57 Search Results for AAC Assessment Corner
July 30, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Therapy sessions, interviews, classes, make-and-take, hands-on strategy practice, report-writing….It’s been an action-packed week around here, full of AAC and literacy learning. If you also had a busy week, you probably missed a few of these posts. Monday: PrAACtically August – AAC Resources for A Year of Core Vocabulary Words Wednesday: When Helping Isn’t Helping-Prompt Awareness in AAC Instruction Thursday: Throwback Thursday – Support for Beginning AAC Communicators :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Looking for a few other posts to browse through? Here are some on AAC assessment that might be of interest. AAC Skills Assessment for Direct Selectors Observational Assessment of Beginning Communicators AAC Assessment for Children Who Speak AAC assessment modules AAC Assessment Forms See you next time!
July 6, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Today, we’re welcoming back Vicki Clarke, a Georgia-based SLP who has been specializing in AAC for over 25 years. Her practice, Dynamic Therapy Associates, serves children and adults with significant communication challenges in clinical and educational settings. Most of Vicki’s guest posts have been on the topic of assessment (click here to view them), but in this post, she shares her thoughts on the role of core vocabulary in AAC systems. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: I’ve enjoyed listening to the wonderful presenters at the AAC In The Cloud sessions last week. It’s exciting to see AAC knowledge being shared to such a wide and varied audience! Core vocabulary was a hot topic last week so I thought it would be a good time to chat about it! At conferences, in blogs, all over the internet and from your AAC specialists, you may have gotten the memo that Core Vocabulary is an important component... [Read More...]
May 18, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
When we think of AAC apps, expressive communication and voice output generally come to mind. But there are other kinds of AAC apps, too, including those that are used to create printable materials. Today, we hear from a clinician who uses this kind of AAC app on a regular basis. Georgia Karavias is a speech language pathologist whose career has centered around working with school-aged children and adolescents who have physical disabilities and communication difficulties. Georgia is passionate about utilizing alternative access methods and inclusive technologies to enable independent communication using AAC systems. She currently works at Scope’s Communication and Inclusion Resource Centre (CIRC) as part of the communication access team in a community capacity building role. In this post, she talks about how she uses AAC and visual supports created with an app developed at her workplace. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: I am a speech pathologist who has worked with children with complex... [Read More...]
December 12, 2016
by Carole Zangari -
Professionals who are involved in the selection of AAC and other AT are quite familiar with the concept of determining what features are needed and then selecting tools that have those features to sample. The feature matching process has been the gold standard for AAC device selection , though many practictioners report that its implementation may not be robust. Determining exactly which features an individual might need in their AAC or other AT is a critical part of this process, and one with which many teams struggle. In today’s post, we highlight an online resource designed to make this process easier for school-based teams. The Student Inventory for Technology Supports (SIFTS) is a free, web-based survey tool that helps teams match the needs and abilities of a student to specific AT features. It is not a comprehensive assessment tool but provides guidance to help teams in the process of AAC... [Read More...]
September 4, 2016
by Carole Zangari -
Here are a handful of AAC posts that may be of interest. Monday – PrAACtically September: Resources for a Year of Core Vocabulary Wednesday – AAC Assessment Corner with Vicki Clarke: AAC Skills Assessment for Direct Selectors Thursday – PrAACtical Supports for AAC Learners: AT Recipes for Success – Sensorimotor Activities
August 3, 2016
by Carole Zangari -
In the past few years, we’ve written a lot about the value of AAC systems that are rich in single core vocabulary words. Our position has always been, however, that many users of AAC will also benefit from fringe vocabulary words and selected prestored messages. You can read more about that here. To be sure, pre-stored messages, including phrases, sentences, and full questions, have their drawbacks. The main downside relates to the lack of flexibility they offer. Once programmed into a device, the communicator has to use them just the way they are. If he/she wants to say a variation of that message, they are out of luck. In the context of a robust system, however, this isn’t as problematic as it sounds. Individuals who have been provided with robust AAC systems can go to their single word vocabulary to be more precise if the pre-stored message doesn’t capture exactly... [Read More...]
July 31, 2016
by Carole Zangari -
Hope to see some of our prAACtical friends at the 2016 ISAAC Biennial Conference starting August 6th. If you’re headed to Toronto, let’s connect for some prAACtical conversations! Monday – PrAACtically August: Resources for A Year of Core Vocabulary Words Tuesday – AAC Core Word Calendars for August Wednesday – AAC Assessment Corner with Vicki Clarke: Standardized Tests for AAC Users Thursday – PrAACtical Supports for Young AAC Learners: Recipes for Success, Part 4
June 5, 2016
by Carole Zangari -
Hope you had a productive week of AAC! Wednesday – AAC Assessment Corner with Vicki Clarke: AAC Assessment for Emergent Communicators Thursday – Video of the Week: AAC on the Move
May 8, 2016
by Carole Zangari -
May is Better Hearing and Speech Month, a perfect time to build awareness among colleagues and in the community. Monday – PrAACtically May: Resources for a Year of Core Vocabulary Words Wednesday – Video of the Week: Increasing Core Vocabulary Use at Home, Therapy, and in School Thursday – AAC Assessment Corner with Vicki Clarke: The Eyes Have It – Assessment Considerations for High Tech Eye Gaze
March 20, 2016
by Carole Zangari -
Hope your prAACtical week was productive and satisfying. Monday – PrAACtical Teaching in the ASD Classroom: Bigger is Better with Core Vocabulary Wednesday – Video of the Week: Building Linguistic Fluency with AAC Learners Thursday – AAC Assessment Corner with Vicki Clarke: Is Feature Matching Still Relevant?