440 Search Results for visual supports
August 25, 2012
by Robin Parker -
We live in Florida and there are lots of general summer storms. They can be very loud and dark. There are also many hurricane warnings (like now for Hurricane Isaac). Many children and adults with communication challenges can become upset or anxious because of the loud noises, the change in routines, and/or the heightened state of anxiety that is usually around the house or community. Because of this we are often asked to help find visual support resources. Here are some great prepared visual support stories and resources that we use: Bad Weather Tips and Story by Hands in Autism Hurricane Preparedness More Hurricane Preparedness Thunder/Lightning Storms Thunder Box Sometimes though the prepared supports do not meet the needs for specific learners. Here are our tips for developing your own storm visual supports and resources Creating Personal Participation Stories Use language of the story that is at the... [Read More...]
August 1, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
Biennial Conference: ISAAC 2012 PrAACtically There: ISAAC 2012 Day 1 at ISAAC 2012: What You Should Know About AAC’s Expanding Role in Health Care ISAAC 2012, Day 2: AAC Goes to Preschool ISAAC 2012, Day 3: Let the Games Begin ISAAC 2012, Day 4 – The Fives 5+5 Commandments for Speech Output Communication 5 Under-Used Strategies in AAC 5 Online Notebooks Full of AAC 5 Adapted Play Resources for Children with Motor Impairment – PrAACtical Thinking 92 Free or Lite Versions of AAC Apps PrAACtical Alert: Free AAC Evaluation App This Week Visualize 9 Nice Things to Say to Students who AAC PrAACtical Thoughts About Challenging Behavior PrAACtical Resource: Searching for AAC Devices with SpeechBubble AAC Assessment Round-Up 5 Ways to Use Rating Scales to Enhance Communication with AAC PrAACtical Alert: The World’s AAC Conference Comes to You (Well, a little bit of it) Power of the Visual Planner: 20... [Read More...]
July 28, 2012
by Robin Parker -
Throughout this month we focused on visual supports & strategies for positive behavior. We have discussed transition supports, environmental arrangements, and consequence mapping. As we wrap up, we don’t want to forget PrAACtical AAC strategies for self-calming. We like to think about self-calming like this- some weeks we need it more than others, some days we need it more than others. We all need self- calming strategies. Whether we vent to a friend, go for a run, knit, take deep breaths, or get a glass of wine (although we are not advocating this), we all use self-calming strategies. It makes a huge difference. Sometimes though helping our students self-calm at times may seem “easier said than done”, but we know it truly is ‘easier when SEEN‘. Self-calming strategies can help before, during, and after behavior challenges . We will often teach and use self calming strategies if we know a potentially stressful situation will... [Read More...]
July 25, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
In an earlier post, we lamented the under-utilization of a quick and effective strategy: qualitative rating scales. You may not know them by that name, but we all know them. Also called Likert-type scales, we’ve seen these a multitude of times when we were asked to give an opinion. Strongly agree to Strongly Disagree. Excellent to Poor. Always to Never. – There are only a few guidelines to using these with AAC folks. One is to make sure to use appropriate visual supports. Literate AAC users may be very comfortable with text-only options, but for other learners, we need to add images so it makes sense to them. Another suggestion is to stick with an odd number of options: 5 seems to be the norm in clinical practice, but you can certainly adjust to fit the learner’s needs. For some, a 3-point scale would be best. Others may want more... [Read More...]
July 21, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
This month we’re focusing on visual supports and strategies to support positive behavior. We’ve talked about transition supports and environmental arrangements. Another way to help therapy sessions run smoothly and keep the focus on learning (rather than managing behavior) is to take proactive steps to make the expectations clear. For most people who are learning AAC, that means making sure there is a visual representation that accompanies the verbal explanation. – Many SLPs create a list of rules for expected behavior. In this post, we’ll talk about the research-supported strategy of using contingency maps. Contingency maps are a visual depiction that shows the desired behavior and the outcomes of two divergent paths: one where the learners engage in the desired behavior and the other that shows what happens if they don’t engage in the desired behavior. If you’re familiar with behavioral approaches, this strategy is right up your alley. The... [Read More...]
