February 12, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Karen Natoci’s first book of the year is packed with fun and AAC potential. Karen is currently an AAC Supervisor with The Speech Pathology Group in Walnut Creek, California. Over the years, Karen has supported AAC learners in several capacities. You can see previous posts that Karen contributed here. Today, she talks about ways to build language and communication in this flexible book. Enjoy! ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Book: Yo! Yes? By Chris Raschka (Orchard Books, Scholastic, Inc. New York) It’s February, the beginning of the second half of the school year. Let’s make a new friend! This beautiful book was first shared during the Literacy Intensive Course with coached by the wonderful Karen Erickson and David Koppenhaver in Michigan. It is a book with few words but with much emotion. Here are some ways to use this book in your classroom. You can read this as is by using core words exclusively It offers... [Read More...]
February 11, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. It’s prAACtically Valentine’s Day and a perfect time to show some AAC love where you work, live, or play. While you’re at it, check out our posts from this week. Monday – PrAACtically Valentine’s Day: 5 Activity Ideas for AAC Learning Wednesday – Video of the Week: Supporting Leadership Development in People Who Use AAC Thursday – Resources to Review from the #ATIA2018 Conference Ready for more to explore? Here are a few past posts for you to peruse. PrAACtically Valentine’s Day: Core Vocabulary Activities 14 Valentine’s Day Activities: Love, Literacy, & Learning 4 Things to Consider When Embracing a “New Normal” Using Structure to Support Participation Core Vocabulary: Making Sense of Symbols
February 5, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
The novelty of a holiday creates the opportunity for fun and motivating activities that we can use to teach and practice language, literacy, and AAC skills. If you’re looking for a few more Valentine’s Day activities, we have some ideas for you to explore. Core Words to Target Pronouns: I, you, it, we Action verbs: do, go, give, get, help, know, like, open, read, see, take, want Phrasal verbs: put in/on, take out Locatives: here, there Modifiers: bad, big, fun, good, little, more, some Social words: hi, thank you Determiners: this, these Interrogatives: how, what, who, where Activity-specific Words to Target Colors, shapes People: boy, girl, child, teacher Verbs: paint, squeeze, write Descriptors: nice, smelly, squishy, sticky Nouns: marker, orange (fruit), paint Activity Suggestions Do some Heart Stamping Get gooey while making and playing with Valentine Slime Read a book about kindness like The Nice Book, The Invisible Boy, or Somebody... [Read More...]
February 4, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Busy week? Same here! We’ll fill you in on the AAC goodness from the ATIA 2018 Conference later in the week. In the meantime, here are a handful of posts you might have missed. Monday: PrAACtically February – AAC Resources for a Year of Core Words Wednesday: Video of the Week – Reading with AAC Across the Stages of Language Development ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: And if you’d like to keep browsing, check out these past posts on access issues in AAC. AAC Access for Individuals with Significant Motor Limitations Through Partner Assisted Scanning Make It PrAACtical: DIY Switch-accessible Scanner Assessing Barriers to Access for AAC Learners More on Assessing Barriers to Access for AAC Learners Seating and Positioning for AT Access AAC Assessment Corner with Vicki Clarke: The Eyes Have It-Assessment Considerations for High Tech Eye Gaze Access
January 22, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Whether you are working with a traditional SGD or an AAC app, chances are, you want to print a ‘no tech’ version for modeling and/or as a backup communication aid. We’ve shared printable communication boards and books on many previous occasions but here are links to some of the ones that are requested most frequently. Proloquo2Go Crescendo (English, Spanish, French, & Dutch) Snap + Core First (multiple sizes/layouts) and editable copies via Boardmaker Online LAMP Words for Life WordPower (many versions: regular and poster; some Spanish) Unity (with free PASS software) Speak for Yourself Core Samples Do you print and use other manual communication boards or posters? We’d love to hear about that.
January 14, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
It’s been a busy week of classes and conferences. Here are some AAC posts you might have missed. Monday: PrAACtical Resources: AT and Transition Planning Wednesday: Video of the Week – Using Evidence to Improve our Professional Development Thursday: It’s PrAACtically Martin Luther King Jr Day And if you need a few more posts to browse, here are some suggestions. AAC in the ASD Classroom: Predictable Chart Writing with Core Vocabulary Supporting AAC Learners in Emergent Writing: 5 Helpful Resources Shared Writing and AAC PrAACtical Resources for Writing Notes to Send Home Using an Alphabet Flipbook for Writing
January 11, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Looking for activities and books to help integrate AAC and language learning with content about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr? Here are some resources to explore. Acts of Kindness and Justice Martin Luther King Jr: Venn Diagram: Great for practice of core and fringe vocabulary, as well as information-giving (e.g., name, birthday) and comparing/contrasting Martin Luther King Jr I Have a Dream Speech: Wonderful for older learners and those focused on Tier 2 vocabulary, more complex sentences, main idea, narrative development, and inferencing. Martin Luther King Jr Holiday 5 Resources for AAC Learners Visual Supports, Core Words, and Martin Luther King Core Values: Suggestions for Language Building with AAC Learners
January 7, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
As hard as it is to get back to work after a holiday break, it was nice to resume a regular routine of AAC. Hope your New Year is off to a great start! Monday: Ushering in a New Year of AAC Wednesday: Video of the Week — AACtually Doing It: Core in the Classroom Thursday: Hold That Core: When Do You Not Use a Core Vocabulary Approach? More to explore: AAC for the Beginning Communicator Helping Beginning Communicators Expand Their Sentence Length A PrAACtical Literacy Activity for Beginning Communicators Data Collection for the Beginning AAC User: Essential Things to Measure to Expedite Progress
December 31, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Ready to launch a brand new year? Let’s make it full of AAC goodness! In the meantime, here are a few posts from last week to catch up with. Monday: Happy Christmas! Wednesday: Top AAC Videos Thursday: PrAACtically January: AAC Resources for A Year of Core Words Looking for more to browse? Check out these previous posts for a little AAC inspiration. Teaching Peers About AAC A Classroom Journey with PODD Writing to Read It’s All About Us Magic Moments with Tellagami
December 27, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
As we wrap up the year, here’s a look back at some of the most popular AAC videos. Did any of your favorites make the cut? Infusing AAC Core Vocabulary Into Interactive Storybook Reading Communication Supports for Problem Behavior with Dr. Pat Mirenda Aided Language Input Demo Core Vocabulary Overview Getting Started with PODD Do you have a favorite AAC video? We’d love to hear about it!