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Video of the Week:  AAC & Transition Planning – Supporting All Students to Make Decisions for the Future

July 1, 2020 by - Leave your thoughts

Video of the Week:  AAC and Transition Planning - Supporting All Students to Make Decisions for the Future

It is always a treat to learn from Erin Sheldon, and her recent presentation for the 2020 AAC in the Cloud conference is no exception. In this video, Erin helps think about effective ways that we can support the transition to post-school life for young people with significant communication challenges. You can obtain the handouts for this session here and learn more from Erin here. We’re deeply grateful to Erin for this wonderful session and to the amazing team at Cough Drop for another fantastic virtual conference. Direct Link to Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Lwv9c3cotE&feature=emb_logo

How I Do It: Digital Connections With Families to Support AAC Users

March 26, 2020 by - Leave your thoughts

How I Do It: Digital Connections With Families to Support AAC Users

Staying connected with families is such an important aspect of being an effective AAC interventionist. In today’s post, we have a return visit from SLP Sarah Gregory, who shares the things that she is doing to maintain these connections as we learn to do this work from afar. You can read Sarah’s previous contribution here. Digital Connections With Families to Support AAC Users I hope this blog post finds everyone well! The COVID-19 virus has created an uncertain and unprecedented time for us all, but I have gotten so much comfort from the generosity and resource sharing in our AAC SLP community this week. As we get creative in supporting our AAC users remotely, the app SeeSaw has been a key to connecting with my students and families (I am not affiliated with this app in any way). I have used this free app to create a loop between home... [Read More...]

Video of the Week: Supporting Students Who Use AAC with School-wide Implementation

February 12, 2020 by - Leave your thoughts

Video of the Week: Supporting Students Who Use AAC with School-wide Implementation

How can  AAC be used to support academic learning and social skill development? In today’s featured video, SLP and AT Specialist Elisa Parker teams up with Tara Wineinger, also an AT Specialist, to share their experiences with this in the Park Hill School District.  Many thanks to the presenters for this wonderful webinar and to Saltillo for hosting it. You can download the handout for this session here. Enjoy! Direct Link to Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEdGP_SwqZc&feature=youtu.be

5 AAC Facebook Groups for Families of Beginning Communicators

January 9, 2020 by - 4 Comments

5 AAC Facebook Groups for Families of Beginning Communicators

Empowering families to become part of a larger AAC community on social media venues is a powerful way to support them. Five years ago, when we published our first list of suggested AAC-focused Facebook groups, it was a game-changer for many of our families. Following the evaluation, they could visit those spaces to gain more insight into the practicalities of using AAC on a daily basis, and connect with a community of families and professionals who were heavily invested in the communicative growth of individuals with significant communication challenges. Many of them returned to those spaces over and over again first to seek support, and later to offer it. Some even went on to create their own groups and made arrangements to meet some of their AAC Facebook ‘friends’ face-to-face.   Much has changed since we made those original recommendations and it is time to refresh that list. Of course, we’d... [Read More...]

How We Do It: AAC Strategies & Adaptations for Students in Support Walkers, Assessment & Funding

December 12, 2019 by - 1 Comment

When young children with significant motor challenges are unable to move freely around the environment, it impacts many things. Today, we introduce a limited series on why hands-free mobility is so crucial during the early years, and what we can do to promote independent mobility. We are extremely fortunate to have Christine Wright-Ott authoring this series. Christine is an Occupational Therapist and consultant at The Bridge School in Hillsborough California. She authored the chapter, Mobility, in several editions of the book, Occupational Therapy for Children. Christine lectures at universities and conferences including ATIA, Closing the Gap, ISAAC, ISS, and AAC by the Bay.

How can we reduce the negative impact of significant motor challenges on children who use AAC and are not independently mobile? Today, we conclude Christine Wright-Ott’s series on this topic. Christine is an Occupational Therapist and consultant at The Bridge School in Hillsborough California. She authored the chapter, Mobility, in several editions of the book, Occupational Therapy for Children. Christine lectures at universities and conferences including ATIA, Closing the Gap, ISAAC, ISS, and AAC by the Bay. If you missed the earlier posts in this series you can catch up via the links below. Part 1: From Wheelchair to Walker: The Cascading Benefit of Hands-Free Mobility Part 2: From Wheelchair to Hands-free Walker for Preschool Children with AAC Needs Part 3: How We Do It: A Support Walker Mobility Program for Elementary Students with AAC Needs ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: AAC Strategies, Adaptations for Students in Support Walkers, Assessment & Funding AAC Strategies and... [Read More...]

