597 Search Results for tell me about it
September 20, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Our AAC Training Series continues today and we are incredibly grateful to Tabi Jones-Wohleber for sharing these presentation materials with us. Today’s training materials center on a topic that is near and dear to my prAACtical heart: Using statements more often than questions. The instructional time for Module 5 is about 90-120 minutes which allows time for discussion and practice. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Model as a MASTER PAL Module 5: Statements More Than Questions Facilitator Guidelines STATEMENTS MORE THAN QUESTIONS Questions are necessary to help us learn about the things, people, and activities in our environment and beyond. However, interactions heavily weighted with questions do not often yield the quality exchanges required to build relationships, gain understanding, foster autonomous communication or facilitate initiation. This module explores the power of statements (aka nondirective language and descriptive teaching) in shaping meaningful engagement for learning and socially interacting. It includes interactive activities, video links, lots... [Read More...]
September 17, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Once a month we like to turn the tables and see how PrAACtical AAC readers respond to a quick question. Our first AAC Question of the Month asked: What AAC skill is your biggest strength? Here’s how readers weighed in. Aided language input 38.1% Coaching communication partners 9.5% Assessment 8.3% Creating visual supports 7.1% Programming SGDs/AAC apps 6% Teaching early communicative functions 6% None, I don’t feel strong in any of these areas. 4.8% Collaborating with other service providers 3.6% Supporting AAC families 3.6% Report-writing and documentation 2.4% Supporting eye gaze users 2.4% Signing 1.2% PECS 1.2% Today, we turn our attention to AAC teams and who is one them. In the textbook, there are lots of disciplines listed but there is probably wide variability in which ones actually participate in AAC teams in different parts of the world. Take a minute, if you can, to tell us which... [Read More...]
September 13, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Ready for more AAC training materials? In today’s post, Tabi Jones-Wohleber is sharing another module in the MASTER PAL series. This 30-minute session focuses on the role of multiple modalities in AAC. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Model as a MASTER PAL Module 4: Accept Multiple Modalities Facilitator Guidelines We all use multiple modalities to communicate…speech, text, email, a gesture, facial expressions. In much the same way we encourage young children to interact by assigning meaning to their gestures, expressions, and utterances, responding meaningfully to the communicative attempts of those who use AAC validates and encourages the effort. Honor all modalities and respond by modeling AAC as much as possible(regardless of the modality used by the PWUAAC) teaches AAC. Seize the opportunity to teach and expand language. After all, multi-modal communication shapes the human experience. For this training you will need: The Presentation Slides The Presentation Handout The Facilitator’s Guide Warm-up Discussion: Thinking Prompt... [Read More...]
September 6, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Our training series continues with West Virginia-based SLP Tabi Jones-Wohleber, who works with the AT Team for Frederick County Public Schools in Maryland and provides services to infants and toddlers in the West Virginia Birth to Three programs. In the first two posts, Tabi shared the Overview and Modeling modules and their accompanying resources. In today’s post, the training focuses on an important topic, motivation. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Model as a MASTER PAL Module 3: Motivate Facilitator Guidelines Genuine motivation goes well beyond gummies and goldfish; reinforcers are only one small part of the picture as we endeavor to understand what truly drives an individual’s desire to learn and communicate. So much of the time it is the quality of the relationship and the meaningfulness of the interaction. This module discusses the importance of motivation in learning and engaging, whether intrinsic or extrinsic, as well as the undesirable consequences that occur when lack of motivation... [Read More...]
August 20, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Mosquitos and sunscreen Swimming, canoeing, and fishing Frogs, grasshoppers, and lightning bugs Campfires, s’mores, and ghost stories AAC devices and alternative pencils?? It’s hard to believe that 3 years have gone by since guest author Tina Moreno first shared her experiences at Camp ALEC with our PrAACtical AAC readers. (You can read that article here.) This year, Tina is back to share some of the activities that the staff and volunteers are using to help AAC learners strengthen their skills in reading and writing. Take a peek at the Day 1 Literacy Activities. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Camp ALEC is underway at beautiful Indian Trails Camp in Grand Rapids, MI this week. Twenty-one campers arrived on Sunday evening to spend the week on their own while engaged in motivating reading and writing activities, plus typical summer camp experiences. Sixteen educators and speech-language pathologists traveled from as far away as New Zealand to obtain... [Read More...]
