32 Search Results for toddlers

PrAACtically Reading with Karen Natoci: Hello Baby

June 28, 2016 by - 1 Comment

Karen Natoci is back with some wonderful suggestions for reading and building AAC skills with young children. Although her focus is on little ones with visual impairment, these books and the implementation suggestions, would be useful for a wide range babies, toddlers, and preschoolers who are developing their language skills. Enjoy! :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Books Hello Baby Words (high contrast board books) by Roger Priddy, illustrated by Holly Jackman (Published by St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, NY 10010) Hello Baby Words: On The Go Hello Baby Words: Faces Hello Baby: Animals Hello Baby: Faces Core Vocabulary Focus: GO, GET, WHO, THAT, SEE, IT Fringe Vocabulary Transportation: digger, balloon, train, roller skates, helicopter, truck, car, submarine, rocket, dump truck, fire truck, boat, race car, tractor, car carrier, plane Animals: cat, turtle, fish, pig, butterfly, cow, mouse, bird, bear, zebra, rabbit, panda, penguin, dog, sheep, snake Faces:  boy, girl, woman, man, grandfather, grandmother... [Read More...]

How I Do It with Kimberly Scanlon: Using Visual Supports to Build Attention and Cooperation

October 5, 2015 by - Leave your thoughts

Having solid goals and fun activities is one thing, but being able to connect the two and teach communication and language takes skill. We have the best outcomes when the interventionist knows a variety of strategies that can support the learning outcomes. We’ve written about implementing countdown boards and other visual supports to build attention in the past, and have been gratified to hear from many of you who utilize those strategies. In today’s post, SLP Kimberly Scanlon, owner of Scanlon Speech Therapy, discusses how she implements this strategy and shares her own clever variation. You can download it at the end of the post. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: You plan the session. In fact, you over-plan and over prepare. You carefully select materials ensuring they are appropriate, engaging, and motivating for the client. Each activity will be short. Short is key as this student grows restless and losses interest rather quickly. You remove... [Read More...]

Growing Our Ranks: An AAC Confessional

March 5, 2015 by - Leave your thoughts

Growing Our Ranks: An AAC Confessional

It’s funny where life takes you. A former student of mine was unhappy as an attorney, but found deep satisfaction in becoming an SLP. Another one enjoyed her work as an SLP, but reached even more lives by founding a company for low tech communication and literacy materials. As SLP students, we might not have considered the role that people with AAC needs would play on our caseloads. And with over 90% of school-based SLPs serving kids with autism, my guess is that many who are now supporting nonverbal or minimally verbal students had no intention of specializing in AAC. And yet, there they are: a language lifeline for students who cannot communicate effectively through speech. I am so grateful to today’s guest author, Sara Barnhill, for sharing her own experience in becoming an AAC service provider. Sara is an SLP who has has worked at Children’s Hospital of Richmond at... [Read More...]

4 Handouts from Conference Presentations on AAC

January 8, 2015 by - Leave your thoughts

4 Handouts from Conference Presentations on AAC

Travel budgets are limited these days and we can’t always get to the conferences we’d love to attend. In case that happens to you, too, here are some presentation handouts on AAC-related topics from ISAAC 2014, ASHA 2014 and other conferences. Gloria Soto, Dan Phillips, and Michaela Sullivan on Strategies for SLPs Working With Students With AAC Needs in Schools Gretchen Hanser on Writing for Students with Angelman Syndrome Penny Hatch and Allison Dennis on  Getting to the Core: Creating a Core Vocabulary for the Common Core Amy Wetherby on the trajectory of development for toddlers with developmental disabilities

AACtual Therapy: Building Language and Emergent Literacy Skills with ‘Do You Wear Diapers?’

September 18, 2014 by - Leave your thoughts

AACtual Therapy: Building Language and Emergent Literacy Skills with 'Do You Wear Diapers?'

What’s more fun than using story books to teaching language to young children with AAC needs? Today, we hear from Kimberly Scanlon, an SLP practicing in New Jersey. Kimberley is is a devoted mom, wife and dog lover and blogs at Scanlon Speech and My Toddler Talks. She is the author of My Toddler Talks: Strategies and Activities to Promote Your Child’s Language Development and is finishing a unique picture and activity workbook, Learning to Read is a Ball. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Hold on to your undies, today we’re going to talk about poop, diapers, and the location of where various animals go potty. Sounds like a good time, right? Kidding aside, in this post I’m going to show you how to use this adorable picture book, Do You Wear Diapers? by Tanya Roitman to facilitate language and emergent literacy development in toddlers and preschoolers. What’s this book about? It’s a potty book! This adorable board book... [Read More...]