How We Do It: A Support Walker Mobility Program for Elementary Students with AAC Needs

November 14, 2019 by - Leave your thoughts

How We Do It: A Support Walker Mobility Program for Elementary Students with AAC Needs

We’re very pleased to welcome back Christine Wright-Ott to continue the series on supporting the independent mobility of children with AAC needs. Christine is an Occupational Therapy consultant at the Bridge School in northern California. She authored the chapter “Mobility” in the 4-7th editions of the book, Occupational Therapy for Children. She lectures at universities and conferences including ATIA, Closing the Gap, ISAAC, ISS, and AAC by the Bay. Today, she discusses the ways she and her colleagues help elementary school students use support walkers. You can read the first two installments of this series using the links below. Part 1: From Wheelchair to Walker: The Cascading Benefit of Hands-Free Mobility Part 2: From Wheelchair to Hands-free Walker for Preschool Children with AAC Needs The Support Walker Mobility Program for Elementary Students with AAC needs  The second post in this series described the Preschool hands-free Support Walker Mobility Program developed at... [Read More...]

Video of the Week: Tips for Supporting Students Who Use AAC in School

November 6, 2019 by - 2 Comments

Video of the Week: Tips for Supporting Students Who Use AAC in School

If you’re in the position of supporting students with AAC needs in school, you know that it takes a lot of planning and coordination to do this well. In today’s video, we learn from SLP Brie Norton who provides district-level support to students with AAC needs and their educational teams. Hosted by PRC Saltillo, this recorded webinar covers prAACtical tips for collaboration, therapy, generalization, and progress monitoring. Many thanks to Brie and to PRC Saltillo for this helpful webinar.  You can obtain the handouts for this session here. Direct Link to Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0fRSI7gx6s

How I Do It: Setting Up an AAC Implementation Plan

September 9, 2019 by - Leave your thoughts

Decorative image reading How I Do It: Setting Up an AAC Implementation Plan

Today we have a visit from California-based SLP Kristen Powell who is stopping by to share some of the ways she builds collaboration and sets up AAC implementation plans. Kristen works both in the public school system and runs her own private practice, Creative Communication. She specializes in assessment, device trials, and implementation training of AT and AAC. Kristen is passionate about providing individuals with the most appropriate AT and supports to improve their communication with their family and peers. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: In 2016, I got a job as a speech-language pathologist at a local school district. One of my students had multiple service providers both school and medical based. In addition, my student used both high and low tech Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). I was faced with the challenge of helping the entire team know how to use the AAC system with the student, know what successful communication looks... [Read More...]

PrAACtically Visual: More Supports for Your Toolbox

August 15, 2019 by - Leave your thoughts

Image with title: PrAACtically Visual: More Supports for Your Toolbox

Visual supports are among the most helpful tools that AAC interventionists can use to maximize learning. Tabi Jones-Wohleber’s series on utilizing them in AAC work comes to an end today with a few more visual supports for your toolbox. Tabi is a veteran SLP who has supported individuals with AAC needs in a variety of practice settings. Many thanks to Tabi for this wonderful series and all of the free downloads that were included. You can access previous posts in the series here. Part 1: Visual & Environmental Countdown Part 2: Organizing Time & Tasks Part 3: Self-Regulation & Understanding Expectations Part 4: Supporting Communication Across Activities & Environments Part 5: Supports for When Modeling Communication is Hard ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: More Visual Supports for Your Toolbox I find there is no end to the rabbit-hole of visual supports, once you dive in.  Tools and structures to support comprehension and learning are... [Read More...]

PrAACtically Visual: Supports for When Modeling Communication is Hard

August 8, 2019 by - Leave your thoughts

PrAACtically Visual: Supports for When Modeling Communication is Hard

Have you run into situations where you know that aided language input is needed but found it really hard to implement? We’re pleased that AAC SLP Tabi Jones-Wohleber is back with another installment in her visual support series. In this post, she gives us suggestions for things to try when working out the nuances of aided language input. In case you missed them, here are the links to the previous posts in this series. Part 1: Visual & Environmental Countdown Part 2: Organizing Time & Tasks Part 3: Self-Regulation & Understanding Expectations Part 4: Supporting Communication Across Activities & Environments ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Visual Supports for When Modeling Communication is Hard Despite our efforts, some of the time, or with some individuals, modeling AAC to teach AAC on technology-based devices can be challenging.  An individual may be in constant motion, or possessive of their device. Tech-based devices may not be sufficiently durable... [Read More...]