Tag Archive: adults
July 14, 2019
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. We thought you might like to catch up on some AAC reading. Monday – Summer Reading: A Few AAC Blog Suggestions Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Using Tangible Symbols to Support Communication Thursday – PrAACtically Visual: A Visual & Environmental Support Countdown ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: While you’re here sample some of these offerings from our series entitled PrAACtical Supports for Older Learners: AT Recipes for Success. Each one has a downloadable handout of home extension activities for teens and adults. Let’s Cook! Magazines and Nailpolish Computer Have a great week, everyone!
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: adults, blogs, object symbols, teens, visual supports
June 17, 2019
by Carole Zangari -
Grilling, wine tasting, horse racing…What did you talk about this weekend? The vocabulary and messaging needs of adults who have significant communication difficulties are often quite different than those of children and youth. Today, we welcome back SLP Katherine Dally who continues to share her experiences in creating and using small flipbooks for adults with complex communication needs. The flipbooks in this post (which can be downloaded via a link later in the article) focus on leisure activities that are perfect for summer. You can see Part 1 and download the template here. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: How To – Pocket Flip Book For Adults and Teens Have you worked with a client who was given a generic, low-tech paper communication board at the hospital? These are the boards that include pain, yes/no, and bathroom, among other basic needs and wants. With these boards, personalization is limited. The topics can be important, but... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: adults, flipbook, leisure, teens, vocabulary
June 10, 2019
by Carole Zangari -
There is no doubt that adults with complex communication needs are an underserved population, something that is on our minds a lot during June, which is Aphasia Awareness Month. We feel fortunate to have a guest post today from Ohio-based SLP Katherine Dally, who works both as an AT consultant for an educational service center and as a home health SLP serving adults with neurological conditions. Katherine has served as the SLP on an ALS clinic focusing AAC evaluations, the use of voice banking, and no-tech/low tech communication. In today’s post, she provides some wonderful ideas for using activity-specific communication books with adults and teenagers and shares her templates for you to download. Pocket Mini-Communication Flipbooks Need a low-tech idea that’s pocket-sized and accessible everywhere for adults? Take a look at these pocket mini-communication flip books. These flip books were originally created for clients with a diagnosis of ALS to... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: adults, COmmunication Books, flipbooks, teens
May 26, 2019
by Carole Zangari -
Hope you had a wonderful week, AAC friends. Here are some posts you may have missed. Monday – PrAACtically June: More AAC Resources for A Year of Core Vocabulary Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Is AAC the Right Choice for Adults with Developmental Disabilities? Thursday – AACtual Therapy: AAC, Literacy and Squishy Books Before you go, we’ve got a few more topics that may be of interest. Building Sentence Length Through Conversational Routines and Games Be More with Core Helping Learners Build Self-regulation Skills Helping Students with Autism Prepare for Non-routine Events It’s PrAACtically Memorial Day! Join the fun! More info here.
Filed under: Featured Posts
Tagged With: AACtual therapy, adults, ASD, MLU
May 22, 2019
by Carole Zangari -
Many individuals with developmental disabilities and complex communication needs reach adulthood without a functional AAC system. In today’s featured video, SLP Paul Simeone discusses some of the issues around the decision to initiate AAC in adulthood. We are grateful to Paul and the Arc of Massachusetts for addressing this important topic and raising awareness of the needs of such an under-served population. Enjoy! Direct link to video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQjFDfw3QL0&t=29s
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: adulthood, adults, developmental disabilities
March 10, 2016
by Carole Zangari -
Is it summer yet? Not where we live, but that doesn’t stop us from making plans. In today’s post, we hear about the Summer 2016 Augmentative Communication Empowerment and Supports (ACES) Program at Temple University which will run from July 18-29, 2016. SLP Kathryn Helland, AAC Services Coordinator at the Institute on Disabilities at Temple University, shares information on this innovative program for young adults who use AAC. Kathryn provides training, AAC evaluations, device demonstrations, and AT consultations to consumers of Pennsylvania’s Initiative on Assistive Technology (PIAT). True to its name, this program has a rich tradition of changing lives and empowering adults who use AAC. ——————————————————– ACES – What’s it all about? It is a steamy hot day at the end of July. Temple University’s already diverse campus is further enriched by the presence of students in wheelchairs. They sit, chatting under the ginkgo biloba trees. They are all young adults, with... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: adults, camp
December 23, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
There is much to love about these video segments showing adults with intellectual disabilities interacting with their peers and caregivers in a supported community living environment. For starters, we love seeing successful interactions that focus on social connectedness, sharing information and true participation, as opposed to requesting and behavior regulation. Notice the tone of these conversations and the supportive strategies that the caregivers use. The residents are respected, empowered, and successful. And, of course, we love seeing the use of multiple modes of communication! Many thanks to the staff and residents of Inner South Communication Service of Victoria, Australia for making these videos available.
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: adults, Conversation, intellectual disability
October 8, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
There is no better time that AAC Awareness Month to see and hear directly from people who use AAC. A lot of focus is on children and education, but this is a great reminder that no one is too old or too anything to learn to improve their communication skills. Thanks to Deanna Wagner, (who has done some terrific posts for us here, here, and here), and her clients at the Valley of the Sun School and Habilitation Center for making this video and sharing it with the rest of us.
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: adults, Deanna Wagner, first person account
May 8, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
Motivating clients to use and learn more about their AAC systems can sometimes be a challenge, particularly if the learner has had decades of life experience before being introduced to AAC. In this post, we welcome SLP Samantha Weatherford, who works in the areas of early intervention and adult rehabilitation. She blogs at So To Speak regarding the educational, professional, and clinical processes of becoming an SLP. She resides in Delaware with her cat Simon, and took some time to share her thoughts about helping adult clients get motivated to use AAC. On Motivation and AAC Have you ever started the AAC training and trialing process with an adult client and realized, “This person is just not interested in being here or doing this?” Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like this happens quite often. I would never rule-out the possibility for AAC eligibility as a result of an... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AACtual therapy, adults, motivation, Samantha Weatherford
June 7, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
Adults use multiple modes of communication, too. This video from the Dynavox Implementation ToolKit gives us some great examples of adults using varied strategies for communication.
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: adults, modes of communication, Multimodal, SGD