Hope this has been a productive Better Hearing and Speech Month! Monday – PrAACtically Pinteresting with Lauren Enders: Why Use AAC? Wednesday – Video of the Week: More on Assessing Barriers to Access for Learners Thursday – PrAACtically June: Resources for a Year of Core Vocabulary Words
It’s been a busy week of AAC. Monday – AAC & ASD: Teaching Communication Partners Through Video Modeling Wednesday – Video of the Week: Getting Started with AAC for Parents & Practitioners Friday – PrAACtically Pinteresting with Lauren Enders: Writing AAC Goals & Objectives
Happy Sunday, prAACtical friends. Hope you’re taking some time to recharge, Monday – PrAACtically Pinteresting with Lauren Enders: AAC Video Examples Wednesday – Video of the Week: Boosting Communication with Video Modeling Thursday – PrAACtically Reading with Karen Natoci: April Fool’s Day Above everything else, AAC is a person’s communication tool. If it’s not always available, it’s not AAC.
Here are some AAC posts you may have missed. Monday – PrAACtically Pinteresting with Lauren Enders: Apps for Implementation Tuesday – From Conversation to Skill-building Thursday – AAC Assessment Corner by Vicki Clarke: Thinking Inside the Box
Goodbye, December! Before we turn the calendar page, here are some of the most popular posts of 2015. Many thanks to Lauren Enders, Rachael Langley, and all of our guest bloggers for being so generous with their time and expertise. I couldn’t do it without you!! 5 Great Resources for Pre-Made Communication Boards How I Do It: Writing IEP Goals for Students Who Use AAC with Lauren Enders How I Do It by Rachael Langley – PODD in the Classroom: Portable, Wearable, & Comfortable How I Do It: Using PODD books and Aided Language Displays with Young Learners with Autism Spectrum Disorder Core Samples Teaching Core Vocabulary A Year of Core Vocabulary Words Pivotal Skills for AAC Intervention: Aided Language Input Literacy for Everyone with Adapted Books Communication Boards: Colorful Considerations 30 Ways to Celebrate Autism Awareness Month
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
One of our prAACtical friends will be getting an AAC device soon, so it got us thinking about customizing the SGD with vocabulary that he will want to learn and use. Core words are central, for most people who use AAC, but we always want to include the words that help them express very specific and personal experiences. There are several checklists and questionnaires floating around that can help identify the fringe vocabulary. Here are two of our favorites. Young children: AAC Team at Penn State University. School-aged Students: Lauren Enders and Laurie McGowan Do you have a vocabulary selection checklist or form that you like to use? We’d love to hear about it.
Couldn’t get to the ATIA conference in Orlando in January? Here are some wonderful handouts from three AAC presentations. Lauren Enders: AAC-Ideas for Infusing Core Language Across the Curriculum Kate Ahern: Bringing AAC Home Jennifer Buxton: AT Implementation in the School Setting – Struggles and Successes The Call for Papers for the next ATIA conference will be out later this month. Hope to see you there in 2015!
This month, we’ve been talking about how to support individuals who are at the earliest levels of communication: the perlocutionary or pre-intentional stage. Although everyone goes through a stage at which behavior is considered communicative only because the partner perceives it that way, some individuals linger there for months or years. What steps can SLPs take in order to help these children and adults have meaningful interactions and build more effective communication skills? Here are some prAACtical thoughts on the matter. Prepare for Skepticism Some people in the client’s life may not believe that there is real potential for communication growth. This is particularly true for learners who are a bit older. When children reach the late elementary school and are still at the pre-intentional stage, there is a tendency to fear that ‘real’ communication is beyond the learner’s grasp. In our view, that is rarely the case. VERY rarely.... [Read More...]
It’s been a wonderfully prAACtical year. Here’s a look back at our top 10 most popular posts. Anyone see any patterns? 🙂 How I Do It: Writing IEP Goals for Students Who Use AAC by Lauren Enders Teaching Core Vocabulary 5 Great Resources for Pre-Made Communication Boards Core Samples A Year Of Core Vocabulary Words AAC ‘Must Haves’ the the Classroom and Therapy Room Pivotal Skills for AAC Intervention: Aided Language Input How I Do It: AAC in the IEP by Lauren Enders Getting Started with Core Vocabulary More on Teaching Core Vocabulary