Happy Better Hearing and Speech Month! Monday – AAC Core Vocabulary Instruction: Indirect Teaching Strategies Wednesday – Video of the Week: Assessing Communication Needs in AAC Learners Thursday – PrAACtically Reading with Karen Natoci: The Five Senses
SLP Karen Natoci has always promoted multi-sensory paths to learning. In this month’s installment of PrAACtically Reading, she dives into the topic of our senses, something that is part of many curricula used in special and general education. You can read about her ideas for implementation, see her students’ work, and download the lesson plan and supporting documents in this engaging post. Happy reading! ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::; PrAACtically Reading with Karen Natoci: The Five Senses Book Series: For students at the emergent reading level: The Five Senses: Touching, by Rebecca Rissman The Five Senses: Smelling, By Rebecca Rissman The Five Senses: Hearing, by Rebecca Rissman The Five Senses: Seeing, by Rebecca Rissman The Five Senses: Tasting, by Rebecca Rissman For learners at the Conventional Reading Level: Hearing, by Sharon Gordon Smelling, by Sharon Gordon Seeing, by Sharon Gordon Touching, by Sharon Gordon Core vocabulary focus: LOOK, SEE, TOUCH, LISTEN/HEAR, GET, THAT, MORE, MY/MINE,... [Read More...]
May is Better Hearing and Speech Month, a perfect time to build awareness among colleagues and in the community. Monday – PrAACtically May: Resources for a Year of Core Vocabulary Words Wednesday – Video of the Week: Increasing Core Vocabulary Use at Home, Therapy, and in School Thursday – AAC Assessment Corner with Vicki Clarke: The Eyes Have It – Assessment Considerations for High Tech Eye Gaze
Hope you had a great start to Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month! Monday – PrAACtical Resources: Video Explainers for Aided Language Input Wednesday – Video of the Week: Getting Started with PODD Friday – PrAACtically April: Resources for a Year of Core Vocabulary Words
It’s gratifying to hear from so many of you who are including storybook reading in your AAC instruction and therapy. We welcome back Karen Natoci, Assistant Professor and SLP Oregon Health and Science University’s Child Development Rehabilitation Center. She serves on the Neurodevelopment and Rett Evaluation teams and has a caseload of children with Complex Communication Needs and AAC. Karen tells us that “I know very well the feeling of being overwhelmed by the high needs of students with complex communication needs and will readily admit that you have to have a very large ‘toolbox’ of ideas!” Currently, she is on the charter development team to create the Communication Matrix- Virtual Community of Practice with Charity Rowland. At the end of the day, Karen enjoys running, practicing piano, and exploring Portland and the Oregon coast. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Book: April Fool’s Day Written and Illustrated by Dee Smith (Also available from Deesignery.com) Core Vocabulary focus: Look,... [Read More...]
Hope your prAACtical week was productive and satisfying. Monday – PrAACtical Teaching in the ASD Classroom: Bigger is Better with Core Vocabulary Wednesday – Video of the Week: Building Linguistic Fluency with AAC Learners Thursday – AAC Assessment Corner with Vicki Clarke: Is Feature Matching Still Relevant?
Today, we welcome back Vicki Clarke, a regular contributor to PrAACtical AAC, with another edition of AAC Assessment Corner. In this post, Vicki shares her thoughts on feature matching for AAC device selection. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Feature matching has been the gold standard for AAC evaluation for the last 20 years. It is research based and clinically proven as the best technique for selecting an AAC solution for an individual. The tide of real-life practice, however, is turning and there has been increasing discussion at conferences, in social media and blogs questioning why we continue to use feature matching to place AAC systems in the hands of students. In a recent assistive technology on-line chat, a noted AT specialist remarked: “I wonder if at a district level it might not be better to have a go-to AAC system everyone tries first. If that doesn’t work then adjust.” Does this mean that we throw... [Read More...]
Let’s make this a great week for AAC collaboration, support, and sharing. Monday – PrAACtical Site of the Month: Loudoun County Public Schools AT Team Wednesday – Video of the Week: Infusing AAC Core Vocabulary into Interactive Storybook Reading Thursday – Learning About Augmentative Communication Empowerment and Support (ACES)
Hope you’ve had a productive week of AAC teaching and learning. Monday – PrAACtically March: AAC Core Vocabulary Resources Wednesday – Video of the Week: Scaffoldingand Anchoring Thursday – PrAACtical Resources: AAC Partner Strategies Handout Not too old, not too young. Not too intellectually impaired or gifted. Not too motorically limited or talented. Everyone deserves a voice.
AAC assessment is a challenge in almost every service delivery setting, and many of you have reached out to us to ask for advice on how to strengthen your assessment practices. Luckily, Vicki Clarke, an AAC Chick who has a great deal of experience assessing learners in clinical and educational settings, has tips and resources to share. In this continuation of the AAC Assessment Corner series, Vicki talks about a key feature in any AAC system: vocabulary organization. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Thinking Inside the Box for AAC Evaluations: What Type of Vocabulary Organization is Right For Your AAC User? Professionals often spend a great deal of time concerning themselves with which box they should get their AAC user. Should I pick a Prentke Romich or a Tobii Dynavox? But what about the iPad? And what about the money? Should I pick a CheapTalk or a GoTalk instead? Here’s the good news: The box is not the... [Read More...]