559 Search Results for a year of core
January 15, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
2012 was certainly the year that saw an explosion of SLPs and teachers authoring materials that they offer for sale. TeachersPayTeachers (TpT) is one of several sites that became popular this year and is credited with giving a huge boost to the movement. Here are some of prAACtical interest. Kate Ahern’s Core Word Boards: This set of communication boards can be a big timesaver for anyone who wants to implement a core word approach and needs help in getting set up with some initial materials. (17 pp) Fun for Learning’s visual support with a Star Wars Theme. Use this (or one of her other thematic kits) to customize picture schedules and supports based on the learner’s area of interest. (Free) Working on semantics? This PowerPoint template for making vocabulary teaching supports from Jerilyn can be used to provide practice. (Free) Teaching interrogatives is something that most of us don’t... [Read More...]
December 29, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
Custom tailored suit or off the shelf? Shoes that pinch or ones that are just snug? It stands to reason that when something fits well, we are more likely to wear it. Communication books, like clothes, have to ‘fit’ the user. But what does that really mean? When we’re ‘tailoring’ a communication book for someone who is learning to use AAC, there are three areas that we think about: How it looks, what it has inside, and how it ‘sounds.’ Appearance & Aesthetics As we’ve said before, everyone deserves communication tools that look great. Communication books should reflect the style and personality of the person who’ll be using it. Customizing a communication book doesn’t need to be expensive. You can use special papers for the cover or pages, and stickers to decorate. Here are some ideas to get you started. Send them shopping: There’s nothing that speaks to ownership like... [Read More...]
December 15, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
Four-year-old Josiah had a tiny one that was clipped to his belt loop so it was handy all throughout his day in preschool. Mr. Allan, who was hemiplegic and used a manual wheelchair, liked to keep one underneath his right thigh so he could grab it quickly whenever he wanted to talk. Dougie’s was big, really big, and he carried it under his arm wherever he went. Marla’s was a permanent fixture on her wheelchair laptray, and if she came without it because a caregiver forgot to put it on, it was likely to be a very l-o-n-g day. Geena’s looked like a DayPlanner and had it’s own special compartment in her purse. What are we talking about? Communication books, of course. And despite the fact that they all served the same general purpose, the communication books referenced in these examples couldn’t have looked more distinct. In this week’s post,... [Read More...]
December 1, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
There’s something about the month of December that makes us a bit nostalgic. As we prepare for the holidays, our thoughts drift to the past. Simpler times. Tradition. The way things used to be. And, so, for our Strategy of the Month, we step away from the latest app or fanciest SGD and turn our attention to one of the tried-and-true tools from the past: Communication books. They used to be ubiquitous but now they’re becoming almost a rarity. We’ve decided to focus on them for a couple of reasons, but the main one is to spread the word that it doesn’t take a sizeable budget to give someone access to real language. If you have access to a computer and printer, you can make a really robust communication book for little or no money. It seems so simple: Put some words and pictures in a book. Show someone how... [Read More...]
November 30, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
Maybe you didn’t get to the ASHA Convention this year. Or maybe you did, but couldn’t get to all the sessions you had hoped to attend. In either case, we’ve linked to handouts from a number of AAC presentations. Enjoy! AAC in the Common Core State Standards? Karen Erickson, Penny Hatch, Allison Dennis, & Marlene Cummings have your back. This is a project to watch! Janice Light’s presentation on Building Communicative Competence with Individuals who Require AAC: From Research to Effective Practice AAC for Adults With Acquired Neurological Conditions: Today & Tomorrow by David Beukelman, Susan Fager, Julia King, & Karen Hux Analyzing Language Development of Physically Impaired Children Using AAC Devices by Monika Ortloff, Paul Andres, Meher Banajee, & Gail Van Tatenhove Presentation by Cathy Binger and Jennifer Kent Walsh on Selecting Skills to Teach AAC Communication Partners
November 5, 2012
by Robin Parker -
We originally talked about Avaz, the first commercially available AAC app developed in India, back when we introduced PrAACtical AAC in January of 2012. At that time, one of the primary developers, Ajit Narayanan, was recognized by the MIT Technology Review through the prestigious TR35 List, which applauds 35 innovators under 35 years of age. We were congratulating the team at Invention Labs and thinking that they would continue to improve communication for individuals with disabilities throughout 2012. They have succeeded. The Avaz team has worked this year seeking feedback from AAC professionals throughout the world. They have listened and have made many updates to improve the communication and language options of the Avaz App. We thought this was a great time for some follow-up information because many of the modifications and added options relate to vocabulary, which just happens to be our strategy of the month. Pre-loaded vocabulary has... [Read More...]
November 2, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
We were lucky enough to snag copies of Sentence Builder by AbiTalk when it was offered for free earlier this year and have had a great time with it. It comes with prepared lessons at two levels and the flexibility to create your own lessons. Here are some ideas for using the ready-made lessons to build language skills in AAC learners. Core Vocabulary: We’re always looking for ways to practice an initial lexicon of basic core words, like I, is, have, and can. These words appear with frequency in Sentence Builder, which makes it a great fit for learners working on that skill. Those of you using this app in a group may find that this offers a great opportunity for differentiating instruction in multi-level groups. Parts of Speech: In AAC therapy, we often focus on the part of speech since that it how many SGDs organize vocabulary. We like... [Read More...]
August 1, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
Lots more ISAAC fun to tell about in Day 4! — My day started with a shorter version of the presentation on the preschool core language curriculum that I’m working on with Lori Wise. You can see the handout for that presentation here. — There is some fascinating work going on in the area in supporting the emotional development of children with AAC needs. Dr. Sarah Blackstone and colleagues talked about the developmental sequence in which emotional competence emerges. They are working on an observation and interview tool used to collect information on a child’s emotional development and the caregiver strategies. They are planning a pilot study with the tool they are developing and actively looking for volunteers to use this tool with children who are developmentally between 12 months and 10 years. – Terry Foss and and Jane Korsten did an interesting presentation called Promptology 101 where they reviewed some... [Read More...]
February 4, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
Imagine having one key communication strategy and no one knew that it existed. This horrifying experience was documented in the book ‘I Raise My Eyes to Say Yes,’ the autobiography of Ruth Sienkiewicz-Mercer. For years, she effectively used eye gaze with her family to answer yes/no questions, but when Ruth was placed at a residential facility, things eventually changed. Staff turnover, something we’re all familiar with, was the culprit. With time, new staff came in and didn’t realize that Ruth communicated with her eyes. Ruth was silenced for years until someone noticed that her ‘eyes up’ movement wasn’t reflexive or random. She was talking, but no one was listening. — While this was an extreme example, most AAC practitioners can recount their own stories of people whose AAC messages weren’t effectively translated once they moved to new settings. The transition to a new environment, where untrained partners may fail to recognize... [Read More...]