July 5, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
“I wish he could tell me what he is feeling.” Families and professionals often share the desire to help AAC learners become more proficient at expressing their emotions. Goals for identifying and/or labeling emotions are common in beginning AAC users, but even communicators with more advanced language skills can benefit from expanding their vocabulary of terms related to feelings. In this post, we share visual supports that can be helpful in increasing the emotional vocabularies of individuals with AAC needs. Click on the title to get downloadable copies of each visual support. Inside Out Chart Emotion Wheel Plutchik Wheel Emotions Wheel Worksheet from Childhood 101 Primary and Secondary Emotion Wheel
June 28, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
We’re so pleased to welcome back Dr. Carol Goossens’, an AAC pioneer who is an internationally-recognized consultant, SLP, and Special Educator from New York. Throughout her career, she has consulted extensively in a variety of classrooms serving the full spectrum of children with special needs. Dr. Goossens’ has presented both nationally and internationally about her collaborative work with teachers, therapists, and families. In today’s post, she shares a treasure trove of ideas on using wearable AAC. Learn more about her approach to using vest displays in this extensive post. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Using Vest Displays with Preschoolers on the Autism Spectrum When working with students on the spectrum, we often struggle to gain and maintain their attention, especially during group activities such as Circle Time/Morning Meeting. The songs offered during Circle Time, however, create a great forum for working on a variety of communication skills, e.g., claiming a turn, announcing a song, choosing... [Read More...]
May 10, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
SLPs Lori Sanzeri and Chelsea Collins, creators of Core City, are back to share ideas for implementing AAC in the classroom. Today, they share their experiences in using visual supports as a supplemental strategy for their students who are beginning to use AAC. Enjoy! ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Using Visual Sidekicks to Support Language Intervention Have you ever tried to read a book to your students without providing any visual supports? Do you find yourself having difficulty thinking about what questions to ask? Do you ever feel like the story is too “wordy” or difficult for your students to understand? Have no fear, Visual Sidekicks are here! Visual Sidekicks provide a color-coded communication board of target core and fringe vocabulary along with sentences of 3-5 symbols that simplify the text throughout the story. Children with special needs often demonstrate difficulties during structured literacy activities in the following areas: attending to... [Read More...]
April 23, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Many of our AAC learners need help building the knowledge and skills that are important when trying to connect with others and develop true friendships. In this post, SLP Katie Bernadkin shares one approach that she uses with her students. Katie is a New York City native now working in San Diego middle and elementary schools. She focuses on autism, AAC, and social cognition. In this post, she explains how uses Social Thinking’s Peer-A-Mid concept to support her students. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Building a Peer-a-mid Do you have any kids on your caseload that have a hard time recognizing when other kids are attempting to befriend them? Conversely, do you know the student who seems to always end up with a “friendly” peer, who is daring them to say something naughty? Recognizing these signs is such a valuable skill for our socially challenged kids to learn. I like to start with the... [Read More...]
April 5, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Do you work with AAC learners who demonstrate their communication skills in therapy or instructional lessons, but not elsewhere? In this post, we review some things we can do to make it easier for AAC learners to generalize their newly-developed skills and use them in a variety of places with a range of communication partners. Part of the solution to this problem lies in collaborating with the communication partners in other settings. In doing that, we want to be sure that the partners use good communication facilitation strategies, such as these. Partner skills are something we’ve covered here on several occasions. Today, we’ll focus on changes we can make within our direct intervention or instructional lessons with AAC learners. Initially, we may control some of the instructional variables, such as materials and cues, rather tightly. Keeping things consistent is great for the initial teaching of new skills because it allows... [Read More...]