July 2, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
The Fives PrAACtical Suggestions: 5 Ways to Elicit Language Without Asking a Direct Question 5 Tools to Make Aided Language Input Easier “Call Me Later:” 5 Supports for Phone Communication by People Who Use AAC Safety Matters: 5 Resources for People Who Use AAC – PrAACtical Thinking 72 Free and Lite Versions of AAC Apps AAC App Giveaway: It’s a PrAACtical Celebration 7 Apps for Adolescents with Special Needs “Not Dumb Now” (And Actually, Never Was) Pivotal Skills for AAC Intervention: Aided Language Input Before It’s Too Late: A PrAACtical Resource for Emergency Situations PrAACtical Tips for Passing the SLP PRAXIS on the First Try, Part 1 PrAACtical Resources: Making Sense of Picture Symbol Options PrAACtice Fire Safety 25 Under 5: AAC Apps PrAACtical Intervention Ideas: AAC Learning with the Toys, Websites, and Apps You Love PrAACtical Reflections on Father’s Day Introducing RELAAACs: Rubric for Evaluating the Language of Apps... [Read More...]
June 26, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
SLPs love to talk, of course, but sometimes that works against us. Over-prompting. Jumping in to repeat the last question. Re-phrasing the previous comment. Nature abhors a vacuum and sometimes we just can’t stop ourselves. What makes us fun at parties, though, can make it difficult for our AAC friends to become active, assertive communicators. Too much verbiage on our part can really slow down the journey toward communicative independence. We know better. We really do. But sometimes we need a little help to remind ourselves. And, so, a few reminders to us all… 1. Make the expectations clear using visual supports and aided language input. 2. Create a motivating context in which the learner needs to communicate in order to get his/her own agenda met. 3. Pause. Look expectantly at the communicator. Pause some more. Look even more expectant. 4. Keep pausing. Use a gesture for emphasis (e.g., cup... [Read More...]
June 23, 2012
by Robin Parker -
“The best thing about being a teacher is it matters. The hardest thing is that it matters every day. All the time.” Todd Whitaker (Just substitute SLP’s for teachers since SLP’s are teachers of communication and language) As June ends and we finish up with our Strategy of the Month: Language Facilitation Strategies, we do not want to move on without talking about scaffolding. We often use scaffolding without even knowing we are doing it, but for speech-language pathologists, we need to know the name of each strategy we use because that allows us to make the most of everything we say and do when teaching communication and language. Also, when we know what we are doing, we can teach it to communication partners and thus set the stage for language learning at home, in school, and in the community. What is it? Scaffolding is a verbal and visual strategy... [Read More...]
June 1, 2012
by Robin Parker -
We have always started our collaborative projects with a retreat (usually a day at the beach or park). The retreat usually ends with a project and a plan to meet again. Following the retreat that inspired PrAACtical AAC, we were spending hours upon hours on the computer searching We were using pen and paper to write down urls to sites we wanted to share. We couldn’t believe the great information that was available. So when Carole told me to sit down and said “you have to look at what I found, it’s called LiveBinders“. I can still remember the exact moment. It was like on T.V….. the sun started shining through the window of my living room and music started playing. We couldn’t believe there was a site that was easy to use, would organize all the work we had done, let us look at and use other binders,... [Read More...]
May 12, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
Spring is in the air and that means the thoughts of many school-based clinicians and teachers turn to…survival! If our recent conversations with colleagues and families are any indication of what’s going on in the rest of the AAC world, it’s been a long year. – Sometimes that means that kids get antsy, professionals feel a little worn out and stressed, and families begin to worry about the long expanse of unstructured time from June to September. Here are some of the resources we’ve been looking at and sharing lately. — Solid information on positive behavior support from Florida State University’s program, Positive Beginnings A host of wonderful visual supports for behavior from SET-BC Ideas for visual supports for behavior regulation from Lisa Geary, SLP, of LiveSpeakLove Love this DIY calming jar and these prAACtical ideas from the forum at A-Z Teacher Stuff Helpful downloads for visual supports from Geneva Centre... [Read More...]