817 Search Results for praactical teaching

Overlooked AAC: Skills Areas That Are Often Neglected

March 20, 2023 by - Leave your thoughts

Overlooked AAC: Skills Areas That Are Often Neglected

In last year’s series, Overlooked AAC, we explored a number of things that professionals often miss in providing educational and therapeutic AAC services. Today, we add to that topic, shifting the focus to skill areas that often get neglected. AAC support generally focuses on communication, language, and literacy. When we look at the individual through a more holistic lens, though, it’s often apparent that there are other areas that create challenges for people with AAC needs. Here are some of them that we can impact in a positive way. Expand understanding of feelings and emotions: Our emotions go beyond the ‘primary colors’ of happy, sad, and angry, but when we lack the language to understand the other colors and hues, we limit our ability to develop emotional maturity. Language doesn’t just help us express our emotions; it also drives our ability to process and deal with them in healthy, productive... [Read More...]

Cultural-Linguistic AAC Intervention: A Framework for Consideration

March 16, 2023 by - Leave your thoughts

Cultural-Linguistic AAC Intervention: A Framework for Consideration

We are pleased to publish the second post in a series on multilingual AAC support guest authored by BilingüeAAC. BilingüeAAC is a group of SLPs with a shared belief in providing evidence-based intervention strategies and resources to bilingual Spanish AAC clients, families, caregivers, and professionals. In today’s post, they introduce us to their framework for AAC intervention that is culturally and linguistically affirming. BilingueAAC Framework to Cultural-Linguistic AAC Intervention Bilingualism in AAC is the best practice and essential to equitable communication access for people with complex communication needs (McNamara, 2018). However, resources are limited to implementing “best practices” and the “how to” incorporate bilingualism and AAC. When we look at the research, we find a variety of cultural considerations (ASHA) but no definite guideline or framework on how to approach assessment and implementation for AAC users with linguistically diverse backgrounds. Providing bilingual AAC intervention is an inclusive and equitable practice. Bilingual... [Read More...]

AAC Implementation Framework: Step 2, TRAIN

March 13, 2023 by - Leave your thoughts

AAC Implementation Framework: Step 2, TRAIN

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...]

Throwback Thursday: Visual Supports

March 9, 2023 by - Leave your thoughts

Throwback Thursday: Visual Supports

Visual supports are so flexible, easy to create and use, and have such a nice evidence base that it’s something we use in almost every AAC therapy or instructional session. In today’s Throwback Thursday, we’re revisiting a handful of our past posts on what they are, how to create them, and how they can be implemented. Enjoy! Video of the Week: Video Models & Visual Supports for AAC PrAACtically Visual: More Supports for Your Toolbox Visuals, Timers, & Zoom Addressing the Social, Communication, and Behavioral Needs of  Secondary Students with ASD using Visual Supports AAC Teaching Tips on Scaffolding and Visual Supports 5 Visual Supports for Emotions and Feelings

March Year of Core Vocabulary & School Year of Core Vocabulary Words

February 23, 2023 by - Leave your thoughts

March Year of Core Vocabulary & School Year of Core Vocabulary Words

Planning for comprehensive core vocabulary instruction? The Year of Core Vocabulary Words and The School Year of Core Vocabulary Words, two series of monthly resources for core vocabulary teaching, both have resources that can be helpful to therapists, educators, and families. We’re reprising those posts for anyone interested in following along and utilizing the resources developed by quite a few people in the AAC community. The initial series was based on a small set of core words for each month (see that post here). We followed that with a second set of Year of Core Vocabulary Word resources for a new list of words (click here for that post). Among the many resources are the activity calendars created by AAC SLP and co-founder of Talking AAC, Rachael Langley. There were many other contributors over the years who added to these efforts. The School Year of Core Vocabulary Words, authored by... [Read More...]

