August 27, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
Welcome to Stepping into AAC ! Stepping into AAC is a collaborative project created by PrAACtical AAC and the Angelman Syndrome Foundation (ASF) that focuses on supporting families who want to integrate AAC into their lives. There are 20 weeks of Stepping into AAC materials, which are intended to provide simple, week-by-week resources to help families support beginning communicators of all ages. Each week, there are easy hands-on activities, videos and companion handouts, and a newsletter to learn from. Thanks to the generous support of the ASF, these materials are available at no charge. Stepping into AAC is designed for families that include: Children, adolescents, and adults who are new to AAC and would benefit from using communication aids with high-frequency words or core vocabulary; and Individuals of any age who previously used AAC but are not currently communicating with it throughout the day. We hope that Stepping into AAC... [Read More...]
July 30, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. Here are some posts you might enjoy. Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: A Deep Dive into AAC Modeling Thursday – August Year of Core Vocabulary & School Year of Core Vocabulary Words :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Here are a few more to explore before you go. Why We Love Language Experience Activities 5 Things to Do If You’re Not Confident Teaching Core Vocabulary Building Sentence Length through Conversational Routines & Games 5 Quick & Easy Games That Build AAC Skills 5 Ways to Promote Generalization of AAC Use Have a great week, AAC friends!
July 7, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
Each month we feature a Spanish version of our AAC Link Up, CAA con Links. If you have AAC-related announcements, materials, or videos in Spanish that you would like others to know about, we’d love to have you add that information below. Also, please share this with anyone who might be interested in contributing to or using the materials that get added to these posts. You’ll find the place to add that information at the very bottom of this post. Organized by Claudia Marimón, these monthly posts also feature AAC work being done in Spanish-speaking countries and offer translations of material that can help families and service providers. Today, she focuses on the topic of Natural Language Acquisition and gestalt language processing. Enjoy the post, and remember to scroll to the bottom to add your link and see what others are sharing. En el campo de la CAA siempre hay... [Read More...]
June 5, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
In the US, Juneteenth is one of our newest federal holidays and many are now getting ready to celebrate it. Whether you are relatively new to an understanding of Juneteenth or have been honoring it for decades, we hope today’s post has some ideas for integrating it into the AAC work you do. First published a few years back, we’ve updated it with some additional books, videos, and other resources. PrAACtically Juneteenth In the US, June 19th is a day that commemorates the ending of slavery. Although the Emancipation Proclamation became effective on January 1, 1863, it took an additional two and half years for it to take root in all of the states. It wasn’t until June 19th, 1865 that Texas became the final state to uphold the proclamation. There are other days that memorialize the freedom of enslaved people, but Juneteenth is the oldest nationally-celebrated commemoration. Traditionally marked... [Read More...]
May 28, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. Here are some posts you might enjoy. Monday – Supporting Communication Partners: 5 Helpful Resources Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Fostering Effective Self-advocacy Skills in AAC Users Thursday – June Year of Core Vocabulary & School Year of Core Vocabulary Words ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: And if you are thirsty for more, check out past posts on activities and materials for AAC therapy and instruction. AACtivity Ideas to Jumpstart Learning Magic Moments with Verb Circus PrAACtical Ways to Make Decisions about Thematic Therapy Materials Why We Love AAC Language Experience Activities Vocabulary Activities: 5 Sites About Learning with Avatars AAC Intervention: 5 Activities with PrAACtical Potential
April 30, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. We have some posts that might be of interest. Monday – PrAACtical Resources: Beyond High School Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: AI Language Models & AAC Thursday – May Year of Core Vocabulary & School Year of Core Vocabulary Words ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Have time for a little more? Here are a couple of suggestions. Data Privacy and Security for AAC AAC Funding Help Building Your AAC SLP Toolkit: Obtaining Free Apps for AAC Evaluations Check Your Knowledge of AT History AACtual Therapy: Making Core Words Fun for Students with Autism
April 9, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends, and a joyous Easter, a happy Ramadan, and a meaningful Passover to those celebrating today. We have some AAC posts that may be of interest. Monday – Supporting HIE Awareness Month Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Getting Started with AAC Using the Motivate, Model, & Move Out of the Way Approach Thursday – Visual Supports for an AAC-friendly Easter and Passover Friday – PráctiCAAmente Conectados: CAA Con Links Abril 2023 ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Have time for a little more browsing? Check out these past posts. When Helping Isn’t Helping-Prompt Awareness in AAC Instruction Administratively Speaking: 5 Considerations for Recruiting and Retaining AAC SLPs AAC In the Classroom: Considerations for Modeling Core Vocabulary How I Do It: A Year of Core Word in Action AAC in the High School Classroom: Where Core Vocabulary Meets Life Skills
April 7, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
Each month we feature a Spanish version of our AAC Link Up, CAA con Links. If you have AAC-related announcements, materials, or videos in Spanish that you would like others to know about, we’d love to have you add that information below. Also, please share this with anyone who might be interested in contributing to or using the materials that get added to these posts. You’ll find the place to add that information at the very bottom of this post. Organized by Claudia Marimón, these monthly posts also feature AAC work being done in Spanish-speaking countries and offer translations of material that can help families and service providers. Today, she partners with Rita María Aceituno in focusing on the AAC support provided to Guatemalan children with Down Syndrome by Fundación Margarita Tejada. Enjoy the post, and remember to scroll to the bottom to add your link and see what others... [Read More...]
April 2, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. We have some posts that you might enjoy. Monday – April Year of Core Vocabulary & School Year of Core Vocabulary Words Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Mindset Shifts that Empower Communication Partners & AAC Users Thursday – AAC Sales for Autism Acceptance Month ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: In recognition of Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month, here are some autism-related posts to get you in the mood to celebrate those around us who have autism. Building Engagement in Young Students with Autism AACtual Therapy: Making Core Words Fun for Students with Autism Evidence-based AAC Strategies for Students with Autism with Betsy Corporale Before you go, enjoy the ABC’s of Autism support…
March 13, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
We continue to dive into our AAC Implementation Framework, guest authored by AAC SLP Vicki Clarke. In this post, Vicki discusses the way that she approaches AAC training when working with school teams. She shares lots of prAACtical ideas and resources to use in this process. You can see the earlier posts in the AAC Implementation Framework series using the links below. Steps to Learning Step 1, Determining the Target ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: AAC 101 Steps of Learning: TRAIN In Step Two, we begin the process of training HOW we say the word or message we are targeting. We are learning where the symbol lives on our AAC system, what it looks or sounds like, the motor sequence to navigate through pages on our AAC applications, and of course, signing or saying the word, if that’s appropriate. The most significant thing to remember at this step is that we are not specifically... [Read More...]