597 Search Results for tell me about it
November 4, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
In one of my AAC classes, we’ve been talking about working collaboratively with vendors of SGDs and other AT in a way that is ethically responsible. Clearly, we look first to our ASHA SLP Code of Conduct, best practices, agency policies and procedures, and regulations (such as HIPAA and FERPA in the US). Secondly, we use a feature match process to guide the evaluation so that there is appropriate diversity in the communications being considered. Beyond that, here are some of the things we came up with. Open a dialogue and the roles and expectations of each party. If we are inviting a vendor in to provide some support, then it’s best to precede that with a frank conversation so that everyone is clear on how to proceed. Be clear about acceptable and unacceptable behaviors prior to the start of the collaborative activity. Having some guidelines written out in advance... [Read More...]
October 31, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
As we bring AAC Awareness Month to close, we add add another Face of AAC. Dianna Finlay, an SLP from CLASS in Tacoma Washington and Clinic Director Paula Herrington, introduce us to Brian. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Brian Long. He’s a user. He’s been using all his life. He likes the high. I can’t say I blame him. One of Brian’s buddies was a user for a while. He stopped using and is still going though bad withdrawal. If I was dealt the same hand as Brian, I’d like to think I’d be a user too. Of course, we’re talking about a user of augmentative and alternative communication. Brian Long is a 43-‐year-‐old male diagnosed with cerebral palsy. He has no functional oral speech and depends on a speech-‐generating device to communicate. Brian has been receiving speech therapy through CLASS, Inc. for a few years now. He communicates via a Dynavox Vmax, however, the device sat in... [Read More...]
October 29, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
Today, we’re back to Poland to watch a terrific video inspired by Pat Mervine’s wonderful book, How Katie Got a Voice. It’s a perfect blend of AAC awareness-building, story-telling, and prAACtical inspiration. Enjoy this wonderful story!
October 17, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
“I don’t want to go now. I’m tired.” “Can you be quiet? I don’t feel well.” “My ear is throbbing.” “I have a such a headache.” “Don’t take me in the car. My stomach’s upset.” Imagine not being able to manage these symptoms or even say these things to get someone to help you. Good SLPs get input from families during the goal-setting process. Often, families indicate that they want their son/daughter to be able to let them know when they are sick or in pain. This makes sense, of course, but it isn’t an easy skill set to build. Here are some things that have worked for us. Make sure the right vocabulary is there: Body parts, feelings, words related to injury or illness, modifiers to tell how much, locatives to tell where. How can we expect AAC learners to communicate when they are unwell if we don’t provide... [Read More...]
October 16, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
From Bielsko, Poland, to Denver, USA, we are continuing to share the Faces of AAC. Today, we meet SLP Gretchen Storm, who works in the public school system and has a private practice. Gretchen enjoys collaborating with parents, children, teachers, other healthcare providers, siblings and peers in strategies and facilitating communication through speech generating devices. In this post, Gretchen introduces us to Zach. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Zach is an 11 year old who uses a Tobii I-12 eye gaze communication device to communicate. He previously used a switch scanning method on a VMax from Dynavox. Zach recently switched to an eye gaze device. Though he loves to use his arms and hands whenever possible, his motor control of them is not ideal for the consistent switch access needed for switch scanning. He was switched to an eye gaze system which could also serve as a switch scanning device if in the future he demonstrates improved... [Read More...]
October 14, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
Have you been hearing a lot about telepractice lately and are wondering how that works when the client has AAC needs? In this post, we turn to Nerissa Hall and Hillary Jellison of Communicare who tell us how they use it in their clinical practice. Nerissa and Hillary are both SLPs and assistive technology practitioners specializing in AAC, AT, and telepractice/tele-AAC. They have worked together for a number of years and are the proud owners of Commūnicāre, LLC, organization based in Western Mass and CT, that offers intervention, consultation, and evaluation services focusing on supporting an individuals, or a team’s, success and independence through implementation of AAC, AT and innovative and evidence-based practices. We are committed to our clinical work, as well as translational research and are members of the C.A.R.E. Consortium. Tele-AAC: A Powerful Way of Supporting Individuals Using AAC Telepractice, which is used to provide professional services by linking clinicians... [Read More...]
October 9, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
Today we welcome SLP Rachael Langley, who has been working in the public schools as a speech-language pathologist for over 12 years. Currently working as an AAC Specialist in Mid-Michigan, Rachael tells us that she strives to spread the message about the importance of AAC and unlocking the communication potential of all students. In this post, Rachael shares some of her best tips for building communication with learners who are getting started with PODD books. The PODD system offers a complete language approach through carefully organized symbol sets. Because the PODD system promotes a language immersion model, there is no pressure on our language-learners reproducing specific words or patterns at a specific rate. Here are some quick tips I share with classroom teams who are starting out with PODD: Input before output! Model, model, model! – Without digging too deep into the importance of Aided Language Stimulation, we want to make sure... [Read More...]
September 15, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
This month, we’re thinking about what it takes to create therapy sessions that engage our AAC learners. A big piece of that is challenging learners at an appropriate level. It’s a simple concept, but can be tricky to translate for an individual learner and task. As much as we try to, it’s hard to really get a feel for what our clients are experiencing. Our bodies work well, for the most part, so we don’t automatically account for differences in sensory processing, motor control, executive functioning, cognition, or memory. We try. We really do. But I’m not sure we do it as well as we hope to do. Revisiting these concepts as an intellectual exercise isn’t going to fix that, but for me (and maybe some of you), it can serve as a helpful reminder. Awareness Ours is an empathetic profession. Still, we don’t always truly understand what our clients... [Read More...]
September 5, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
We’re excited about the passion and enthusiasm for AAC shown by many new SLPs and graduate student clinicians. One of the things they sometimes struggle with in reading and writing reports is the number of acronyms that we tend to use. This is always a problem in clinical and scholarly writing, but when the field is incredibly diverse and transdisciplinary, the challenges multiply. Here’s a starter list of acronyms* and their meanings. Many, MANY thanks to those who helped us create this list on the PrAACtical AAC Facebook page. AAC-RERC – AAC Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center ACOLUG – Augmentative Communication Online Users’ Group AiLS, ALgS, and ALs – Aided language stimulation ALI – Aided language input ALS – Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis AOTA – American Occupational Therapy Association APTA – American Physical Therapy Association ASD – Autism spectrum disorder ASHA – American Speech Language Hearing Association AT – Assistive technology ATIA... [Read More...]
August 29, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
Are you trying to convince a team that core words are the way to go? Have you done all the usual things, like shared some of the research and demonstrated its utility? Maybe it will help if you tell them that this approach isn’t some new-fangled idea, but rather one that has been around for awhile. How long? Probably longer than you think. Check out this picture from the 1960’s tweeted by #WeSpeechies. Goldberg, H.R., & Fenton,J. (1960). Aphonic Communications for Those with Cerebral Palsy: Guide for the Development and Use of Conversation Board. NY: United Cerebral Palsy Association New York State.