68 Search Results for magic moments
March 29, 2021
by Carole Zangari -
Whether you are a parent trying to keep your child’s AAC skills up or a professional who is providing AAC support, we hope that our monthly Year of Core Vocabulary posts help you stay focused and keep your learners using their AAC skills. In today’s post, we share some ideas for boosting core word learning throughout the week, focusing on a small set of words. Whether you are following along with the Set 1 (12 words/month) or the Set 2 words (16 words/month; Different than the previous core words), or are just getting started, this post has some helpful resources. Our words for this month are as follows. Set 1 List: big, busy, do, drink, feel, he, in, make, out, some, tell, who Set 2 List: blue, brother, close, family, head, last, long, no, old, right, scared, soft, thing, top, wash, whole We have some specific ideas for how to build a learning... [Read More...]
July 27, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
Well this is certainly shaping up to be a strange summer. Here in Florida, lots of professionals and families are starting to think about heading back to school whether it is virtual learning or going back into the classroom. Teachers, therapists, and aides play a pivotal role in helping AAC learners develop skills with core vocabulary so that they have a body of words that can be used across activities, environments, and communication partners. There are lots of ‘right’ ways to support these students. Among them is an instructional approach in which a new set of core words is introduced every few weeks in order to build their experiences with AAC. Our Year of Core Words materials has two versions, Set 1 (12 words/month) and Set 2 (16 words/month; Different than the previous year’s core words). If you’ve been following along, or are just getting started, these resources may be of interest. Set 1... [Read More...]
June 25, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
It’s almost July and that gives us an opportunity to turn our attention to an additional set of core vocabulary. Do you know anyone who has access to AAC tools but doesn’t yet use them throughout the day? Keiran has a new AAC app that is well-populated with core vocabulary. Gabbie has had an SGD for a while but doesn’t use it as frequently as her team had hoped. Hudson is transitioning from PECS to an AAC device with more robust language. While different in many ways, each of these learners has a common need: frequent opportunities to learn about and use core vocabulary. To accomplish this, their SLPs, teachers, and families select a dozen or so core words and pay special attention to those each month. That allows them to highlight this small group of words using focused language stimulation, aided language input, and specific activities designed to teach... [Read More...]
April 27, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
We’re continuing to support core word learning in this stay-at-home era. In today’s post, we share some ideas for integrating AAC into your daily life. Thanks to all who’ve reached out with questions, comments, and words of appreciation for the Year of Core Vocabulary series. Here are some helpful resources for those who are using the words in Set 1 ( Year of Core Words) or Set 2 (Another Year of Core Words). If you are contemplating this approach, feel free to jump in at any time. The best time to start (or re-start) is right now. Don’t worry about retracing steps, or not ‘doing it right.’ The best way to get better at core vocabulary instruction is just to keep at it. It takes time, practice, and a willingness to keep at it. Our words for this month are as follows. Set 1: all, down, good, little, my, question,... [Read More...]
March 30, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
We’re entering a new era in AAC learning, one that’s centered around learning at home. Whether you are a parent trying to keep your child’s AAC skills up in the absence of their regular therapy and schooling, or a professional who is providing AAC support from afar, we hope that our monthly Year of Core Vocabulary Learn-at-Home Edition posts help you stay focused and keep your learners using their AAC skills. In today’s post, we share some ideas for boosting core word learning throughout the week with a focus on a small set of words. Whether you are following along with the Set 1 (12 words/month) or the Set 2 words (16 words/month; Different than the previous core words), or are just getting started, this post has some helpful resources. Our words for this month are as follows. Set 1 List: big, busy, do, drink, feel, he, in, make, out, some, tell, who... [Read More...]
November 25, 2019
by Carole Zangari -
When we first started writing about core vocabulary, it was partly because most of the AAC systems we came across in our clinical work were heavy on nouns and/or prestored messages. Now that core vocabulary plays a more central role in so many AAC systems, it’s important that we not lose sight of the important role that fringe vocabulary plays for the vast majority of people with AAC needs. In today’s post, guest author Susan Todd, a doctorate student focusing on AAC at the University of Kansas, shares thoughts and strategies for selecting fringe words. An SLP, Susan practiced for four years in outpatient setting completing AAC evaluations and implementing AAC interventions. Susan is also the author and creator of AACtualTalk, a blog aimed at providing advocacy and education in the area of AAC. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Fringe Vocabulary: How to Select and Not Neglect Core vocabulary gets a lot of attention... [Read More...]
February 7, 2019
by Carole Zangari -
As our thoughts turn to Valentine’s Day, we polished up one of Robin’s old posts with lots of resources to explore. Enjoy! ——————————————————————————————————————— Valentine’s Day is a theme that seems to take center stage in February. When we use this theme, we like to focus on it before, during, and after February 14th because then there are a lot of opportunities to talk about it before, during, and after the holiday. This is like a conversation which involves so much more than talking about the ‘here & now’. Core Vocabulary Activities: Check out these fun ideas from teachers and clinicians. Use Candy Heart Generators and Word Clouds Create your own digital candy hearts with your own text with CryptoGram. Word clouds are a fun way to integrate a theme. You can read more about how to use them in AAC lessons here and here. You can also insert your own Valentine’s Day... [Read More...]
August 20, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
It’s Back-to-School week for us and that meant some busy therapists, teachers, and families! If you were too busy for AAC reading, you might want to check out a few of these posts. Monday – 3 Tools for AAC Planning Wednesday – Video of the Week: Sensory Intervention for Individuals with ASD: What Does the Research Say? Friday – AAC Intervention: 5 Activities with PrAACtical Potential :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Need a little more reading material? These posts discuss specific activities that can be used alongside evidence-based intervention strategies in our AAC teaching. Home Made Ice Cream with Jill Senner and Matt Word Clouds BrainPOP Toca Store AAC & Anti-bullying with ‘Stand Tall, Marylou Melon!’ Stop and Go
August 18, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Across the world, therapists, teachers, and parents are getting ready for AAC lessons or therapy sessions. Robust AAC systems? Check! Goals that matter? Check! Effective intervention strategies? Check! Let’s put them all together with some engaging activities that won’t break the bank in terms of materials. Here are some suggestions for tried-and-true activities. Language Experience Surveys: Looking for a fun activity that gives your AAC learner an opportunity to prAACtical his/her skills with a variety of communication partners? Language experience surveys are a great tool for that not just because they are a great way to build generalization in a way that kids really love, but also because it helps the communication partners have supported conversations with AAC users. This helps them get comfortable in interacting with our AAC learners which, in turn, increases the chances that they will want to interact with these students in the future. This is... [Read More...]
January 16, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Here in the US, we celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr on the third Monday of January. It presents, among other things, a wonderful opportunity to talk and teach about concepts like tolerance, fairness, dignity, respect, and peaceful protest. Many of our AAC learners have a deeper understanding of these concepts than we will ever realize but they lack the language skills to discuss them in the same ways as their speaking peers do. Today, we share some ideas for continuing the conversation about these issues to help our AAC learners continue to develop their language skills. You may already have books, videos, and other resources that are useful in teaching about the life of Dr. King and the values he fought for, but here are some previous posts with a few more suggestions. Martin Luther King, Jr Holiday: 5 Resources for AAC Learners AAC and Anti-bullying... [Read More...]