Cboard uses the Mulberry Symbol Set and is available in more than 40 languages. In today’s post, she gives an overview of what Cboard is, how it started, and how it works. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Cboard can be accessed here: www.cboard.io Cboard is a free AAC web app for children and adults with speech and language impairments, aiding communication with symbols and text-to-speech. Cboard is funded by UNICEF. Who are we? We are an international group of professionals whose sole goal is to develop a free and open-source communication aid for people around the world. Co-founder of Cboard and Developer Martin Bedouret began the project after being diagnosed with ALS in 2015, along with an Israeli programmer. The idea stemmed from a conversation with... [Read More...]
November 12, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
We’re always excited to see innovations in assistive technology and AAC, and today, we welcome Charlie Danger of The Children’s Trust to tell us about one of them. Charlie is an OT and ATP who has been working with people with disabilities for over 20 years. In this post, he introduces us to Google Action Blocks and discusses some of the ways it can benefit those with AAC needs. A Look at Google Action Blocks When most of us consider the use of modern portable devices as communication aids we’re likely to refer to iPads running popular apps such as LAMP Words for Life or Proloquo2go. It is relatively rare that people first consider Android AAC apps, most likely because there are so few of them. Android Worldwide, Android devices outsell Apple by a factor of 3 to 1. In South America and Asia this is as high as 10... [Read More...]