1056 Search Results for Core
September 22, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
Here’s a sobering thought. Relatively few users of AAC use grammatically correct sentences when they communicate. There are lots reasons for that, but in this post, we focus on understanding the things that contribute to that problem. In Part 2, we’ll look at ways to address the issue. Let’s reflect on the problem of why many AAC learners don’t communicate with complete, grammatically correct utterances. When communication is time-consuming and difficult, it makes sense to put your effort to saying things that convey a lot of meaning and skip the rest. If you are trying to get your point across with as little effort as possible, content-heavy words, like agents, actions, and places, pack a punch. As clinicians, we are often so driven to understand the main points of what the learner is trying to convey that we promote that strategy. Here are two snippets to illustrate. Clinician: Look at... [Read More...]
September 10, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
AAC is best played as a team sport. We’ve written about doing this with AAC inservice training, using AT throughout the school day, building classroom conversations, and other tools for using AAC in the classroom. No matter how you view it, AAC interventionists have to support one another. In this post, we continue our series of sharing printables that can be used to provide a little encouragement and recognition of our colleagues who are out there every day trying to do their best for AAC learners. You can download the bookmarks here, print and laminate them back-to-back, and share with with families, teachers, therapists, paraprofessionals, and others who are with you on this journey. And, if you missed the earlier printables, you can get those here and here.
September 9, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
There is a short list of presenters that I like go see, no matter what topic they are speaking on. Dr. Caroline Musselwhite has been on that list for a very long time. In this video, she provides an insightful discussion of a pivotal intervention strategy, aided language input. If you appreciate hearing from clinicians who have been doing this work for many years, you will love this engaging and prAACtical presentation. You can get the accompanying handouts here and here. Please note that you will need to register in order to view the presentation. Many thanks to the Angelman Syndrome Foundation for making this available. Direct Link to Video: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/7139066695959986690
September 6, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
Monday – PrAACtically September: AAC Core Vocabulary Resources Tuesday – PrAACtically Reading with Karen Natoci: It’s Okay To Be Different Wednesday – Video of the Week: Martin Pistorius Thursday – Throwback Thursday: 10 Posts on AAC for the Beginning Communicator
September 3, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
Looking for information to help you round out your services to beginning communicators? Here are some previous posts to explore. Intervention Core Words, Direct Vocabulary Instruction, and Beginning Communicators Helping Beginning Communicators Expand Their Sentence Length Let Me Tell You Something: Narratives for the Beginning Communicator Breaking Through with Emerging Intentional and Beginning Communicators of All Ages A PrAACtical Literacy Activity for Beginning Communicators Ideas About Vocabulary Instruction for Beginning Communicators Videos Recommended Practices for Beginning Communicators Teaching Prelinguistic Communication to Beginning Communicators Using Symbols with Beginning Communicators Other 5 Facebook Groups for Families of Beginning Communicators
September 1, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
Get ready to read! Interactive storybook reading is one of my favorite ways to build AAC skills. No matter what the age or kind of disability, it seems like my therapy always includes ssome type of reading material. We are so fortunate to welcome back Karen Natoci, a Michigan SLP who shares our passion for literacy and AAC. You can explore some of Karen’s previous PrAACtically Reading posts here. In this post, Karen introduces us to a book about differences, and shares her ideas for using it to build AAC fluency. Be sure to check out her lesson plan and the video clips that she is so generously sharing. ——————————————————————————————- Book: It’s Okay to Be Different, by Todd Parr Core Vocabulary: all gone, big, different, do, don’t, finished, get, go, he, help, here, I, it, like, look, me, more, no, not, out, she, small, some, that, uh oh, want, where, who, you Additional Vocabulary-... [Read More...]
August 16, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
Monday – 3 Things to Consider in Implementing Core Vocabulary Tuesday – PrAACtically Reading with Karen Natoci: I Like Myself Wednesday – Video of the Week: Every Second Counts with Lindy McDaniel Thursday – Site of the Month: TASN
August 11, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
Karen Natoci is back with some wonderful ideas for building AAC skills using the book, I Like Myself. Check out her lesson plan and suggestions for some prAACtical reading ::::::::::::::::::::::: Book: I Like Myself!, by Karen Beaumont; Illustrated by David Catrow (Scholastic Inc.) Core Vocabulary focus: I, WANT, LIKE, ME/MY, SAME, DIFFERENT, GO, IN, DO, Fringe Vocabulary focus- Body Parts: eyes, ears, nose, fingers, toes, head, Opposites Vocabulary use: wild/tame, fast/slow, Core Vocabulary focus: I, LIKE, ME/MY, Fringe Vocabulary focus- Abstract VERBS: Think, say, COMMUNICATION Matrix (Rowland, 2009) Level: I-VII ——————————————————————– School is just around the corner and the planning begins! Our school year started in mid July. During the first two weeks, we decided to focus on the shared reading of: I Like Myself! by Karen Beaumont. This book is thoughtful, has great rhyme and rhythm, and is illustrated beautifully. It is a great way to think about the... [Read More...]
August 9, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
Monday – PrAACtically August: A Core Word Calendar Tuesday – AAC Therapy: When the Lesson Plan Fails Wednesday – Video of the Week: Building Engagement in Young Children with Autism Thursday – How I Do it: AAC Inservices by Tabi Jones-Wohleber
August 6, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
Many SLPs involved in AAC service provision are called upon to provide inservice training on implementation strategies. In this post, we are very fortunate to have Tabi Jones-Wohleber back to share both her thoughts and training materials. Tabi, an SLP on the AT Team for Frederick County Public Schools in Maryland, wrote two previous posts for us. In those posts, Tabi shared her All-in-One Visual Support Tool and Classroom CORE Tool. Today, we hear about her experiences with professional development for teachers, aides, and therapists who serve students with AAC needs. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Implementing AAC: A Picture…AND…A Purpose As I work with staff and students to support implementation of AAC, I’ve learned 2 important things about making it work: 1) Folks need to know what it looks like “in their classroom/life” AND 2) effective implementation does not emerge from directives, but rather evolves from understanding, engagement and ownership of the WHAT... [Read More...]