163 Search Results for visual schedule
August 27, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
As online instruction and therapy continue to be an important service delivery option, practitioners are growing their skills and expanding their toolboxes. Today, we welcome back PrAACtical AAC contributor Sarah Gregory with more tips and suggestions for how to make these virtual sessions more engaging and productive. Sarah is an AAC SLP and AT Specialist in Ithaca NY where she supports students in public school settings. In this post, she shares tips, videos, and activity downloads for AAC telepractice. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: A new and uncertain school year has arrived and many of us will be continuing with some form of remote AAC support. In my last blog post (click here), I shared tips for getting started with AAC teletherapy and now we will look at structuring virtual sessions, creating and using digital materials, and providing Aided Language Input. And although I am sharing many digital activities and tricks, the most important... [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 3, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
“I need to prepare my child for nasal swab testing.” “How can I get my students to wear their masks?” “My students don’t wash their hands properly.” “What vocabulary and messages should I add to SGDs for my students to be able to talk about the coronavirus?” “How can I explain social distancing in ways that make sense?” “What can I do to help my students know what to expect from a Zoom session?” If you have questions like these, take some time to browse through this online resource list with over 150 free downloads, videos, and more. We’ve updated this resource quite a bit since it was first published 4 months ago and are re-publishing it for those who need visual supports, social stories, videos, and communication boards. In the online newsletter below, you can access visual schedules for handwashing, social narratives, videos, educational materials, and more by clicking... [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...]
April 16, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
The other day, a friend posted something on social media that many of us can relate to. “Between all the hand sanitizer and cleaning solution that my skin absorbs,” she said, “I’m probably disinfecting the toilet with every trip to the bathroom!” While that’s a bit of a stretch, it is true that most of us are washing our hands more often now than ever before. And for good reason. But some of our AAC learners don’t really like hand washing and it can be a struggle to have them do that several times a day. In today’s post, we share some ideas that can help keep those hands clean. Not everyone will need every strategy, but we included several ideas so that you can select those that are most beneficial for the AAC learners in your life. Teach the skill and use a visual schedule to illustrate the steps.... [Read More...]
April 6, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
How do we help people with complex communication needs become fluent in using AAC throughout the day? There are lots of factors to consider in working toward that goal, and our guest author for today encourages us to think of one of them. Special educator Amy Campbell believes that one thing we can do to support AAC learners is to normalize the use of AAC tools and strategies. Amy is the 2020 Washington State Teacher of the Year and has been a Special Education teacher for 12 years. Over that time, she has focused on how to increase student independence and improve the inclusion of students with disabilities into general education settings and the greater community. Like many of you, she has now pivoted to supporting her students from a distance. Don’t miss the videos Amy creates for her students and their families so learning can continue from afar. ... [Read More...]
March 16, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
No matter where you live, chances are good that the coronavirus has been on your mind. In today’s post, we share an interactive graphic with many free downloadable resources that can be used to support the AAC learners in your life. You can access visual schedules for handwashing, social narratives, videos, educational materials, and more by clicking the links embedded in the graphic below. Use the slider on the right to navigate up and down, or click the image to go to the full-sized version. This is an evolving resource that will continue to be updated. If you know of things that we should add, please tell us in the comments below. Stay safe and healthy, AAC friends.
September 2, 2019
by Carole Zangari -
AAC SLP Amanda Samperi is back with another post in her series about the prAACtical aspects of AAC therapy. In this post, Amanda shares her views and experiences on helping students with AAC needs build their language skills. You can see her previous posts in this series here. Putting the FUN Back in FUNctional Working with Multiple Symbol Sets ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: How I Do It: AAC Therapy is Language Therapy I’ve traveled between several states and many different schools over the past few years. Because of this, I’ve had the privilege of working with some amazing SLPs! They’re talented, strong, creative, and love their kiddos more than anything. And just like any other team, each of us has different strengths and weaknesses. When I’m joining a Speech team, there’s usually at least one other SLP with specialties that are outside of my wheelhouse. However, she isn’t very comfortable with AAC. It... [Read More...]
March 17, 2019
by Carole Zangari -
It’s been a fun week of AAC. Here’s what we’ve been up to. Monday – 3 Ways to Use Visual Schedules for Language Building Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Parent-Implemented AAC Intervention for Young Children Thursday – Throwback Thursday: AAC & the IEP ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Stick around for a bit more if you can. Here are some posts that may be of interest. Let’s Go Outside! 5 PrAACtical Ideas At the Very Beginning: Working with Pre-Intentional Communicators Sometimes I Feel Sunny AAC Access for Individuals with Significant Motor Limitations Through Partner Assisted Scanning Supporting AAC Learners in Emergent Writing: 5 Helpful Resources
October 22, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
We’ve been focusing on training communication partners recently and today we’re focusing specifically on paraprofessionals/educational assistants. Our guest post is authored by SLPs Corinna Duffitt, M.Sc., RSLP (practicing for 21 years, 14 years in AAC) and Jennifer Wiegert, M.A., CCC-RSLP (practicing for 21 years, focusing on AAC for the past 6 years). They are colleagues on an AAC team with 4 other SLPs in a large school district in Surrey, BC, Canada. Their school district consists of 101 elementary schools and 20 secondary schools. Corinna and Jennifer are both passionate about giving children a voice and letting that voice uncovers their potential. They recently joined their private practice endeavours, outside of their public school positions, to form Chickadee AAC Communication Services. You can find them on Instagram (@chickadeeaacslps or #chickadeeaac), check in on their website, and/or follow them on Facebook. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: AAC Training for Educational Assistants Some of the challenges we encountered... [Read More...]