448 Search Results for autism
April 3, 2013
by Robin Parker -
Popularity may or may not be important to children or adults, but most of us would like to have some friends and at least some people we can share information with. From a facilitator’s point of view, we need AAC users to have conversations with a variety of people. The more prAACtice in conversational exchanges the better. We have learned (through research and clinical experience) that if we teach specific skills, communication partners are more likely to initiate and respond to AAC communication. Here are things to teach for ‘conversational’ popularity 1. Teach Partner Focused Questions What’s up? How are you doing? How is your family? How are you feeling? What are you thinking? 2. Teach Social/Participation Scripts Attention Getters Starters Maintainers Turn Transfers Closings Let’s talk. Guess what? And next.. What’s your thoughts? That’s it. Come here. Let me tell you something. want a hint? Amazing right? See you later.... [Read More...]
March 27, 2013
by Robin Parker -
A family, a sibling, and autism. A positive message from a loving family who is doing an amazing job spreading the autism acceptance message. Loved watching this, but we just have 1 question- why no AAC? Seems like there would be so many options. We continue to need to spread the AAC word…
March 25, 2013
by Robin Parker -
Happy Passover & Easter to those who celebrate! There are some great free visual supports to help ALL children participate in the holiday routines. We are thankful to Gateways Access to Jewish Educationand Positively Autism– Daily Autism Freebie for making these readily available. Whether you use them for your students, clients, family, or guests, we hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and everyone is included. Passover The Seder Order, The Ten Plagues, Passover Social Stories, Passover Prayers, Passover Songs, Passover File Folder Activities Easter Going to Church on Easter Travis the Train Goes on an Easter Egg Hunt Decorating Easter Eggs Going on an Easter Egg Hunt Easter Vocabulary Easter Songs (scroll to the bottom of the page for the videos)
March 15, 2013
by Robin Parker -
We have noticed that daylight savings time has been difficult for some of the learners that we know (for more about this see Karla Fisher’s ASD page). Sleep patterns seem to have been out of whack which in turn may lead to some re-emergence of behaviors that may pose challenges in speech-language sessions. However, instead of getting frustrated, this is the time to get more organized, teach more high priority communication (“need an extra break today”), and in some ways be more flexible. Be prepared to use the visual supports that keep learners focused, highly interested, and organized. By staying with the basics, there will be no need to sacrifice in AAC & language learning time. Remember to Use: Choice Boards– Give lots of choices. When we choose what we do, we are more likely to be interested and participatory. The session goals can remain the same but a... [Read More...]
March 2, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
This month, we’ll share some thoughts about helping people with AAC needs develop narrative skills. Why narrative skills? Because they help us connect to one another and communication learning works best when we feel connected. Among other things, storytelling helps us relate to one another. Narrative language is important for reading and writing skills to develop. It helps us understand the world and ourselves. In telling our stories, we establish our identities. Plus, it’s part of what makes life fun. In the US, pediatric therapists are having lots of conversations about the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in English Language Arts (ELA), and how they relate to the IEP goals of the students that they serve. Many of the goals in the ELA speaking domain require students to be able to summarize what they hear and read, so it is no surprise that SLPs are prioritizing narrative language and related... [Read More...]
February 24, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
We’re always looking for great materials to share with colleagues and parents about topics related to AAC. This video by OCALI (the Ohio Center for Autism and Low Incidence) has been one of our favorites. It gives a brief overview of why visual supports are so important in the educational and clinical services provided to individual with ASD and other developmental disabilities.
February 9, 2013
by Robin Parker -
This month’s communication and language strategy goes beyond requesting into conversation. Beginning (and more advanced) communicators can be introduced to conversations through scripts. Scripts for teaching the art of conversation can help give the language to initiate, maintain, extend, and terminate social and conversational exchanges. Scripts can be used to talk about special interests, to participate in activities, and much more. When we teach scripts in a way a learner ‘learns’, the script shows the guidelines, boundaries, and organization of conversations. The communication and language goal is conversation. The strategy to teach conversation is scripts. Scripts are not that foreign to the conversational situation. We all may use scripts at times. Think about your ‘small talk’ scripts or your scripts that help you in unfamiliar or difficult conversations. If learners have difficulty knowing how to participate in conversation, a script can capitalize on strengths like memory and doing well with... [Read More...]
February 5, 2013
by Robin Parker -
All we can say is Wow! ATIA 2013 Orlando was awesome! Since it is February, we will focus on things we LOVE as it relates to our ATIA experience. Here are just a few thoughts and pictures from our time in the Exhibit Hall. (Please note, this is just a small sample of the many, many things seen and learned. Our list is based on the pictures we took and the time we had in the Exhibit Hall (both limited). A comprehensive list of Exhibitors can be found at the ATIA 2013 Orlando Site under the Exhibit List. So much to see and learn! FRS Custom Solutions.- We loved meeting the FRS Team (especially since they are based in Fort Lauderdale) and learning about the CommLink ProSlate Series. Fat Cat Chat– Love the Fat Cat Chat apps for ‘small talk’ (Thanks Jane Farrall for blogging about Fat Cat Chat apps). Immediately... [Read More...]
February 1, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
We occasionally get asked to provide empirical supports for some of the AAC tools and strategies used in our clinical work and teaching. Here are five references that we wanted to pass along. Ganz, J.B., Earles-Vollrath, T.L., Heath, A.K., Parker, R.I., Rispoli, M.J., & Duran, J.B. (2012). A meta-analysis of single case research studies on aided augmentative and alternative communication systems with individuals with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 42,1, 60-74. Systematic review of 24 single subject experimental design (SSED) studies investigated the impact of AAC interventions and concluded that aided AAC interventions had positive effects on communication and behavior skills. Although all picture-based AAC systems were effective, learners did best with SGDs or PECs. Checkley, R., Reidy, L., Chantler, S. Hodge, N., & Holmes, K. (2012). “Black white zebra orange orange”: How children with autism make use of computer-based voice output communication aids in their language... [Read More...]
January 30, 2013
by Robin Parker -
January is (was) a fairly crazy and busy month for us. After a late back to school week, the CARD Conference, the Dan Marino Foundation WalkAbout Autism, and ATIA Conference (hope to see you there), we got a bit of a late start on a few things. To stay ahead of ourselves, we want to end January by being ready for February…… For February, we have a calendar for incorporating AAC into everyday activities (it goes with yesterday’s post 28 things to do). Feel free to print out and share and use anyway you want to promote PrAACtical AAC. A PDF version (free) can be found at our Teachers Pay Teachers site. Our new Strategy of the Month (on Saturday) will focus on Communication & Language Beyond Requesting. There are no pre-requisites to learning and being immersed in ALL of the reasons to communicate (communication functions). For some learners, it... [Read More...]