842 Search Results for core vocabulary
October 15, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
Holidays are special and Halloween is a favorite among many. As much fun as it is to dress up and get candy, though, there are lots of ways that Halloween can be stressful for AAC learners. From the change in routine, to the costumes and scary decorations, to talking with neighbors and other less familiar communication partners, to the over-abundance of sugar, there are lots of ways in which Halloween can trip us up. If the AAC learners in your life celebrate Halloween, Fall Festival, Harvest Parade, or any other celebration with similar traditions, we SLPs can help them to have a positive experience. Here are some ideas. Use a social narrative to prepare everyone for what to expect on and around Halloween. Read them often in the weeks leading up to the school dress-up parade, party, and the big day itself. More Halloween social narratives can be found at Therapics,... [Read More...]
October 11, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
It’s been a wonderful week of building awareness and acceptance! Monday – How I Do It with Kimberly Scanlon: Using Visual Supports to Build Attention and Cooperation Tuesday – Teach Me Tuesday: PECS V+ Wednesday – Video of the Week: Core Vocabulary 101 Thursday – Supporting Language Growth in AAC Learners: Part 2
September 22, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
Here’s a sobering thought. Relatively few users of AAC use grammatically correct sentences when they communicate. There are lots reasons for that, but in this post, we focus on understanding the things that contribute to that problem. In Part 2, we’ll look at ways to address the issue. Let’s reflect on the problem of why many AAC learners don’t communicate with complete, grammatically correct utterances. When communication is time-consuming and difficult, it makes sense to put your effort to saying things that convey a lot of meaning and skip the rest. If you are trying to get your point across with as little effort as possible, content-heavy words, like agents, actions, and places, pack a punch. As clinicians, we are often so driven to understand the main points of what the learner is trying to convey that we promote that strategy. Here are two snippets to illustrate. Clinician: Look at... [Read More...]
September 6, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
Monday – PrAACtically September: AAC Core Vocabulary Resources Tuesday – PrAACtically Reading with Karen Natoci: It’s Okay To Be Different Wednesday – Video of the Week: Martin Pistorius Thursday – Throwback Thursday: 10 Posts on AAC for the Beginning Communicator
September 1, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
Get ready to read! Interactive storybook reading is one of my favorite ways to build AAC skills. No matter what the age or kind of disability, it seems like my therapy always includes ssome type of reading material. We are so fortunate to welcome back Karen Natoci, a Michigan SLP who shares our passion for literacy and AAC. You can explore some of Karen’s previous PrAACtically Reading posts here. In this post, Karen introduces us to a book about differences, and shares her ideas for using it to build AAC fluency. Be sure to check out her lesson plan and the video clips that she is so generously sharing. ——————————————————————————————- Book: It’s Okay to Be Different, by Todd Parr Core Vocabulary: all gone, big, different, do, don’t, finished, get, go, he, help, here, I, it, like, look, me, more, no, not, out, she, small, some, that, uh oh, want, where, who, you Additional Vocabulary-... [Read More...]
August 16, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
Monday – 3 Things to Consider in Implementing Core Vocabulary Tuesday – PrAACtically Reading with Karen Natoci: I Like Myself Wednesday – Video of the Week: Every Second Counts with Lindy McDaniel Thursday – Site of the Month: TASN
August 11, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
Karen Natoci is back with some wonderful ideas for building AAC skills using the book, I Like Myself. Check out her lesson plan and suggestions for some prAACtical reading ::::::::::::::::::::::: Book: I Like Myself!, by Karen Beaumont; Illustrated by David Catrow (Scholastic Inc.) Core Vocabulary focus: I, WANT, LIKE, ME/MY, SAME, DIFFERENT, GO, IN, DO, Fringe Vocabulary focus- Body Parts: eyes, ears, nose, fingers, toes, head, Opposites Vocabulary use: wild/tame, fast/slow, Core Vocabulary focus: I, LIKE, ME/MY, Fringe Vocabulary focus- Abstract VERBS: Think, say, COMMUNICATION Matrix (Rowland, 2009) Level: I-VII ——————————————————————– School is just around the corner and the planning begins! Our school year started in mid July. During the first two weeks, we decided to focus on the shared reading of: I Like Myself! by Karen Beaumont. This book is thoughtful, has great rhyme and rhythm, and is illustrated beautifully. It is a great way to think about the... [Read More...]
August 6, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
Many SLPs involved in AAC service provision are called upon to provide inservice training on implementation strategies. In this post, we are very fortunate to have Tabi Jones-Wohleber back to share both her thoughts and training materials. Tabi, an SLP on the AT Team for Frederick County Public Schools in Maryland, wrote two previous posts for us. In those posts, Tabi shared her All-in-One Visual Support Tool and Classroom CORE Tool. Today, we hear about her experiences with professional development for teachers, aides, and therapists who serve students with AAC needs. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Implementing AAC: A Picture…AND…A Purpose As I work with staff and students to support implementation of AAC, I’ve learned 2 important things about making it work: 1) Folks need to know what it looks like “in their classroom/life” AND 2) effective implementation does not emerge from directives, but rather evolves from understanding, engagement and ownership of the WHAT... [Read More...]
July 26, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
It’s been a fine week for AAC! Monday – The Baby, The Bathwater, and Core Vocabulary Tuesday – Teach Me Tuesday: ECO2 by PRC Wednesday – Video of the Week: AAC Strategies for DeafPlus Learners Thursday – Open the Gate Hope you had some AAC fun, too!
July 6, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
One of the things that I love most about where I live is the rich mix of cultural heritages and linguistic backgrounds in the clients we serve. It can be challenging to do a good assessment, though. Today, we hear from Lindsay Oesch who shares her thoughts on AAC assessments with children from bilingual environments. Don’t miss clicking through to get the parent questionnaires and other resources she shares in her post. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Beginning the AAC Assessment Process with Bilingual Children As a clinician in New York City, it is so exciting to be working with children ages 5-12 as a speech-language pathologist in one of the most culturally and linguistically dynamic places in the world. It has also remained a major challenge to assess and treat children with speech and language impairment/delay who speak more than one language, in order to accommodate their specific language needs. Assessment for a communication... [Read More...]