55 Search Results for AAC Assessment Corner

How I Do It: Using an App to Create AAC Materials & Visual Supports

May 18, 2017 by - 2 Comments

How I Do It: Using an App to Create AAC Materials & Visual Supports

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...]

PrAACtical Resources: A Tool for Identifying Features for AT Selection

December 12, 2016 by - Leave your thoughts

PrAACtical Resources: A Tool for Identifying Features for AT Selection

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...]

AAC Posts from PrAACtical Week #36: September, 2016

September 4, 2016 by - Leave your thoughts

AAC Posts from PrAACtical Week #36: September, 2016

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  

Video of the Week: AACtual Therapy Using Pre-stored Messages

August 3, 2016 by - 3 Comments

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...]

AAC Posts from PrAACtical Week #31, July 2016

July 31, 2016 by - 2 Comments

AAC Posts from PrAACtical Week #31, July 2016

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  

AAC Posts from PrAACtical Week #19: May 2016

May 8, 2016 by - Leave your thoughts

AAC Posts from PrAACtical Week #19: May 2016

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

AAC Posts from PrAACtical Week 12: March, 2016

March 20, 2016 by - Leave your thoughts

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?

AAC Posts from PrAACtical Week #3: January, 2016

January 17, 2016 by - 2 Comments

AAC Posts from PrAACtical Week #3: January, 2016

Time for a new look for PrAACtical AAC. Hope you enjoy it and these posts from earlier in the week. Monday – AAC Assessment Corner with Vicki Clarke: Procedural Resources Tuesday – Martin Luther King, Jr Holiday: 5 Resources for AAC Learners Thursday – Video of the Week: Implementing Visual Supports Thanks for all you do to support children and adults with little or no functional speech.