AAC Implementation Framework: Step 1, Determining the Target

February 13, 2023 by - Leave your thoughts

AAC Implementation Framework: Step 1, Determining the Target

Today, we continue our series sharing an AAC Implementation Framework for classrooms, featuring guest author, Vicki Clarke. In her initial post, Vicki shared the contours of the framework. In this post, she digs into the specifics, with prAACtical strategies and downloadable forms that you may find helpful. Don’t miss the video at the end. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: AAC 101 Steps of Learning: Step One- Target In Step One, we will be determining which words and messages we need to specifically target for instruction. We often complete the step, not only for targeting specific words and messages, but also when we are first designing the AAC system that our students will be using. We will use three techniques to choose our target words and messages: Consider which words and messages are important to the individual student, their family, friends, and teacher. We will be asking all of these partners for their input as we... [Read More...]

AAC-friendly Resources for Black History Month

February 9, 2023 by - Leave your thoughts

AAC-friendly Resources for Black History Month

Here in the US, we’ve celebrated Black History Month each February for several decades. It’s a time for learning, reflection, and celebration. Today, we’re reprising a past post with resources that can be incorporated into your AAC teaching or therapy. Learn with BrainPop and BrainPop, Jr which offers videos, writing and drawing activities, graphic organizers, worksheets, jokes, and more. Brown vs Board of Education Civil Rights   Fannie Lou Hamer   Harriet Tubman   Jackie Robinson   Jim Crow   Malcolm X   Martin Luther King, Jr   Mohammed Ali   Reconstruction   Rosa Parks   Ruby Bridges   Slavery   Tuskegee Airmen From BrainPop Jr   2. Read “The Poet Diaries,” a guest post by inaugural National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman. View a video of her reading her poem, Rise Up as One, California. 3. Explore a virtual exhibition at the National Museum of African American History and Culture.... [Read More...]

Toward Communicative Competence in AAC: 5 Strategic Skills to Consider Targeting

January 16, 2023 by - Leave your thoughts

Toward Communicative Competence in AAC: 5 Strategic Skills to Consider Targeting

Communicative competence is a multi-faceted concept that was introduced to the AAC field by Dr. Janice Light over 3 decades ago. One area that is sometimes neglected is strategic competence. In this post, we offer suggestions for compensatory skills to target to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of AAC-mediated interactions. Attention-getting: While most AAC users get the attention of their communication partners before sharing their thoughts and messages, beginning communicators may need explicit instruction in this area. It is particularly important for those who use AAC tools that have no voice output, such as a no-tech eye gaze frame or a core communication board. This is also an important skill to teach to those who rely on a partner’s assistance to create messages, such as PODD book users.  Modality switching: Ben is an effective keyword signer who prefers this modality over all others. This works well with others who sign... [Read More...]

AAC Implementation Framework: Steps to Learning

January 9, 2023 by - Leave your thoughts

AAC Implementation Framework: Steps to Learning

We’re so pleased to welcome PrAACtical AAC contributor Vicki Clarke back to these pages. While you may remember Vicki from her outstanding AAC Assessment Corner posts, her most recent efforts focus on strengthening our AAC practices. Throughout the series, Vicki draws on her experiences supporting AAC users and teams in clinical and school settings and shares prAACtical information that we can all learn from Introduction to AAC 101 Steps to Learning It is no small task to consider how we will help our students progress from communicating only through behaviors to communicating any message they desire independently and spontaneously. In fact, in 1997, Gloria Soto conducted survey research that tells us: Teachers have always believed that communication training for students is positive, and Communication training is a collaborative effort between teachers and SLPs, Despite these beliefs, there is still a prevalent hesitancy to begin to explicitly instruct students in AAC.... [Read More...]

January Year of Core Vocabulary & School Year of Core Vocabulary Words

December 29, 2022 by - Leave your thoughts

January Year of Core Vocabulary & School Year of Core Vocabulary Words

Looking for resources to support core vocabulary instruction? The Year of Core Vocabulary Words and The School Year of Core Vocabulary Words, two series of monthly resources for core vocabulary teaching, remain popular with therapists, educators, and families. We’re reprising those posts for anyone interested in following along and utilizing the resources developed by quite a few people in the AAC community. The initial series was based on a small set of core words for each month (see that post here). We followed that with a second set of Year of Core Vocabulary Word resources for a new list of words (click here for that post). Among the many resources are the activity calendars created by AAC SLP and co-founder of Talking AAC, Rachael Langley. Many other contributors added to these efforts over the years. The School Year of Core Vocabulary Words, authored by guest contributors Michaela Sullivan, Alisa Lego,... [Read More...]