617 Search Results for tell me about it
April 7, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
Each month we feature a Spanish version of our AAC Link Up, CAA con Links. If you have AAC-related announcements, materials, or videos in Spanish that you would like others to know about, we’d love to have you add that information below. Also, please share this with anyone who might be interested in contributing to or using the materials that get added to these posts. You’ll find the place to add that information at the very bottom of this post. Organized by Claudia Marimón, these monthly posts also feature AAC work being done in Spanish-speaking countries and offer translations of material that can help families and service providers. Today, she partners with Rita María Aceituno in focusing on the AAC support provided to Guatemalan children with Down Syndrome by Fundación Margarita Tejada. Enjoy the post, and remember to scroll to the bottom to add your link and see what others... [Read More...]
January 9, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
We’re so pleased to welcome PrAACtical AAC contributor Vicki Clarke back to these pages. While you may remember Vicki from her outstanding AAC Assessment Corner posts, her most recent efforts focus on strengthening our AAC practices. Throughout the series, Vicki draws on her experiences supporting AAC users and teams in clinical and school settings and shares prAACtical information that we can all learn from Introduction to AAC 101 Steps to Learning It is no small task to consider how we will help our students progress from communicating only through behaviors to communicating any message they desire independently and spontaneously. In fact, in 1997, Gloria Soto conducted survey research that tells us: Teachers have always believed that communication training for students is positive, and Communication training is a collaborative effort between teachers and SLPs, Despite these beliefs, there is still a prevalent hesitancy to begin to explicitly instruct students in AAC.... [Read More...]
December 2, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Each month we feature a Spanish version of our AAC Link Up, CAA con Links. If you have AAC-related announcements, materials, or videos in Spanish that you would like others to know about, we’d love to have you add that information below. Also, please share this with anyone who might be interested in contributing to or using the materials that get added to these posts. You’ll find the place to add that information at the very bottom of this post. Organized by Claudia Marimón, these monthly posts also feature AAC work being done in Spanish-speaking countries and offer translations of material that can help families and service providers. Today’s post focuses on supporting literacy and AAC featuring a fun Christmas book. Take a look and don’t forget to scroll to the bottom to add your link and see what others are sharing. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Comenzando Diciembre queremos invitar a nuestra comunidad... [Read More...]
October 6, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Telling stories is such an integral part of the human experience. While any symbolic communicator can create or co-create narratives, it’s not something that is taught as often as it should be. If you’re looking to enhance intervention to build narrative skills, these posts may be of interest. Helping People with AAC Needs Develop Personal Narratives Video: Personal Narrative Writing & AAC PrAACtical AAC & Personal Narratives Let Me Tell You Something- Narratives for the Beginning Communicator Narrative Assessment and People who Use AAC Narrative Skills for People With AAC Needs The PrAACtical Power of Co-Construction in AAC Support Video: Narrative Skills in Students with ASD
April 13, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Partner-assisted scanning is a versatile access strategy that can be extremely beneficial for people with significant motor challenges. In today’s featured video, AAC expert and master clinician John Costello discusses how to use it for spelling and demonstrates this powerful strategy. You can learn more and download a copy of the communication materials here. Direct Link to Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyBkofHqBkY&t=6s&ab_channel=JohnCostello
March 21, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Language experience surveys are versatile tools with considerable applicability to AAC learning. These involve creating an informal survey based on a single question that was selected specifically to support communicative development. They can be used to give AAC learners more opportunities to learn from others in focused and specific ways. They also offer ample opportunities to practice emerging skills and generalize those skills from the therapy space or classroom to real-world contexts. You can learn more about them here. How can we use language experience surveys in our AAC work? Here are a few ideas. Introduce new words or concepts: We often precede direct instruction on a new word or concept with experiences that provide exposure to those. Using a language experience survey can be a powerful way to introduce AAC learners to a new vocabulary word in ways that are engaging, enjoyable, and memorable. Examples: “Can you tell me... [Read More...]
February 14, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
On Valentine’s Day, our thoughts turn to love. Whether you’ve been doing this work for 3 months, 3 years, or 3 decades, there are some special moments in supporting people who use AAC that never lose their shine. Here are some of our favorites. Finding out that your client, student, or loved one is approved to get their first AAC device Overhearing someone you’ve trained tell another team member something positive about AAC Learning that your client or student who uses AAC advocated for themselves or got into ‘good trouble’ Being invited into a situation where the AAC user, family, school team, and private therapy providers are all pointed in the same direction Sharing happy tears with a family whose child just used their AAC system to say ‘I love you’ for the first time Joy, relief, a sense of accomplishment, gratitude, pride, excitement, self-efficacy…Today is a great day to... [Read More...]
January 6, 2022
by Carole Zangari -
Social narratives are an empirically supported intervention that can be helpful in supporting people with AAC needs. They are commonly used to help individuals with autism understand and deal with challenging situations such as fire drills, birthday parties, and trips to the dentist. All types of social narratives can be written in text alone or include pictures and illustrations. Social Stories are a particular kind of social narrative that have a specific set of guidelines for their development and use. The originator of Social Stories, Carol Gray, defines Social Stories this way: “A Social Story accurately describes a context, skill, achievement, or concept according to 10 defining criteria. These criteria guide Story research, development, and implementation to ensure an overall patient and supportive quality, and a format, ‘voice’, content, and learning experience that is descriptive, meaningful, respectful, and physically, socially, and emotionally safe for the Story audience (a child, adolescent,... [Read More...]
November 18, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
We’re continuing to discuss strategies for helping teams devise ways to test students who use AAC in ways that allow them to show what they actually know in test-taking situations. For the most part, this involves team discussions and collaborative problem-solving to develop a plan based on each AAC user’s individual needs, abilities, and priorities. Today’s post addresses two important topics: How individuals will communicate during testing and how teams document the ways that assessments are administered to a particular individual. TOPIC 12 Communicating During Testing – How will students express themselves during testing? People who use AAC should always have easy access to the tools they use for communication. In testing, professionals may be tempted to remove or restrict the AAC device during testing, but there are several reasons why this is not a good idea. For starters, we’re violating basic human rights in making communication aids less accessible.... [Read More...]
October 1, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
October is AAC Awareness Month, and sharing resources for AAC learning in Spanish is a wonderful way to kick things off. On the first Friday of every month, we feature a Spanish version of our AAC Link Up, CAA con Links. If you have AAC-related announcements, materials, or videos in Spanish that you would like others to know about, we’d love to have you add that information below. Also, please share this with anyone who might be interested in contributing to or using the materials that get added to these posts. Organized by Claudia Marimón, these posts also feature AAC work being done in Spanish-speaking countries. Today, Claudia shares a bit about the group that she runs called ‘International Friends.’ The post appears in both English and Spanish so that everyone can hear about the work they do. Enjoy! ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Comienza octubre el mes de visibilidad y concienciación de la CAA.... [Read More...]