687 Search Results for communication book
March 10, 2014
by Robin Parker -
We love learning about AAC and literacy from resources that have a ‘presume competence’ philosophy, that provide research support, and that include specific teaching guidelines. With these ideas in mind, we love the Literacy Curriculum found on the Literacy Instruction Website by Janice Light and David McNaughton at Penn State. There are specific guidelines for providing literacy instruction to individuals with severe communication impairments. There is a specific curriculum to tell you what skills to teach, reasons for teaching those skills, how to teach the skills, and videotaped examples of teaching the curriculum. There is listed research support that you can use to understand the rationales for the skills you are teaching as well as provide evidence-based information about why you are choosing the approach. This post is intended to provide an introduction to the Literacy Curriculum. For comprehensive information go to the Literacy Instruction Website by Janice Light and David McNaughton.... [Read More...]
March 6, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
One of our prAACtical friends loves to think about, talk about, and participate in anything to do with baking. Not all that unusual unless you consider that he has a g-tube and doesn’t eat in the conventional sense. So we were incredibly excited have this guest post by SLP Deanna Wagner, whose prAACtical ideas for teaching AAC using cooking activities appealed to us right away. You can read more about Deanna here. Why Cook When You Can’t Eat? I have been thinking about writing this post for a number of weeks, now. And have come up with many different answers to this question, “Why cook when you can’t eat?” I finally decided I should just talk about how we use cooking activities to reinforce communication skills and let the reader can come up with his/her own answer to this question. Whether I am working in a school classroom or with adults... [Read More...]
March 5, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
SLPs tend to love (good, relevant) professional development. We flock to conferences (15,000+ ASHA attendees this past November), sign up for workshops, and attend webinars. But for some reason, we are reluctant to request training as part of the IEP process, even when we’re not very confident in our work with the student. Maybe we don’t want to acknowledge our need for it, or admit that there is something we don’t know (gasp!). Perhaps we’d just rather not make waves. We may ask for training informally, but it doesn’t always get tied to specific students’ IEPs, and that may mean that our requests get overlooked. Here are a few reasons why you may want to put staff training into IEPs when needed. We need it. The complexity of the AAC field, diversity of this clinical population, and the rapid pace of change in technology make it very unlikely that any... [Read More...]
March 3, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
We get so many questions about the best way to ‘do’ literacy with AAC learners that decided to build on the earlier posts from and talk more about the ways in which we can support the development of reading and writing skills. For AAC learners, the most important skill set (after communication) is the ability to read and write. When given the chance, we’d teach literacy before almost anything else. Why? First, because it opens the door to so many things. When someone can read and write they are more likely to be successful with academics, find jobs and develop real careers, and enjoy productive leisure time. Secondly, we find that it changes people’s perceptions of an AAC learner. When they see Billy writing or reading with comprehension, they understand that his severely limited speech does not reflect his intellect, motivation, or potential. It shapes their perception of him to... [Read More...]
February 26, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
When we did our graduate training, there was little or no mention of Rett Syndrome, a genetic disorder involving a mutation of the MECP2 (Methyl CpG Binding Protein 2) gene on the long arm of the X chromosome. It is a complex disorder and the abilities of those who are affected by it are generally masked by the motor challenges that are a part of Rett. We’ve asked some professionals experienced in Rett and AAC to help us use this space to help us gain a better understanding of the disorder and its implications for AAC intervention. Sally-Ann Garrett (Highly Specialist Speech and Language Therapist; Reg. HCPC; MRCSLPT, Reg. ASLTIP) is one who agreed to do so and we are grateful for her perspective. Sally-Ann is semi-retired now but has worked with girls affected by Rett Syndrome for 30 of her 42 years as an SLT. She lived in Canada for a number... [Read More...]
February 11, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
If there is anything scarier than having a very sick child in the ICU, it has to be when that child has no means of communication. In this Research Tuesday post, we join the efforts spearheaded by Rachel Wynn of Gray Matter Therapy to share an article that discusses the issues and presents some solution strategies. When we think of research studies in SLP, we think of experimental designs and randomized controlled trials (RCTs). In AAC, group research designs are uncommon because of the immense heterogeneity of this clinical population. Even limiting the study to one single disorder and age group, say teenagers with dysarthria secondary to cerebral palsy, contains too much heterogeneity for most group research. Instead, we see more single subject design experimental studies (SSEDs) in AAC. When well-designed, SSEDs have strong experimental control and allow researchers to answer causal questions, such as “did the treatment (e.g., teaching... [Read More...]
February 5, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
What do you wish you had known when you started providing AAC services? Awhile back, we posed this question on our Facebook page: “What are two things you wish you had known when you started providing AAC services?” The prAACtical responses got us thinking. Take a look. “The families need just as much training as the kids do.” Yup, and we’ll add something else to that. WE need training, too! We expect so much of ourselves, which is fine, but we also need administrators, agencies, and colleagues to realize that it takes a lot to keep up with changes in the science and technology. That doesn’t come cheap or easy. “Don’t be afraid to ask others in the field. They are so helpful for problem solving.” We couldn’t agree more. Most AAC professionals we’ve met have been incredibly supportive. Reach out to others in your area, through social media, and at... [Read More...]
January 20, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
In most situations, communication teaching must be steeped in a meaningful context. SLPs build their plans for teaching new concepts or communicative intents around things that are relevant and important to the AAC learner. How do you teach ‘more’ without something the learner wants more of? How do you teach ‘fast’ without making something zip around? It just wouldn’t work. We get the role of context and have written many posts emphasizing the central part it must play in AAC intervention. Is there are prAACtical place for therapy activities that are NOT embedded in a rich semantic context? We think so. First, a word about what we mean when we talk about therapy activities that are decontextualized. We’re talking about activities in which there is not necessarily a connection between the semantics and the outcome for the AAC learner. (For example, saying a sentence with ‘more’ in it, does NOT... [Read More...]
December 13, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
Like many of you, we continue to hear about programs that withhold AAC supports from children who are nonverbal or minimally verbal. Sometimes they point to the perceived lack of readiness that the child has for AAC, in general. Other times, they erect barriers, such as an artificial benchmark that insists that children start with no-tech AAC (e.g., communication boards, books, PECS) or low tech SGDs before ‘earning the right’ to sophisticated AAC options. As yet another year comes to a close, it is hard to believe that there are still programs, administrators, or, worse yet, our SLP colleagues who think they are truly justified in limiting access to AAC. How can we move beyond tearing our hair out, drinking excessively, or ranting to our friends? Here are some ideas. “Show me the evidence.” Ask for empirical support for the position that withholding access to AAC tools and strategies is more... [Read More...]
December 7, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
Scene 1 Alex looks at the picture symbol choices placed in front of him and knocks them to the floor. Simone looks distressed while she waits for her lunch and whines as she watches her classmates eating. Jason smiles engagingly and rocks enthusiastically when his favorite aide enters the room. Kyra takes a picture from her PECS book and begins to chew on it. Scene 2 “He can’t even make choices. I’m not even sure what he wants.” “She really doesn’t communicate.” “He doesn’t mean anything by it. He does that all the time.” “She needs hand-over-hand prompting for everything.” Great kids, caring professionals. Ineffective communication. This month, we focus on ways to support children and adults at the earliest stages of communication. It isn’t easy trying to figure out how to provide effective SLP services to individuals who are not yet sending messages intentionally. Communicators at the pre-intentional level are... [Read More...]