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June 13, 2024
by Carole Zangari -
In the US, Juneteenth is one of our newest federal holidays and many are now getting ready to celebrate it. Whether you are relatively new to an understanding of Juneteenth or have been honoring it for decades, we hope today’s post has some ideas for integrating it into the AAC work you do. First published a few years back, we’ve updated it with some additional books, videos, and other resources. PrAACtically Juneteenth In the US, June 19th is a day that commemorates the ending of slavery. Although the Emancipation Proclamation became effective on January 1, 1863, it took an additional two and half years for it to take root in all of the states. It wasn’t until June 19th, 1865 that Texas became the final state to uphold the proclamation. There are other days that memorialize the freedom of enslaved people, but Juneteenth is the oldest nationally-celebrated commemoration. Traditionally marked... [Read More...]
May 30, 2024
by Carole Zangari -
Here in the US, the school year is just about over, but there’s still enough time to welcome back guest authors Michaela Sullivan and Lindsay Dougherty for another set of Older Student Lessons in the School Year of Core Vocabulary Words series. As usual, they share some wonderful resources including two slide decks full of activities and the data collection forms specific to the June core words. They also provide a perspective on the presumption of competence and share their thoughts on its role in AAC. SCHOOL YEAR OF CORE- Older Student Lessons Access & Copy below: Weeks 1-2 Google Slides Weeks 3-4 Google Slides INTRODUCTION- JUNE 2024 Welcome back to the School Year of Core – Older Student Lessons: June! Summer is finally here, and we are celebrating with new core words and themes for the month of June. Engage in core word-centered activities centered around the end of... [Read More...]
May 23, 2024
by Carole Zangari -
Welcome back to our series on using the Stepping Into AAC program materials, a self-study program for families seeking to learn about and begin using AAC with their child, teen, or adult. In today’s post, we explore some of the things to do in preparation for starting an AAC journey and move into the first week of AAC learning activities. As you begin your Stepping Into AAC journey, there are 3 main things to do. Think about how you will organize your AAC learning materials and make a plan for incorporating AAC into your life. Starting in Week 1, you’ll do hands-on learning with your communication board (or device/app), watch informational videos, and read through documents. Prepare to select a communication board to use throughout this program. LINK to coom boards If you’re unsure of which one to use, don’t let that stop you. We’ll give you some guidance on... [Read More...]
May 22, 2024
by Carole Zangari -
Michaela Sullivan and Lindsay Dougherty have some exciting things planned for June. Their video preview gives a heads-up of what’s to come and recaps some intervention tips. Take a look. Direct Link to Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjvxWUYIXRk&ab_channel=SchoolYearofCore
May 16, 2024
by Carole Zangari -
Parents of children, teens, and adults who are learning to use AAC often find themselves in need of more support than they typically receive. Today, we are excited to launch a new series that addresses this need. This series is built around a unique collaboration between PrAACtical AAC and the Angelman Syndrome Foundation (ASF), bringing together our expertise to create a set of training materials that caregivers can use to build an AAC presence in their lives or expand its use in daily living situations. These materials are now available on both of our websites, ready to empower and support you in your AAC journey. In today’s post, you’ll learn about the Stepping Into AAC program and how to access the materials. Future posts will focus on the implementation of AAC by families who want to enhance communication at home and in the community. Who is the target audience for... [Read More...]
May 8, 2024
by Carole Zangari -
How can we effectively support students with challenging behaviors and complex communication needs? In today’s featured video, we learn from SLP and AT Specialist Keri Huddleston who shares ideas and resources to foster positive interactions, reduce frustration, and improve the learning environment. You can access the handouts for this session here. This is an archived presentation hosted by ECHO Voices of the Oregon Technology Access Program (OTAP). We are grateful to OTAP and the to Keri, the presenter, for this helpful presentation. Direct Link to Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GoiaXxO4bc&ab_channel=OTAP-RSOI
May 6, 2024
by praacticalaac -
Stepping Into AAC materials were created through a partnership with the Angelman Syndrome Foundation. Visit the links below to access this content. Home page for Stepping Into AAC Getting Started with Stepping Into AAC Resource page for Stepping Into AAC Choose a Week of Stepping Into AAC materials
May 2, 2024
by Carole Zangari -
Here in the US, we’ll be celebrating Mother’s Day soon. If you’re looking for resources that you can incorporate into your AAC work, we have some ideas for you. These are great for highlighting core vocabulary, such as these: Pronouns: I, you, she, we, her, our Verbs: can, do, give, help, like, love, make, read, see, write Adjectives: good, nice, pretty, smart, strong Conjunctions: and, because, but, with Time Words: later, now, today, tomorrow Questions: what, who, where ACTIVITY SUGGESTIONS Read about Mothers and Mother’s Day with some of these books. Mother’s Day Book for Early Communicators by AAC with Annie Mother’s Day book highlighting core words ‘like’ and ‘give’ from Speech by Carrie. You can also check out this one which focuses on the words ‘help’ and ‘make’ and offers practice with several pronouns. From Boardmaker From Tarheel Reader (SDJ) From Tarheel Reader (Nicolaus) Cards and letters... [Read More...]
April 14, 2024
by Carole Zangari -
Ready to embark on your Stepping Into AAC journey? Take a look at this roadmap to get an overview of where we’re headed. Let’s get started. Before You Begin Choosing an AAC Tool for the Journey: From the very first week, you’ll be actively using AAC on a daily basis. If your learner is new to AAC, we will guide you through the process of choosing a communication board to print out and use. It will be a generic board at first, but we’ll help you customize it later in the journey to meet your AAC learner’s needs. If you already have an AAC device or app, take a few moments to look it over and decide if you will use it for your journey. A primary consideration is whether it has the specific words we’ll focus on over the next 20 weeks. We’ll explore those words in detail later,... [Read More...]
April 11, 2024
by Carole Zangari -
Since 1970, people in the US have marked April 22 as a day to honor our planet and demonstrate support for environmental protection. Here are some AAC-friendly ideas and materials to celebrate Earth Day. Learn about the importance of Earth Day with this book from Boardmaker. Getting to the Core of Earth Day Let’s Read Let’s Create Write an acrostic poem like this one by Donna O’Reilly. Make infused water for a planet-friendly drink using these resources from the AAC Language Lab. Play Earth Day BINGO with these LessonPix materials by Liz Sturgill. Let’s Go Outside! Do some easy Earth Day crafts with these links curated by Special Learning House. Make some Earth Day waffles with this recipe from Shevi Greebel. Create a language experience survey. Here are some possible questions for your survey What are your favorite outdoor activities? Tell me about a time when you had an outdoor adventure.... [Read More...]