October 8, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. Here are some posts you might appreciate. Monday – Say What? AAC Awareness Month 2023 Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Models for Coaching AAC Partners Thursday – October Year of Core Vocabulary & School Year of Core Vocabulary Words Friday – PráctiCAAmente Conectados: CAA Con Links :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Next up: A few more suggestions for AAC reading. PrAACtical Ideas: AAC Core Vocabulary Practice for Workshops and Inservices How I Do It: Working with Multiple Symbol Sets PrAACtically Reading: Over on the Farm with Karen Natoci & Karen Baca 5+ Ways to Make Page Fluffers and Spacers Classroom CORE Book by Tabi Jones-Wohleber (Downloadable file) ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
October 1, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
Happy AAC Month! Before we get into the awareness-building content, here are some posts from the past week that might be of interest. Monday – Looking Ahead to AAC Awareness Month Sales with Lauren Enders Gonzales Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: AAC in a Science Activity Thursday – Throwback Thursday: Supporting Alternative Access to AAC :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Ready for a few more posts to browse? Here’s a selection that may interest you. Beyond Requesting – Thoughts on Teaching Interrogatives Expanding AAC Learners’ Single Word Utterances How I Do It: A Framework for Success-Getting Started in the Exciting World of Communication and AAC “I Made a Communication Board. Now What?”
September 24, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. Here are some posts you might enjoy. Monday – Mobility for People Who Use AAC: Remembering Christine Wright-Ott Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Structured Literacy Support for AAC Learners Thursday – Throwback Thursday: Do It Yourself AAC Materials :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: In the mood for some more AAC exploration? Here are a few suggestions. Building AAC Awareness: Using AAC to Express a Range of Functions From Activity-based AAC to Robust Language: Part 1 From Activity-based AAC to Robust Language: Part 2 Social Stories and Narratives PrAACtically Reading with Karen Natoci: Apples Have a great week, everyone!
September 17, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. Here are some posts you might enjoy. Monday – AAC Intervention For Multicultural Families – Similarities and Differences Across Cultures Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Alternative Access for AAC on the iPad ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: If you have time, here are a few more posts to check out. PrAACtical Suggestions: 5 Ways to Elicit Language Without Asking a Direct Question Are you AACtually Listening? PrAACtical Suggestions: How to Get Started with A New AAC Client PrAACtical Questions: How Do I Find Good AAC Service Providers?
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 3 of your Stepping into AAC journey! This week will get us thinking about how words are symbolized, what kinds of words should be on AAC systems, and other foundational information. We will explore the following concepts this week: Why Use Symbols for AAC? Gain an understanding of symbolic communication and issues related to using picture symbols in AAC systems. Balancing Core and Fringe Vocabulary: Learn about different types of words that AAC learners need access to and the role of each. Navigating AAC: Build your knowledge of the logic in the design of communication boards, AAC apps, and speech-generating devices. AACtion Steps Week 3 AACtion Steps Signposts Link to References Gayl Porter & Linda Burkhart, 2010 – Limitations of Using a Representational Hierarchy Get the Handout Balancing Core & Fringe Get the Handout Navigating AAC- 3 Things to Know Travelog Week 3 Travelog... [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 6 of your Stepping into AAC journey! This week, it’s all about personalization. Join us on a little detour and learn to customize your AAC learner’s communication board by adding words relevant to their day-to-day lives and unique preferences. You will explore the following concepts this week: Adding Fringe & Other High-interest Vocabulary: Learn how to expand the AAC system by including words that are relevant and highly motivating to the AAC learner in your life. Customize by Adding Relevant Words: Use our templates and instructions to add fringe vocabulary words to the communication board. Templates for personalizing the vocabulary for various communication boards can be downloaded from the Resource Page. Scroll down to the Communication Board section, and select the template for the specific board that you are using. Expanding Socially-focused Communication: Gain insight into ways we can support social communication through AAC. ... [Read More...]
September 16, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
About This Week Welcome to Week 7 of your Stepping into AAC journey! We continue to explore ways to customize our communication boards this week with a focus on accommodating challenges with vision and attention. You will explore the following concepts this week: Be an Access Detective: What does ‘access’ mean in an AAC context, and how can we address this for AAC learners with complex bodies? Attention, Please! Explore the role of attention in AAC learning and how to accommodate challenges in this area. Customization to Address Challenges with Vision, Hearing, & Attention: Learn ways to personalize the communication board so that people with sensory and attention difficulties can be successful users of AAC. AAC Learners with CVI: Cortical vision impairment (CVI) can make AAC learning a lot more challenging. Learn about this condition and how we can support AAC learners with CVI. AACtion Steps Week 7 AACtion Steps... [Read More...]