30 Search Results for wagner
October 8, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
There is no better time that AAC Awareness Month to see and hear directly from people who use AAC. A lot of focus is on children and education, but this is a great reminder that no one is too old or too anything to learn to improve their communication skills. Thanks to Deanna Wagner, (who has done some terrific posts for us here, here, and here), and her clients at the Valley of the Sun School and Habilitation Center for making this video and sharing it with the rest of us.
August 5, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
There were so many excellent presentations at the ISAAC 2014 Biennial Conference, it was impossible to get to all of them. Luckily, some of the presenters graciously made their handouts available online. Here are five of our favorites. Getting the Words Out by Deanna Wagner, Caroline Musselwhite, and Martine Smith Communication Partner Instruction for AAC Interactions: A Lifespan Approach by Laura Ball, Cathy Binger, Susan Fager, Joanne Lasker, and Jennifer Kent-Walsh Talking about Emotions Using Culturally Sensitive AAC by Ji Young Na, Sarah Blackstone, and Krista Wilkinson Access is the KEY to AAC: The Role of OT by Susanne Russell and Jennifer Buxton Communicative Competence for Individuals Who Require AAC: Revising the Definition and Strategies by Janice Light and David McNaughton
March 8, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
Hope you had an AAC-filled week! Here are some posts you might have missed. Sunday: Video of the Week – Supporting Early Writers Monday: Strategy of the Month – Robust Literacy Instruction for People Who Use AAC Tuesday: Teach Me Tuesday – NOVA Chat Wednesday: 5 Reasons to Put AAC Training for Parents and Staff in the IEP Thursday: AACtual Therapy with Deanna Wagner – Why Cook When You Can’t Eat? Friday: Linguistically-robust AAC Systems
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 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...]
February 7, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
We are so happy to have Deanna Wagner back with more AACtual Therapy. In her previous post, Deanna talked about her work with AAC groups for adults. Today, she shares a lesson plan and some implementation ideas. As a veteran AAC interventionist, Deanna’s therapy plan has many wonderful features that undoubtedly contribute to the success her students experience. Lesson/therapy Session: Using Social Phrases/Comments Intended audience & type of AAC: All devices/AAC users should have access to social commenting. Our Class: Middle school, self-contained classroom. Group of 3 students, SLP leading activity, paraprofessional, and Teacher of Visually Impaired supporting Goal for Overall Lesson: Use word/icon combinations to express opinions or make social comments Specific Student Goals: Student #1 will combine 2 icons for social interjections – please, thank you, cool, awesome, yum, yuk, ok (ECO2 from PRC) Student #2 will functionally use new phrases to chat or indicate an opinion (Dynavox... [Read More...]
January 24, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
We are just delighted to share the AACtual Therapy of Arizona-based SLP, Deanna Wagner. We’ve known Deanna by reputation for a long while, but got to meet her in person at ISAAC this past summer. She has been involved in the AAC world for over 20 years. Her story as an AAC clinician is an interesting one: “I was lucky enough to attend one of the first university AAC courses, at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. My instructor was Dr. Mary Blake Huer, who was a recent president of USSAAC. Because we did not have enough courses in the communication disorders program, I also studied in the special education department and received a graduate degree in severe/profound handicaps. My first job was as AAC evaluator and trainer at Curative Rehabilitation in Wisconsin. I was lucky enough to meet a number of the inspirational team members who made up the model programs for... [Read More...]
December 11, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
One of our deepest holiday wishes is that every AAC-loving clinician could have an increased travel budget for professional development. Until then, here are some handouts from AAC presentations at conferences around the US. From the ISAAC Biennial Conference in Pittsburgh: Effects of Early AAC Intervention for Children with Down Syndrome by Janice Light and Kathryn Drager This was a well-attended session by Jane Korsten & Terry Foss at ISAAC 2012: Assessment Strategies for Individuals with Sensorimotor Differences Wish I could have been at Deanna Wagner’s session at ARSHA on AAC for Students with Visual and Multiple Disabilities: How to Plan and Implement a Successful AAC Treatment of Childhood Apraxia of Speech: A Checklist for Evidence-based Practice by Sue Caspari at the 2012 ASHA Schools Conference Theresa Bartolotta & Patricia Remshifski’s ASHA session on Communication & Swallowing in Rett Syndrome: An Update for Clinicians
September 28, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
In past posts, we shared links to some handouts from the ISAAC 2012 Biennial Conference in Pittsburgh. While it is great for those of us who attended but couldn’t get to every presenter we wanted to hear, the main idea was to help spread the awesome content to those of you who couldn’t be there. Here are some others that may be of interest. Creating a Core Vocabulary for a Common Core Curriculum by Karen Erickson, Penelope Hatch, Allison Dennis, & Marlene Cummings Baby Talk/Kid Talk PWUAAC Talk to Little Ones! by Krista Howard, Kaitlyn Graham, & Caroline Musselwhite Evaluating Preferred Augmentative and Alternative Communication Strategies for Patients in Long Term Health Care Hospitals by Susan Fager, Jenna LeDoux, & David Beukelman Prompting: A Cautionary Tale of Use, Misuse & Abuse by Jane Korsten & Terry Foss Supporting Linguistic Skills Through iDevices: Cool Tricks with New Applications by Caroline Musselwhite,... [Read More...]
July 7, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
I have a real love-hate relationship with LiveBinders. The impatient part of me struggles with its quirky interface, but I keep coming back because of the wealth of resources and helpful site administrators. Here are some of the AAC-related binders we use most often. – General AAC Resources by Janice Reese AAC & Music by Deanna Wagner Social Scripts for People who use AAC by Caroline Musselwhite Our binder on Building Communication Opportunities for People who use AAC Our binder on Choice Boards –