About This Week Welcome to Week 16 of your Stepping into AAC journey! We continue to add new words and deepen our understanding of AAC supports. You will explore the following concepts this week: AACtion Steps Week 16 AACtion Steps Signposts Get the Handout Commenting Travelog Week 16 Travelog Print the Week Want all of the resources shared in this week of Stepping into AAC? Download the entire digital bundle by clicking the download button below.
Welcome to Stepping into AAC ! Stepping into AAC is a collaborative project created by PrAACtical AAC and the Angelman Syndrome Foundation (ASF) that focuses on supporting families who want to integrate AAC into their lives. There are 20 weeks of Stepping into AAC materials, which are intended to provide simple, week-by-week resources to help families support beginning communicators of all ages. Each week, there are easy hands-on activities, videos and companion handouts, and a newsletter to learn from. Thanks to the generous support of the ASF, these materials are available at no charge. Stepping into AAC is designed for families that include: Children, adolescents, and adults who are new to AAC and would benefit from using communication aids with high-frequency words or core vocabulary; and Individuals of any age who previously used AAC but are not currently communicating with it throughout the day. We hope that Stepping into AAC... [Read More...]
Professionals, family members, and AAC users are often frustrated when relevant research is published behind a paywall. Today, we’re pleased to share a number of open-access articles that might be of interest. The effect of aided language stimulation on the acquisition of receptive vocabulary in children with complex communication needs and severe intellectual disability: a comparison of two dosages Laher, Z., & Dada, S. (2023) The effect of aided language stimulation on the acquisition of receptive vocabulary in children with complex communication needs and severe intellectual disability: a comparison of two dosages, Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 39:2, 96-109, DOI: 10.1080/07434618.2022.2155566 Direct link to article: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07434618.2022.2155566?journalCode=iaac20 A qualitative study exploring the effect of communicating with partially intelligible speech Clarke, Z.C., Judge, S., Fryer, K., Cunningham, S., Toogood, J., & Hawley, M.S. (2023). A qualitative study exploring the effect of communicating with partially intelligible speech, Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 39:2, 110-122, DOI: 10.1080/07434618.2023.2206910 Direct link to article: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07434618.2023.2206910 ... [Read More...]
We’re so pleased to welcome back PrAACtical AAC friend Vicki Clarke to these pages for another article in the AAC Implementation Framework series. Vicki heads up an AAC-focused private practice, Dynamic Therapy Associates, and is also the Director of DTA Schools. Today’s post includes ‘next step’ information to guide others in implementing AAC along with some helpful AAC posters for you to download, and a video with implementation tips. If you are new to this series you can find the earlier posts through the links below. Steps to Learning Step 1, Determining the Target Step 2: TRAIN Step 3: Take In AAC 101: Steps To Learning Step 4: Try It! As we know, Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) is an essential tool for individuals with speech and language disabilities to communicate effectively and engage in social interactions. Our 4th Step: Try It is about supporting our students as... [Read More...]
With 2022 in the rear-view mirror, we’re excited to welcome some prAACtical additions in the New Year. Here are a few things to watch for in the months to come. AAC Implementation Series PrAACtical AAC contributor Vicki Clarke will be back with a limited series on strengthening our AAC practices. Here’s what she shared about the direction of this series. The journey from acquiring an AAC system to using it to communicate autonomously is a long one, with many different routes. Knowing where to begin is a challenge for all of us! AAC 101 Steps of Learning Process is our effort to define this process in our schools, to help professionals and families support their students. In this series of posts, we are considering 5 steps, to move from training to talking, offering a defined path for you and your student learner. Learning to communicate is a shared journey between... [Read More...]
Stepping into AAC is a joint project between the Angelman Syndrome Foundation and PrAACtical AAC. You can access the project information and materials through either site. Access Stepping into AAC through the Angelman Syndrome Foundation site: Click here. Access Stepping into AAC on PrAACtical AAC: Click here. Stepping Into AAC Team Principal Investigator: Carole Zangari Video Manager and Signposts Creator: Tabi Jones Wohleber Graphics and AACtion Steps Creator: Rachael Langley Videography, Audio, and Editing: Michaela Ball Travelog Contributing Author: Krista Hadeed Larson Additional Videography: Zack Hoaglund
It gets a bad rap but when used thoughtfully, this powerful tool can be a game-changer. Today, we’re talking about the pitfalls and promises of prompting. Take a look. When Helping Isn’t Helping-Prompt Awareness in AAC Instruction Building AAC Facilitation Skills with Tabi Jones-Wohleber: MASTER PAL Training, Module 10 (Appropriate Prompting) 5 Things to Consider About Prompts in Teaching AAC Reducing Prompt Dependence in AAC Learners: 5 Things to Try
Here in the US, SLPs across the country are gearing up for a meeting of professionals in communication sciences and disorders. It’s especially exciting this year because AAC will have a very strong presence. We’re thrilled that an AAC user, Steven Gleason, will be receiving the 2022 Annie Glenn Award along with his wife, Michel. Additionally, there are at least two sessions featuring AAC users as the primary speakers (India Ochs, Jordyn Zimmerman), which is unusual for this particular conference, which focuses on SLPs and audiologists. If you’re on the fence about attending the 2022 ASHA Convention in New Orleans next month, we hope these presentations will inspire you to book your tickets. Take a look at some of the sessions we’re most excited about. You can click on the title to learn more about these presentations. Bilingualism in AAC: Challenging the Monolingual Mindset (Master Class, MC10 ) presented by... [Read More...]
Happy Sunday, friends. Hope you enjoy these posts from our week of AAC. Monday – AAC Awareness Month Activities Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week- AAC Supports for People with Aphasia Thursday – Throwback Thursday: AAC & Storytelling Friday – PráctiCAAmente Conectados: CAA Con Links – Octubre 2022 :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Next up: A few more suggestions for AAC reading PrAACtical Ideas: AAC Core Vocabulary Practice for Workshops and Inservices How I Do It: Working with Multiple Symbol Sets PrAACtically Reading: Over on the Farm with Karen Natoci & Karen Baca 5+ Ways to Make Page Fluffers and Spacers Checking In With The AAC Crew Classroom CORE Book by Tabi Jones-Wohleber (Downloadable file) ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
In today’s Throwback Thursday, we learn from AAC professionals who’ve shared their experiences, perspectives, suggestions, and materials. We’ve had a lot of these posts over the years, so we’ll do this in two parts, both with lots of great content. Take a look. How I Do It Tabi Jones-Wohleber Classroom CORE Book AAC Inservices The All-in-One-Visual-Support Tool Deanna Wagner Supporting Spanish-speaking AAC Learners Lindsay Oesch Bilingual AAC Assessment Tips Kim Ho Video Read-Alouds with Aided Language Input Krista Hadeed Building & Using Language Kits Jesse Kleinman Functional Ideas for AAC Use at Home Kathrine Dally Pocket Flipbooks for Teens Pocket Flipbooks for Adults & Teens Pocket Flipbooks for Adults & Teens, Part 2 Amanda Samperi Teaching the AAC Helpers Planning AAC Therapy Activities Across Grade Levels Putting the FUN Back in FUNctional Working with Multiple Symbol Sets Tina Moreno Classroom Support for Students with AAC Needs Laura Hayes Using Videos... [Read More...]