112 Search Results for corner
September 28, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
AAC Awareness Month is just around the corner! October is a great month for picking up AAC apps since many app developers offer deep discounts. Here are some of them. AssistiveWare CommBoards Cough Drop LAMP Words for Life Saltillo Speak for Yourself We’ll update this with new information on AAC Awareness discounts over the next few weeks. Do you have suggestions for others to add to our list? We’d love to have your suggestions. Edited: Thanks to the amazing Lauren Enders for this wonderful graphic with even more AAC discounts!
September 20, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Our AAC Training Series continues today and we are incredibly grateful to Tabi Jones-Wohleber for sharing these presentation materials with us. Today’s training materials center on a topic that is near and dear to my prAACtical heart: Using statements more often than questions. The instructional time for Module 5 is about 90-120 minutes which allows time for discussion and practice. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Model as a MASTER PAL Module 5: Statements More Than Questions Facilitator Guidelines STATEMENTS MORE THAN QUESTIONS Questions are necessary to help us learn about the things, people, and activities in our environment and beyond. However, interactions heavily weighted with questions do not often yield the quality exchanges required to build relationships, gain understanding, foster autonomous communication or facilitate initiation. This module explores the power of statements (aka nondirective language and descriptive teaching) in shaping meaningful engagement for learning and socially interacting. It includes interactive activities, video links, lots... [Read More...]
June 17, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. We’re celebrating Father’s Day here in the US but if you have time to catch up on a little AAC, you might be interested in a few of our posts from last week. Monday – AAC Assessment Corner with Vicki Clarke: Evaluating Skills For Use of Comprehensive AAC Systems, Part 2: Language Representation Elements – Noun Symbol Use for Functional Communication Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: AAC in Emergency Situations – Tales from the Trenches Thursday – PrAACtical Resources: Core Vocabulary Flipbook for June Words :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: We spent part of the week with Dr. Caroline Musselwhite who shared some wonderful ideas for teaching emergent to early conventional literacy skills. Her terrific workshop got us in the mood for a little more on AAC, reading, and writing. Using an Alphabet Flipbook for Writing Writing Instruction for Students with Angelman Syndrome Robust Literacy Instruction for... [Read More...]
May 14, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Recent events, such as the horrific mass shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School, have led us all to re-examine policies and procedures that impact school safety. Throughout the country, school communities are re-evaluating and fine-tuning their processes for keeping students and staff safe in the unlikely event of violent acts, such as bomb threats and active shooters. It seems surreal that we have to think about and plan for this, but that is our reality. We look at school safety drills for Code Red and lockdowns with a greater degree of importance and a heightened level of urgency. Our students with AAC needs are among the most vulnerable in any emergency situation and this is no different. Our students may have difficulty understanding what is happening in a drill or its implications. They may have difficulty moving quickly to get to a safe space or staying quiet once they get there.... [Read More...]
May 6, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Hello, May – you sure are keeping us busy! I hope your week was a little saner than mine. In case you missed them, here are some of last week’s posts. Monday – On the Same Page: Helping Team Members Recognize and Respond to Unconventional Communication Signals Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: iPad Apps for Learners with Complex Needs Thursday – AAC Assessment Corner with Vicki Clarke: Evaluating Skills for Use of Comprehensive AAC Dynamic Display SGDs ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: And if you have a bit more time, take a look at some of our previous posts. Saying ‘I love you’ on Mother’s Day AAC Immersion – Happy Mother’s Day! PrAACtically Reading with Karen Natoci: Are You My Mother? From ‘No AAC’ to ‘AAC All Day, Every Day!’ Autism and AAC: 5 Things I Wish I Had Known ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Check out these resources for Better Hearing and Speech Month.... [Read More...]
April 5, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Do you work with AAC learners who demonstrate their communication skills in therapy or instructional lessons, but not elsewhere? In this post, we review some things we can do to make it easier for AAC learners to generalize their newly-developed skills and use them in a variety of places with a range of communication partners. Part of the solution to this problem lies in collaborating with the communication partners in other settings. In doing that, we want to be sure that the partners use good communication facilitation strategies, such as these. Partner skills are something we’ve covered here on several occasions. Today, we’ll focus on changes we can make within our direct intervention or instructional lessons with AAC learners. Initially, we may control some of the instructional variables, such as materials and cues, rather tightly. Keeping things consistent is great for the initial teaching of new skills because it allows... [Read More...]
March 11, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
It’s a wonderful week to support people with AAC needs. Here are a few posts you may have missed in your busy week. Monday – Expanding AAC Learners’ Single Word Utterances Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Building a Love of the Social World in a UDL Classroom Thursday – PrAACtical Research: Aided Language Input for People with Developmental Disabilities :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: And if you have an appetite for a few more spoonfuls of AAC, here are a few past posts to sample. Supporting Communication Development in Children with Vision and Hearing Impairments Video of the Week: CVI – The Everyday Impact on People Who Use AAC PrAACtical Resources: High Contrast Core Vocabulary Board 5 Great Resources for Helping Individuals with Vision and Hearing Loss AAC Assessment Corner with Vicki Clarke: The Eyes Have It-Assessment Considerations for High Tech Eye Gaze Access Hope you make a little AAC magic happen... [Read More...]
February 18, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
It was a week that started out like any other, but ended in heartache and tragedy for our South Florida community. Thanks to all who reached out with words of kindness and support. Monday – PrAACtically Reading with Karen Natoci: Yo! Yes? Wednesday – Video of the Week: Using Apps to Engage Young AAC Learners From the Archives: No Words – “We’re Hurting, Too” ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Reading is a welcome distraction from pain and sorrow. If you have an appetite for a little more AAC, check out these past posts on assessment. Parent’s Guide to AAC Assessment AAC Assessment by Pat Ourand PrAACtical Resources: AAC Assessment Modules AAC Assessment Corner with Vicki Clarke: Standardized Tests For AAC Users AAC Assessment Forms ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
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.