1110 Search Results for Core
April 6, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
How do we help people with complex communication needs become fluent in using AAC throughout the day? There are lots of factors to consider in working toward that goal, and our guest author for today encourages us to think of one of them. Special educator Amy Campbell believes that one thing we can do to support AAC learners is to normalize the use of AAC tools and strategies. Amy is the 2020 Washington State Teacher of the Year and has been a Special Education teacher for 12 years. Over that time, she has focused on how to increase student independence and improve the inclusion of students with disabilities into general education settings and the greater community. Like many of you, she has now pivoted to supporting her students from a distance. Don’t miss the videos Amy creates for her students and their families so learning can continue from afar. ... [Read More...]
April 5, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. Hope you are adjusting as best you can to this new reality of ours. If you need to catch up on some AAC reading, take a look at what we published this past week. Monday – PrAACtically April – AAC Resources for A Year of Core Words: The Learn-at-Home Edition Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Enhancing Communication for Individuals with Autism Thursday – AAC Learning at a Distance ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Still have time for a little more reading? Here are some additional posts for you to explore. Beyond Requesting: Thoughts on Teaching Information Transfer How I Do It: Encouraging AAC Implementation (Lauren Enders) PrAACtical Ways to Make Decisions About Thematic Therapy Materials In the Treasure Bag: Using Sharing Time to Focus on Vocabulary AAC in Motion: Walk the Walk, Talk the Talk with Tanna Neufeld
March 26, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
Staying connected with families is such an important aspect of being an effective AAC interventionist. In today’s post, we have a return visit from SLP Sarah Gregory, who shares the things that she is doing to maintain these connections as we learn to do this work from afar. You can read Sarah’s previous contribution here. Digital Connections With Families to Support AAC Users I hope this blog post finds everyone well! The COVID-19 virus has created an uncertain and unprecedented time for us all, but I have gotten so much comfort from the generosity and resource sharing in our AAC SLP community this week. As we get creative in supporting our AAC users remotely, the app SeeSaw has been a key to connecting with my students and families (I am not affiliated with this app in any way). I have used this free app to create a loop between home... [Read More...]
March 19, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
The AAC field is peppered with amazingly dedicated professionals who come up with creative solutions to the day’s latest challenges. In this guest post, SLP Laura Boates, a graduate of McGill University, shares some web-based materials that were created when her school system, Edmonton Catholic School District in Alberta Canada, announced school closures to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Laura is incredibly passionate about helping every student find their voice through AAC. She is currently part of a multidisciplinary AAC team for assessment, trial, implementation, and funding of communication devices as well as supporting teachers and families using AAC. On Sunday, March 15th, the government of Alberta Canada announced the cancellation of all classes from Kindergarten to Grade 12, as well as the closure of all preschool and licensed childcare centres. However, it’s business as usual for staff, so teachers and therapists are working on creatively delivering curriculum and supports.... [Read More...]
March 15, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends! Here are some posts that may be of interest. Monday – TELL ME About It: AAC Learning with ‘No, David!’ Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Art Therapy and AAC Thursday – 5 Things to Avoid in Core Vocabulary Teaching :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: In the mood for some more AAC reading? Here are a few suggestions. SGDs for People with ASD “What Should I Program on the SGD?” Feature Match Chart 5 Features to Look for in SGDs and AAC Apps Making a Back-up for High-tech AAC
March 9, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
Maggie Judson and Jeanna Antrim are back with another guest post in the series, TELL ME About It. These two AAC SLPs work in the Assistive Technology Department for the Belleville Area Special Services Cooperative (BASSC) in southern Illinois. In today’s post, they cover ways to promote AAC use while focusing on the book ‘No, David!’ In this series, they discuss how they support preschool teachers who are implementing the TELL ME program with their young students. Maggie and Jeanna are both AT/AAC facilitators who provide evaluations, direct therapy, and consultations, and train school teams on AAC implementation. Enjoy their prAACtical suggestions and don’t miss their Lesson Plan, video demonstrations, and other resources at the end of the post. TELL ME About It: AAC Learning with ‘No, David!’ TELL ME About Reading: The seventh book in the TELL ME program (Teaching Early Language and Literacy through Multimodal Expression) is “No,... [Read More...]
March 1, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. Here are some posts you may have missed in your busy week. Monday – PrAACtically March: More AAC Resources for a Year of Core Words Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Communication-The Sky’s the Limit! Thursday – PrAACtical Resources: Tar Heel Shared Reader :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: If you have the time, here are a few more posts to check out. PrAACtical Teaching in the ASD Classroom: Predictable Chart Writing with Core Vocabulary PrAACtical Resources: AAC Assessment Modules A Tool for Identifying Features for AT Selection Supporting People with Significant Communication Challenges in Medical Encounters AAC Apps and Devices: Thoughts on Conducting AAC Trials
February 27, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
If reading is a priority in your AAC work, you’ll want to explore today’s featured resource, the website Tar Heel Shared Reader. Developed by a team at the Center for Literacy and Disability Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, this variation of the popular Tar Heel Reader website provides PCS symbol support for core words that can be used in discussing each book. You can learn more about Tar Heel Reader here. Their newest site focuses on interactive book reading and contains all of the same wonderful features as the original version plus several additional options. For example, you can specify which core words you are targeting while reading the book so that those appear in a strip below each page. That enables us to use those in modeling the symbols for those words as we talk and read the story. Sample phrases and sentences to... [Read More...]
February 20, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
Expanding vocabulary Increasing sentence length and complexity Using a greater range of communicative functions Applying morphological markers Given the heterogeneity of our AAC learners, it’s no surprise that the language goals we address are just as diverse. Today, we dig through the archives to highlight activities that can be used to target an array of language learning objectives. Browse through the list to see if you can find some that are of use in your AAC work. Magic Moments with Tellagami New Word Teaching: A Look Inside Some PrAACtical Therapy Sessions Teaming Up to Build Communication with a Treat Cart: Part 1, Part 2 AACtual Therapy: Use Your Best Spud to Teach Vocabulary With Tanna Neufeld PrAACtical Supports for AAC Learners: AT Recipes for Success – Sensorimotor Activities AAC Intervention: 5 Activities with PrAACtical Potential Vocabulary Activities: 5 Sites for Learning with Avatars PrAACtical Teaching in the Autism Classroom: Instructional... [Read More...]
February 17, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
Today, we welcome back guest author Dr. Kathy Howery for another wonderful discussion of an important AAC research article. Dr. Howery’s work in AT and special education spans three decades and her research uses phenomenological methods to increase our understanding of the lived experience of people who use AAC. She works with the Ministry of Education low incidence team, and as a consultant to schools and school districts across Alberta focusing primarily on children and youth with complex communication needs. In this post, Dr. Howery reviews an important article describing research on recasting in AAC mediated conversations. Recasts in AAC Mediated Interaction Soto, G., Clarke, M. T., Nelson, K., Starowicz, R., & Savaldi-Harussi, G. (2020). Recast type, repair, and acquisition in AAC mediated interaction. Journal of Child Language, 47, 250-264. https://doi.org/10.1017/S03035000919000436 What this article is about (the focus of the research)? This article focuses its attention on the power of... [Read More...]