794 Search Results for praactical teaching
August 31, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
August may be on the way out but the words for this month are useful all throughout the year. The new Year of Core Words School Edition is in development and the plan is to get these monthly to you prior to the start of each month so that you can plan and prepare. Please bear with us for the first few posts as we get up to speed. Each of the monthly posts will highlight a selected set of words and a suggested order in which to teach them. You’ll also find resources, such as Activity Sheets for each word and data collection forms, and information on a key intervention strategy. The series authors, Michaela Sullivan, Beth Lytle, and Alisa Lego, created an introduction that you may want to review before digging into this month’s target words. You can see that here. Enjoy Month 1 of the School Year... [Read More...]
August 20, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
Supporting individuals with AAC needs can be a complex process. Even when we have access to the full range of tools we need, have used solid assessment data to plot out the journey, and incorporated evidence-based strategies in our teaching, we often encounter speedbumps or have to take detours. Today, we look back on a handful of past posts that can help us think through some of the challenges that arise. Stimming or Learning? Considerations For Kids Who Repeat Themselves with AAC AAC Mythology v2.0: A Few Misconceptions About AAC Intervention AAC Intervention That Teaches More and Tests Less: Thoughts on Implementation AAC Therapy: When the Lesson Plan Fails Things to Try with AAC Learners who Have Short Attention Spans Have you encountered persistent or puzzling intervention challenges that you’d like us to write about? Drop us a note using the contact form or comment below and we’ll try to... [Read More...]
August 13, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
Here in the US, millions of teachers, therapists, families, and students are planning to return to school, whether virtually, in person, or with some combination of the two. No matter what the format for instruction, one of the most important things for students who use AAC is having their SLPs, teachers, and families on the same page. They each have a different but very intense relationship with the student’s AAC system. Today, we reprise a popular post with some prAACtical thoughts on getting everyone pointed in the same direction. 1. Develop a communication profile of the student: In the initial weeks, try to get a baseline of how the student is communicating at the start of the year. For beginning communicators, we track things like their communicative intents (WHY they are communicating), modalities (HOW they are communicating), and the frequency of their communication. We’ve written about one of our favorite... [Read More...]
August 6, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
Every once in a while, it’s nice to perk up our AAC teaching with activities that we haven’t tried before. Today, we reach into the archives for some fresh ideas. Take a look. New Word Teaching: A Look Inside Some PrAACtical Therapy Sessions 5 Ways to Use Word Clouds in AAC Therapy Magic Moments with Word Clouds Magic Moments: Painting with Time Teaching the Use of Social Phrases and Comments Let’s Go Outside! 5 PrAACtical Ideas Magic Moments with Disneyland Explorer “Can I Ask You a Question?” Language Experience Surveys 5 PrAACtical Thoughts on Catch-up Conversations Magic Moments with Sentence Builder
July 20, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
Finding ways to engage AAC learners is important to professionals across disciplines and service delivery settings. In today’s post, we feature guest author Kate McLaughlin, who is an SLP serving individuals with AAC needs in Connecticut. She shares a perspective on building engagement through the perspective of meaning making. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: “Motivating” Emergent Communicators through Shared “Meaning-Making” & Communication Responsibility Are you a speech-language pathologist (SLP), teacher, or parent supporting an emergent AAC learner? Maybe you are just starting AAC with a learner who has a complex profile (for example, significant motor impairments, difficulties with motor planning, and/or sensory processing differences)? Maybe you have a learner who has learned to ask for some favorite things, but is not communicating beyond that? Do you struggle to “motivate” them? You’re not alone. I’ve met many kids who have been described as “not motivated to communicate.” I’ve also met many parents and professionals... [Read More...]
July 13, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
Welcome back to another installment of TELL ME About It, guest authored by Jeanna Antrim and Maggie Judson. Maggie and Jeanna are speech-language pathologists who work in the Assistive Technology Department for the Belleville Area Special Services Cooperative (BASSC) in southern Illinois. They are AT/AAC facilitators and provide evaluations, direct therapy, consultations, and trainings with school teams. In this series, they discuss how they support preschool teachers who are implementing the TELL ME program with their young students. Today, they walk us through the ways that they facilitate AAC use while focusing on the book ‘Max’s Breakfast’ Don’t miss their Lesson Plan, video demonstrations, and other resources at the end of the post. You can see their previous posts in the TELL ME About It series below. If You’re Angry and You Know It The Lunch Box Surprise Come Out and Play, Little Mouse No, David Go Away Big Green... [Read More...]
July 9, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
Over the past few months, I’ve been very impressed with the ways that educators and clinicians made a quick pivot from in-person teaching/therapy to providing support remotely. Some have taken what they’ve learned in this process and generously shared it with colleagues in their schools, clinics, and the broader AAC community. Today’s guest author, AAC SLP Sarah Gregory, is one such professional. Over the past few weeks, she’s not only served her own students but made the time to share what she has learned so that other professionals can benefit. In this post, Sarah discusses some of the YouTube videos that she created to help others become more comfortable with online therapy/teaching. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: The end of the school year has given me time to reflect and organize some of the teletherapy tips, tricks and tools that I put into my YouTube videos this spring. I have really enjoyed giving and... [Read More...]
July 6, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
Although we’ve written extensively on the role of modeling in AAC, there are always new perspectives to consider regarding this evidence-based and widely-used strategy. Today, we feature SLPs Kate Grandbois and Amy Wonkka who share their approach to aided language modeling. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Bringing it all Together: Aided Language Modeling Most SLPs working in AAC have come across a variety of different interventions in their practice. Some, like aided language modeling, are popular and commonly seen at conferences. They are the most popular option on the intervention buffet. Others, like discrete trial training, are like the mystery meat – you think you know what it is, you don’t think you’re going to like it, and you’re going to watch while someone else tries it first. Sometimes these teaching procedures are straightforward, and sometimes they are confusing, intimidating, or complicated. You may find that choosing which intervention to use is influenced by... [Read More...]
June 11, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
When SLP students are connected with real-world AAC situations, there can be a deep and lasting impact. Today, guest author and SLP Clinical Educator Krista Davidson shares her experiences in connecting graduate students with Kim Rankin and her son, Nathaniel, who uses AAC. Initially connected through social media, they worked together to build a valuable learning experience for these future SLPs. Alternative Learning Experiences in Clinical Education: An AAC Video Case Study I am a clinical associate professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at The University of Iowa. At Iowa, our graduate students rotate through a variety of clinical teams, mine being the AAC team. Each semester I have a new group of students to educate, supervise, and mentor as they provide therapy to my caseload of clients who use AAC at the Wendell Johnson Speech and Hearing Clinic. Due to the recent pandemic, like most universities,... [Read More...]
June 8, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
Welcome to a new edition of TELL ME ABout It, a series looking at ways to use children’s trade books to build AAC core vocabulary and literacy skills. Maggie Judson and Jeanna Antrim are back with more great ideas for AAC intervention, this time focusing on the book, ‘If You’re Angry and You Know It.’ Maggie and Jeanna are speech-language pathologists who work in the Assistive Technology Department for the Belleville Area Special Services Cooperative (BASSC) in central Illinois. They are AT/AAC facilitators and provide evaluations, direct therapy, consultations, and trainings. You can see their previous posts in the TELL ME About It series below. The Lunch Box Surprise Come Out and Play, Little Mouse No, David Go Away Big Green Monster What Do You Like? Here Are My Hands From Head to Toe I Went Walking Brown Bear, Brown Bear TELL ME AAC Literacy Kits Don’t miss their videos... [Read More...]