March 24, 2024
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. Here are some posts you might enjoy. Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Getting Ready for April School Year of Core Vocabulary Words Older Student Lessons Thursday – AACtivities for AAC Learning Can you stick around for some more? We’re listing a bunch here for you to pick from. How We Do It: Tele-AAC with Nerissa Hall and Hillary Johnson How We Do It: Using Language Boards to Support AAC Use By Nerissa Hall and Hillary Jellison AT Recipes for Success: Shared Reading Sometimes I Feel Sunny Pete the Cat Bark, George Bear Wants More
February 11, 2024
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. Here are some posts you might enjoy. Monday – PrAACtically Valentine’s Day: AAC-friendly Resources Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: A Look at the DAGG 3 Thursday – Throwback Thursday: Videos & Articles About AAC in the Family :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: In the mood for a little more AAC reading? Here are some suggestions. Getting ready for a core vocabulary journey Make It Monday: Manual communication boards with core vocabulary Make It Monday: More words, please! Expanding our manual communication boards Super Size It: 5 ideas for making large communication boards Beyond requesting: A week of routines to increase AAC use at mealtimes 5 ways to build understanding Free resources for making AAC and visual supports 5 places for shared AAC materials
February 4, 2024
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. We have some posts you might appreciate. Monday – PrAACtical News: AT and IDEA Updates from the US Department of Education Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: An AAC Perspective on Finding Your Passion Thursday – PrAACtical Resources: Using ALP for AAC Saturday – PráctiCAAmente Conectados: CAA Con Links :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Here are a few more posts to sample before you go. PrAACtical Questions with Vicki Clarke: What’s the Role of Core Vocabulary? AAC Goes to High School: Community-based Instruction Communication Boards: Colorful Considerations Helping Others Model AAC Language Development Across the School Day
January 4, 2024
by Carole Zangari -
While the field of AAC has made considerable progress in boosting the accessibility of SGDs and AAC apps in multiple languages, not as much work has been done in the area of dialectical differences. Today’s guest post by Vicki Haddix discusses how she and her graduate students are addressing this issue. Don’t miss the resources they share. Vicki is an AAC SLP and a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Memphis. You can read other posts by Vicki here. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: When I designed the AAC course, I tried to incorporate elements of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) within the class. One of the elements I’m particularly proud of is allowing the students to choose their own final projects, which are worth 50% of their grade. I give them the following guidelines: Your final project should: Collect information from a variety of sources (i.e., not only a survey or only research... [Read More...]
November 20, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
Here in the US, we’re getting ready for Turkey Day. If you’re celebrating Thanksgiving, these resources may be of interest. Activities & Materials Sweet Potato Pie Poem by Bloom PCS SymbolStix Regular Turkey Waffle No-Bake Thanksgiving Activity by Preschool Speechie Plus Thanksgiving Book by Speech Brain Build a Scarecrow by Speechie Adventures Thanksgiving Questions by Amy O Speech Language Pathologist Peppa Gives Thanks Adapted by Meredith Rus from Weave Chat Thanksgiving Lunchbox Note Jokes by Southern Mom Loves Thanksgiving Wh- Question Board Game by Speech Time Fun Roll a Turkey Game by Unoriginal Mom Communication Boards/Materials Thanksgiving Dinner Table Tent by AAC for ALL Thanksgiving AAC Communication Board by Just SLPeachy Thanksgiving Communication Board by Adventures in Behavior Thanksgiving Communication Board by Breezy Special Ed Thanksgiving Picture Core Word and Communication Board by Susan Berkowitz
November 5, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. We have some posts for you. Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Lived Experience of Ömer Güney Thursday – November Year of Core Vocabulary & School Year of Core Vocabulary Words Friday – PráctiCAAmente Conectados: CAA Con Links – Noviembre 2023 :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: While you’re here, why not sample some of these past posts? Organizing Vocabulary for Communication Books: Getting Started More on Teaching Core Vocabulary Join Together Core and Fringe AAC In the Classroom: Considerations for Modeling Core Vocabulary PrAACtical Resources: Mini Communication Boards
October 9, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
Established in 2007 by ISAAC’s LEAD Committee, AAC Awareness month invites us to spread the word about all things AAC, and it’s pretty exciting to think back on all we’ve done and also to plan for the current year. Each week during AAC Awareness Month we’ll share suggestions for things to do to help others learn about a field that emerged to support children and adults with complex communication needs. This week, we’ll focus on hands-on activities. A popular approach to AAC Awareness Month is to invite a group of colleagues or families to come together and communicate only through AAC for the event. Some years, we’ve held ‘Silent Snack’ events before class where we put out a variety of board games and invited some of our AAC clients to come in and play along. They enjoyed serving as our AAC Ambassadors, meeting new people, and ‘wow-ing’ the crowd with... [Read More...]
September 16, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
About This Week Welcome to Week 3 of your Stepping into AAC journey! This week will get us thinking about how words are symbolized, what kinds of words should be on AAC systems, and other foundational information. We will explore the following concepts this week: Why Use Symbols for AAC? Gain an understanding of symbolic communication and issues related to using picture symbols in AAC systems. Balancing Core and Fringe Vocabulary: Learn about different types of words that AAC learners need access to and the role of each. Navigating AAC: Build your knowledge of the logic in the design of communication boards, AAC apps, and speech-generating devices. AACtion Steps Week 3 AACtion Steps Signposts Link to References Gayl Porter & Linda Burkhart, 2010 – Limitations of Using a Representational Hierarchy Get the Handout Balancing Core & Fringe Get the Handout Navigating AAC- 3 Things to Know Travelog Week 3 Travelog... [Read More...]
September 7, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
We are excited to continue our series on multilingual AAC support, guest-authored by BilingüeAAC. In today’s post, one member of the team, Melissa Tapia, addresses ways to use specific instructional materials with bilingual individuals. BilingüeAAC is a group of SLPs with a shared belief in providing evidence-based intervention strategies and resources to bilingual Spanish AAC clients, families, caregivers, and professionals. Inclusive Practices Using Tell Me Program & Other Materials How can we effectively conduct inclusive practices in our work settings? What are some approaches or materials that we can use to integrate the culture of the home and community? Why are inclusive practices essential for the success of our students/clients? These are fundamental reflective questions I have found to guide me in collaborative therapy and lead to better participation with and from my clients and their caregivers. We are Bilingue AAC, and we are here to provide helpful tools to... [Read More...]
August 28, 2023
by Carole Zangari -
About Week 1 Welcome to Week 1 of your Stepping into AAC journey! You’ll begin this week by selecting a starter AAC tool for your learner. The resources below include a stepwise guide to help you choose one. You will need this for hands-on activities during each week of your Stepping Into AAC journey. If you already have an AAC tool with core vocabulary words, such as a speech-generating device, AAC app, or communication book, you can skip this step and use that tool instead. With your AAC tool ready, you’ll work through the following concepts this week: The 20 weeks of your Stepping Into AAC journey cover a lot of territory. The graphic below shows the major topics and themes covered in each week of the program and the focus of the hands-on activities, videos, and newsletter resources. Introduction to 100 Days of AAC Choosing an AAC Tool Get... [Read More...]