675 Search Results for communication book
April 21, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
“But my kid wants to use the app on his own terms, not with ME!” Ever faced this conundrum? There are so many wonderful apps that are terrific for building interaction and language skills, but some of our prAACtical friends don’t want us to interact with them during iPad play**. Today, we’re thinking about strategies to use when kids would rather engage in solitary play as opposed to welcoming us as interaction partners in their iPad games. How can we help them increase their tolerance for interaction when playing on the iPad? Here are a few things to try. Make expectations clear with visual supports. It’s hard to cooperate when you don’t have an understanding of what’s supposed to happen. When kids are used to playing games, reading books, or watching videos on their own, they sometimes resist our participation out of the fear that they won’t get to do... [Read More...]
April 16, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
We are headed to Barbados with this post, to hear how SLP Shareka Bentham and her prAACtical friends are making popcorn and building language skills. You can see Shareka’s earlier posts here. I love the ease and versatility of this activity which could be a fun way for AAC learners to practice core vocabulary with a manual communication board/book, SGD, or PODD book. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: I revisited this activity this week and thought that it would be a great one to share. It’s fun, functional and filling! What more do you need? Making popcorn together is not only one of the best group activities I’ve done, it’s also one of the most fun, and interactive AAC activities I’ve done. It’s a chance to learn and use new vocabulary, take turns using the AAC device and to do some requesting and describing. Initially, when I worked on this activity I only used a... [Read More...]
April 13, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
Core Words for the Month (2013 List): big, busy, do, drink, feel, he, in, make, out, some, tell, who By definition, core words are useful in any situation, with any topic and any communication partner. They are the perfect words for Earth Day because they are words that they we re-use and recycle. Even though it is a very minor holiday (at least in the US), most schools do a lot of thematic work around the topic, both because it ties in so beautifully with science education, but also because all kids seem to have a connection with and curiosity about the natural world. Before we knew better, SLPs would spend lots of time programming specific vocabulary into the learner’s AAC device. (I’m guilty as charged and can still remember trying to find symbols for things like trash compactor and pollution.) For learners who have good command of core vocabulary, we... [Read More...]
April 8, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
“But my student can speak. Why would we use AAC?” We often get this question from our fellow SLPs, particularly those who work with students who have autism. From the question alone, it seems like AAC is not needed, and would be a step backward for this particular student. But what happens when we dig a little deeper? The last time this question was posed to me, it was about Marcella, an 8 year old with ASD. As the conversation progressed, we learned more about Marcella’s communication profile. Independently, she uses 2-3 word sentences to ask for things she wants (e.g., “Want that popsicle.” “More Dora”) and single words to protest (“No!”). With prompting Marcella uses 1-2 words for greeting (e.g., “Hi Tony”), labelling (e.g., “Dora book”), answer questions, (e.g., “here,” “sunny”) and a few other social purposes. So, what’s the problem? For starters, Marcella is capable of more. In... [Read More...]
March 10, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
It’s green where we live, but even our friends who’ve been battling snow and ice for far too long (!) have been seeing bits of color…IF you count the rainbows and gold-filled pots in their therapy rooms, offices, and classrooms. St. Patrick’s Day can be a fun, playful holiday to celebrate, and there are plenty of thematic materials around to build language and literacy skills. For some learners, acquiring holiday-related vocabulary. like shamrock and leprachaun, makes sense. But for most of the AAC learners with whom we work, the priorities are elsewhere. That’s one reason that I’m delighted to share Karen Natoci’s PrAACtically Reading for March. As always, Karen is incredibly generous in sharing both information and materials (such as her lesson plan and PowerPoint story). What I love most about her post, though, is that it honors the excitement and traditions of the holiday while keeping focused on the goal of building core... [Read More...]
February 19, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
The 2015 ATIA conferences was one of the strongest in recent memory, with lots of AAC presentations to choose from. As you can see, I had a blast! There was AAC in every direction, from the Town Hall Meetings, App Smackdowns, expanded poster sessions, traditional sessions, and, of course, the exhibit hall. If professional development in AAC is a priority for you, be sure to put the 2016 conference (in Orlando) on your radar for February 2-6, 2016. In the meantime, here are some of the handouts to whet your appetite. Lori Wise and Marlene Sotelo’s terrific talk on using iPads to build social engagement with people who have ASD along with their app lists here and here was one of my favorite presentations of the conference. [Note: Their handouts are hosted on the ATIA conference site and may only be available for a limited time. Grab them while you can!] Gretchen... [Read More...]
February 17, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
We are so pleased to have SLP Karen Natoci back with the second edition of PrAACtically Reading. You can see her first post here. I love that this lesson focuses on older students, providing an age respectful activity (who else loves Mad Libs?!) and a prAACtical way for students with lower verbal skills to develop their reading abilities. Writing to Read: Mad Lib, Core Words, and Literacy Instruction Core Vocabulary focus: like, dislike, uh-oh, again Sometimes it is fun to just write our own BIG BOOK and this month, we decided to do that by using a simplified “mad libs” format. Honestly, I’m not sure who had more fun, the teachers, the student authors or myself! I was inspired by the work of Gretchen Hanser. I attended her workshop on writing at Oakland Schools (MI) in the fall of 2013. She showed us that all students develop writing and experience... [Read More...]
February 16, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
If you are among those who believe that AAC is a 24/7 proposition, then, like us, you may be looking for ways that we SLPs can better support our clients in the community. Like the rest of us, our AAC clients want and need to be active participants in their healthcare, and we can play an important role in helping them build the receptive and expressive communication skills to be more successful in that. In today’s post, we hear from Dr. Rachel Menzies (Email: r.menzies@dundee.ac.uk) from the AAC Research Group in the School of Computing at the University of Dundee. Dr. Menzies shares ways in which her team is developing social narratives around visiting the dentist. I’ve never been a fan of going to the dentist, but I am lucky. I have the cognitive capacity and understanding to consider the consequences of NOT going to the dentist and to regulate my emotions when I... [Read More...]
February 12, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
Those of you who are still digging your way out of the most recent snowstorm may not believe it, but it’s almost time to make plans for summer. There are quite a few AAC camps, some that are quite well established and others that have been running for only a few years (see our AAC Camp Pinterest board here). In this post, we hear about one of them from Tina Moreno, an SLP and mom of Mateo, who uses PicturePower 100 on the Maestro to communicate, maintain friendships with his teammates on the cross country team, advocate for himself, reveal his wicked sense of humor, and even sing the National Anthem for his high school’s basketball games. Tina blogs at Voices4All. With the help of Drs. Karen Erickson and David Koppenhaver, she and her friend Gina Cunningham created Camp ALEC together in memory of Gina’s son Alec, who never gave up, and... [Read More...]
November 20, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
While I’m soaking up AAC knowledge at the ASHA Convention, here’s a post from the past. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Among the many changes that the AAC field has experienced in the last decade is the notion that core vocabulary is (or should be) an integral part of any AAC system. We grew to understand the limitations of AAC supports that consist primarily of nouns and descriptors, realizing that those kinds of communication displays restricted our clients to requesting and labeling. Our field realized the inadequacy of providing only prestored messages (e.g., limited the client’s ability to communicate anything novel, not flexible enough to meet most communication needs, etc.). In essence, we realized that without core vocabulary, we were imposing a ceiling on language development. We’re thrilled to see so many communication boards, books, SGDs, and AAC apps reflect this knowledge. Having tools with the appropriate vocabulary is a big step in the... [Read More...]