January 25, 2024
by Carole Zangari -
It’s prAACtically February! Guest authors Michaela Sullivan and Lindsay Dougherty are back with a lot of wonderful ideas for your older students who are building their skills with core vocabulary. Don’t miss the slide decks full of activities and the data collection forms specific to the February words. In this post, they also share helpful information on recasting, a strategy for supporting AAC learners. SCHOOL YEAR OF CORE- Older Student Lessons INTRODUCTION- February 2024 Welcome back to the School Year of Core – Older student lessons! It is our pleasure to introduce the next wave of engaging resources created for individuals in middle school through adulthood. We hope that this year continues to bring the joy of learning and connecting with others. Thank you for continuing to pursue new ways to support and motivate your students and adult learners to use core (& fringe) vocabulary to discuss the exciting topics... [Read More...]
December 28, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
Welcome to the first post in the School Year of Core Vocabulary Words – Older Student Lessons Series! In this post, guest authors Michaela Sullivan and Lindsay Dougherty focus on a selected set of words to highlight for the month. In addition to their wonderful slide decks with activity ideas, they also share helpful implementation tips for using descriptive teaching/talking. Finally, don’t miss the data collection forms specific to Level 1 and Level 2 words. SCHOOL YEAR OF CORE- Older Student Lessons INTRODUCTION- January 2024 Happy New Year! Welcome back to a new School Year of Core Series, School Year of Core – Older Student Lessons (SYOC-OSLs), which was created for individuals in middle school through adulthood. We hope that this new year brings joy, peace, and fulfillment to you and your learners. Thank you for continuing to pursue new ways to support your students and adult learners to communicate... [Read More...]
December 14, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
Looking for ways to support relationships between AAC users and their peers? These past posts may give you some ideas. Promoting Friendships Between Users of AAC & Their Peers AAC in General Education: Incorporating Peer Modeling AAC Goes to High School: The Power of Peers Beyond Requesting: Let’s Chat with PeersThe PrAACtical Power of Peers Building Friendship Skills with Peer-A-Mids PrAACtical Resources: Teaching Peers About AAC Teaching Peers to Interact with Young Children Who Use AAC
December 1, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
Each month we feature a Spanish version of our AAC Link Up, CAA con Links. If you have AAC-related announcements, materials, or videos in Spanish that you would like others to know about, we’d love to have you add that information below. Also, please share this with anyone who might be interested in contributing to or using the materials that get added to these posts. You’ll find the place to add that information at the very bottom of this post. Organized by Claudia Marimón, these monthly posts also feature AAC work being done in Spanish-speaking countries and offer translations of material that can help families and service providers. In today’s post, Claudia shares resources and materials with a Christmas theme. Take a look at the information, and don’t forget to scroll to the bottom to add your link and see what others are sharing. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Iniciamos el mes de Diciembre... [Read More...]
November 19, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. Here are some posts that you might enjoy. Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Executive Function and AAC Thursday – Throwback Thursday: Teaming & AAC ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: While you’re here, check out some of these previously published posts. 5 Ways to Tell If Your Students are Becoming Competent Communicators A Look at PODD Books Using Visual Supports to Bring Music Alive Supports for When Modeling AAC is Hard AACtual Therapy: Use Your Best Spud to Teach Vocabulary With Tanna Neufeld The Critical Nature of Literacy in AAC
November 5, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. We have some posts for you. Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Lived Experience of Ömer Güney Thursday – November Year of Core Vocabulary & School Year of Core Vocabulary Words Friday – PráctiCAAmente Conectados: CAA Con Links – Noviembre 2023 :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: While you’re here, why not sample some of these past posts? Organizing Vocabulary for Communication Books: Getting Started More on Teaching Core Vocabulary Join Together Core and Fringe AAC In the Classroom: Considerations for Modeling Core Vocabulary PrAACtical Resources: Mini Communication Boards
September 16, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
About Week 2 Welcome to the second week of your Stepping into AAC journey! Now that you have a communication board (or other AAC tool) to use and an idea of what to expect over the next 19 weeks, we’re going to dive into some concepts that will help you begin using this with your AAC learner. We will explore the following concepts this week: Word List: Get a preview of all the words that we’ll be focusing on over the course of this program. Shared Attention: Gain an understanding of the crucial role that joint attention plays in learning and communication and how to maximize it for the benefit of your AAC learner. Multimodal Communication: Learn about different forms of communication and how to incorporate them when supporting a beginning AAC user. Modeling Language with AAC: Consider how to help your AAC learner expand their language abilities by giving... [Read More...]
September 16, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
About This Week Welcome to Week 4 of your Stepping into AAC journey! This week, we delve into various concepts that will help you and your AAC learner make AAC use part of daily life. We will explore the following concepts this week: Presume Potential: Learn about the mindset of presuming potential and how to leverage it to create spaces, tools, and opportunities for AAC learners to thrive. Motivate to Communicate: Explore the impact of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and ways to maximize their impact on AAC learning. Attribute Meaning: Consider how we can validate and support AAC learners by attributing meaning to their communicative attempts, even when we aren’t quite sure what they are trying to tell us. Say What You See & Show What You Say: Embrace two strategies that will boost AAC use without pressuring our AAC learners to imitate or comply. Know What Progress in AAC... [Read More...]
September 16, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
About Week 5 Welcome to the fifth week of your Stepping into AAC journey! In Week 5, we do a deep dive into key strategies for beginning AAC users. We will explore the following concepts this week: Say What You See: Familiarize yourself with the concept of narrating the world around us to facilitate language development in AAC learners. Model AAC Without Expectation: Learn about one of the most helpful AAC support strategies we have in our toolbox. Pause – Give Time for AAC Learning: Expand your understanding of ‘wait time’ and the positive role it can play in interactions with AAC users. Make the Most of Requesting: Consider the importance of making requests along with some of the pitfalls of over-emphasizing this aspect of communication. Think Aloud with AAC: By giving voice to our thoughts, feelings, and internal dialogue, we can support the development of cognitive and linguistic skills... [Read More...]
September 16, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
About This Week Welcome to Week 8 of your Stepping into AAC journey! We wrap up our detour on personalizing communication boards by taking a close look at ways to support AAC learners who have difficulty pointing to words and picture symbols. You will explore the following concepts this week: Alternative Access: Learn about options for AAC learners with motor challenges. Learning Through Engagement: Explore ways that we can engage AAC learners in experiences that allow them to advance their language and communication skills. AACtion Steps Week 8 AACtion Steps Signposts Get the Handout Overview of Alternative Access Travelog Week 8 Travelog Print the Week Want all of the resources shared in this week’s Stepping into AAC? You can download the entire digital bundle by clicking the download button below.