AACtual Therapy: Supporting the Development of Early Grammar with Kimberly Ho

April 3, 2014 by - Leave your thoughts

AACtual Therapy: Supporting the Development of Early Grammar with Kimberly Ho

Our guest post for today is from SLP Kimberly Ho, an AAC specialist who operates a private practice, AAC Services. I met Dr. Ho many years ago when she was getting her master’s degree at Purdue University. She went on to get her doctorate and now  consults for a number of public schools and works with individuals with AAC needs from preschoolers to adults. Kimberly is active in teaching (undergraduate and graduate courses), writing (published three articles in peer reviewed journals) and public speaking (15 presentations at regional, national and international conferences). In this post, she discusses some concepts in teaching grammar to people who are learning AAC. Traditionally, individuals with complex communication needs (CCN) were provided with communication boards or speech generating devices (SGDs) filled with topic specific vocabulary often called fringe words. The field of AAC is only just beginning to provide early communicators with access to Core... [Read More...]

31 AAC Posts You May Have Missed in January, 2014

February 6, 2014 by - Leave your thoughts

31 Posts You May Have Missed in January

Strategy of the Month: PrAACtice Opportunities Building a PrAACtice Routine PrAACtical Communication Opportunities in SLP Sessions Using Aided Language To Build Communication Opportunities PrAACtical Excercise: Building Fluency with Decontextualized PrAACtice  PrAACtical Thinking Ringing in the New Year with an AAC App Giveaway- acorn Another Year of Core Vocabulary Get Organized for the New Year- 5 Visual Schedule Apps A PrAACtical Week: 2014 #1 Watch it Wednesday- Pain in Children with Developmental Disabilities PrAActical Peek: Decorating Cookies 31 Posts You May Have Missed in December A PrAACtical Week 2014 #2 Does AAC Really Work with Infants & Toddlers Watch it Wednesdays- Using and Creating Routines to Promote Interactions Throwback Thursday: Visual Schedule Roundup A PrAACtical Note of Appreciation A PrAACtical Week 2014 #3  Watch It Wednesday: I Hear Them All  A Totally Different Life A PrAACtical Week #4 SpeakAll! A Research-to-Practice Project  Make It PrAACtical: Make Your Own Battery Interrupter (Without Soldering) ... [Read More...]

A PrAACtical Week #3

January 18, 2014 by - Leave your thoughts

A PrAACtical Week, #3 2014

It’s been an awesome PrAACtical Week. Take a look: Sunday: PrAACtical Communication and a Business Monday: PrAACtical Communication Opportunities in SLP Sessions Tuesday: Does AAC Really Work with Infants and Toddlers? Wednesday: Watch It Wednesday – Creating and Using Routines to Promote Interaction Thursday: Throwback Thursday – Visual Schedule Round-Up Friday: A PrAACtical Note of Appreciation (Don’t miss the downloads!)  

More Ideas for Supporting Pre-Intentional Communicators

December 28, 2013 by - 4 Comments

This month, we’ve been talking about how to support individuals who are at the earliest levels of communication: the perlocutionary or pre-intentional stage. Although everyone goes through a stage at which behavior is considered communicative only because the partner perceives it that way, some individuals linger there for months or years. What steps can SLPs take in order to help these children and adults have meaningful interactions and build more effective communication skills? Here are some prAACtical thoughts on the matter. Prepare for Skepticism Some people in the client’s life may not believe that there is real potential for communication growth. This is particularly true for learners who are a bit older. When children reach the late elementary school and are still at the pre-intentional stage, there is a tendency to fear that ‘real’ communication is beyond the learner’s grasp. In our view, that is rarely the case. VERY rarely.... [Read More...]

AAC Vocabulary Lists

December 16, 2013 by - 8 Comments

AAC Vocabulary Lists

We were looking for some core vocabulary lists the other day and it struck us: Maybe you were, too! Here are some we found, both for core words and other AAC-related topics. Core Vocabulary Adults  – Baladin& Iacono, 1999 via Minspeak.com Adults – Hill, 2001 via Minspeak.com Toddlers – Banajee et al. 2003 via Minspeak.com Children [UNL] Preschool Children – Marvin et al. 1994 via Minspeak.com Children (combined sources) – Anderson & Bitner, 2013 Common core related words [UNC CLDS] Young adults [UNL] Older adults [Stuart, et al., 1997, via Minspeak.com] Various classroom, academic, and related lists [Gail Van Tatenhove] ALS  [UNL] Break time at work [UNL] Dolch words: PreK through 3rd grade Medically-oriented [UNL] Young children  [UNL] Know of one that we should add to the list? Please comment or get in touch so we can add it in. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: UNC: University of North Carolina UNL: University of Nebraska-Lincoln