97 Search Results for atia
May 19, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
AAC people are notorious for their love of professional development. If you haven’t been able to attend as many conferences as you would have liked, you might enjoy these handouts from AAC presentations in the US and Australia. Jane Farrall and Sally Clendon (AGOSCI, May 2015): Self-selected Reading Ashley Robinson (NCACA, 2015): Building Classroom Communities to Support AAC Users Caroline Musselwhite, Erin Sheldon, Deanna Wagner, Laurel Buell, & Gretchen Hanser (Closing the Gap, 2014): Communication Circles Lauren Enders (ATIA, 2014): AAC-Ideas for Infusing Core Language Across the Curriculum Jennifer Buxton (ATIA, 2014): AT Implementation in the School Setting – Struggles and Successes
April 23, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
While we may play a variety of roles, a commonality among those of us on teams serving individuals with AAC needs is that we often struggle with developing goals that are meaningful. Let’s work together to develop a list of potential goals that we can reflect on as we work with our clients and their families on a plan for becoming more competent communicators. There are two sections in this post: Qualifiers (for information applying to all goals) and Goal Areas (for actual goals). This is not meant to be a comprehensive list but rather a starting point for a collaborative document. Please join the effort by adding goals in the comment area below or reaching out using our contact form. SECTION 1: QUALIFIERS Each goal can be prefaced with a description of the communicator’s AAC system or the elements of that system can be named. Terms used in this document... [Read More...]
March 12, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
Like many of you, I’m always on the hunt for ways to support beginning communicators who are also learning to read. As SLPs, we have a huge opportunity to advocate for and provide good literacy learning opportunities for individuals with AAC needs. For learners past the preschool age, it can be challenging to find material that engages them and yet respects the fact that they are no longer young children. Last month, we share a handout from a wonderful ATIA presentation that Drs. Hanser and Musselwhite did on this topic (you can see that post here). Today, I’m sharing the thoughts of Erin Sheldon, whose work in inclusive education for students with significant disabilities and support of families with Angelman Syndrome (AS) is known to many of you. Erin’s work is directly informed by her daughter Maggie, who has AS and is fully included in her general education classroom. A... [Read More...]
February 22, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
Monday: AAC Goes to the Dentist Tuesday: PrAACtically Reading : Writing to Read with Karen Natoci Wednesday: Video of the Week – Headpointer AACtion Thursday: 5 AAC-related Handouts from ATIA 2015
February 9, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
How does the AT team at Virginia’s Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) set out to influence their colleagues to learn more about AAC? With digital technologies, of course, along with a heaping dose of fun. In this post, OT Judith Schoonover and SLP Sally Norton Darr share some of the team’s favorite strategies for professional development. Judie has practiced in schools since 1975, working as an OT, elementary school teacher, and an AT trainer in that time. She is a strand advisor for ATIA, and has authored chapters and presented nationally on topics including UDL, adapting books, the relationship between OT and AT, and low tech supports for students. Sally is an SLP and AT trainer for LCPS. She enjoys her work in the public schools and has fun presenting internationally, regionally, and virtually to diverse audiences on a wide range of low to high-tech strategies, interventions, and solutions. Sally is the... [Read More...]
February 8, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
Monday: Fun Finds at #ATIA15 Tuesday: Core Words for February – Putting Sentences Together Wednesday: Video of the Week – Auditory & Visual Scanning with Jack and Mary-Louise Thursday: 5 Things Families May Not Know About SLPs and AAC Assessment
February 3, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
The recent ATIA 2015 Conference in Orlando served as validation that core vocabulary is now a widely accepted practice in supporting language development with AAC learners. Presentation after presentation discussed the rationale, research support, and strategies for implementation. In 2013, we suggested that one way to help strengthen learners’ abilities with core words is to take a different set of 12-20 core words each month and focus on them for a few weeks. How? By modeling those words, making resource materials (like word cards with the symbols), creating activities in which those words figure prominently, posting them in the classroom/therapy room, reading books that have heavy use of these words, sharing them with families, write stories using them, etc. In this post, we share some sample sentences to model for our February 2013 and 2014 core words. The target words for this month are in CAPS. 2013 Year of Core again... [Read More...]
September 5, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
We’re excited about the passion and enthusiasm for AAC shown by many new SLPs and graduate student clinicians. One of the things they sometimes struggle with in reading and writing reports is the number of acronyms that we tend to use. This is always a problem in clinical and scholarly writing, but when the field is incredibly diverse and transdisciplinary, the challenges multiply. Here’s a starter list of acronyms* and their meanings. Many, MANY thanks to those who helped us create this list on the PrAACtical AAC Facebook page. AAC-RERC – AAC Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center ACOLUG – Augmentative Communication Online Users’ Group AiLS, ALgS, and ALs – Aided language stimulation ALI – Aided language input ALS – Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis AOTA – American Occupational Therapy Association APTA – American Physical Therapy Association ASD – Autism spectrum disorder ASHA – American Speech Language Hearing Association AT – Assistive technology ATIA... [Read More...]
June 19, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
We are pleased to be sharing another post by a graduate student SLP. Stephanie Amundsen attends the SLP program at the University of Central Florida (UCF) and has worked for the Florida Alliance for Assistive Services and Technology (FAAST) Atlantic Regional Demonstration Center (ARDC) since May 2012. She is currently completing an externship working with children with complex communication needs, and is writing her thesis on AAC access in acute and sub-acute facilities. She has presented posters on service learning using AAC intervention and grammatical intervention using AAC under the direction of Dr. Kent-Walsh at the 2013 ASHA Convention, and has volunteered at the Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA) Conference in 2013 and 2014. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: As a graduate student placed in my first externship, I encountered multiple clients with AAC needs from day one. Because one of my placement sites is a Prescribed Pediatric Extended Care (PPEC) facility, many... [Read More...]
June 18, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
Get ready to smile and enjoy this video produced by the Dumfries and Galloway National Health Service. Lots of great advice and tips for communication partners! Direct link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fx338vnATIA