Tag Archive: aided language input

PrAACtical Research: Aided Language Input for People with Developmental Disabilities

March 8, 2018 by - 2 Comments

PrAACtical Research: Aided Language Input for People with Developmental Disabilities

We’re pleased to welcome back Dr. Kathy Howery for another analysis of an AAC research article. Kathy is based in Alberta, Canada, and has worked in the field of AT and special education for over three decades. In the past year, she completed her doctoral studies where she used phenomenological methods to seek to understand the lived experience of speaking with/through a speech generating device. Kathy is currently working as a consultant to schools and school districts across Alberta focusing primarily on children and youth with complex communication needs. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::; Allen, A. A., Schlosser, R. W., Brock, K. L., & Shane, H. C. (2017). The effectiveness of aided augmented input techniques for persons with developmental disabilities: A systematic review. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 33, 149-159. What this Article is All About (The Focus of the Research) This article presents the results of a systematic review of the research into what the authors refer... [Read More...]

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AAC In the Classroom: Considerations for Modeling Core Vocabulary

June 12, 2017 by - 3 Comments

AAC In the Classroom: Considerations for Modeling Core Vocabulary

Here in the US, many schools just let out for summer vacation but some special education teachers and SLPs are already thinking about things they want to prepare over the school break so they’ll be ready for fall. Some are contemplating changes to the ways they support AAC in the classroom. We’ve heard from several who are planning to prioritize modeling of core vocabulary using aided language input. Before we start making large core boards and other support materials, though, it’s helpful to stop and think through some important issues. A little planning now will save time and effort in the long run. If you’re planning to do this kind of prep work over the summer, here are some questions for your team to consider. Does each student with complex communication needs have access to an AAC system that includes core vocabulary? If not, why not? In some cases, the students... [Read More...]

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Video of the Week: Aided Language Input in AACtion

June 7, 2017 by - Leave your thoughts

Video of the Week: Aided Language Input in AACtion

Do you know students like these? In therapy sessions, Victor uses single words on his SGD to participate in games and activities, but doesn’t use it much during other daily experiences. Bella uses PECS quite capably at mealtimes but rarely uses it at other times during the day. Karina can use her AAC app to put together short narratives to tell about things that happened recently. Most times, though, she expresses herself with single word utterances. As therapists, teachers, and families who support people who use AAC, we do a lot of hand wringing when there is a discrepancy between what students KNOW HOW to do and what they DO do. We are perplexed and frustrated when these students have everything they need to utilize a particular skill, yet fail to do so. It’s a common concern, but here’s a question for us to ask ourselves: Don’t we do the... [Read More...]

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Video of the Week: Aided Language Input During Play

May 31, 2017 by - Leave your thoughts

Video of the Week: Aided Language Input During Play

Typically developing children acquire language not through direct instruction but by immersion in an environment where the language of the community is modeled all day long. When they eat and when they play, in care routines at home and in exchanges in the community, children are continually hearing the language they are learning to produce. When parents of Deaf or hard of hearing babies learn of their children’s disability, many clamor to learn sign language and use it as they bathe, feed, and play with their children. These parents may not be perfect sign language models, but they understand that their efforts to learn and use sign language will play a critical role in helping their children learn to communicate effectively. Thus, they strive to sign all day long as they talk to their kids. The pervasive, contextually-driven exposure to language is the foundation on which children build skills in... [Read More...]

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AAC Strategies Round-up: Aided Language Input

April 29, 2016 by - 4 Comments

We’ve been writing about aided language input, a pivotal strategy for supporting AAC learners, for several years. In fact, there are over 200 posts tagged with this term. In this post, we gather together some of the most popular posts on this fundamental intervention strategy. Implementation  A PrAACtical Idea for Aided Language Input Using Aided Language Input to Build Communication Opportunities! How I Do It: Implementing Aided Language Input with Alicia Garcia Pivotal Skills for AAC Intervention: Aided Language Input How We Do It: Controlled Practice in Partner Augmented Input with Jill Senner & Matthew Baud Text-Based Aided Language: Making the Literacy-Communication Connection for Children with Autism Videos PrAACtical Resources: Video Explainers for Aided Language Input Video of the Week: Aided Language Input with Gail Van Tatenhove Video of the Week: Aided Language Input with Dr. Caroline Musselwhite PrAACtical Resources: Video Examples of Aided Language Input Aided Language Input in... [Read More...]

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PrAACtical Resources: Video Examples of Aided Language Input

April 11, 2016 by - Leave your thoughts

PrAACtical Resources: Video Examples of Aided Language Input

Looking for some examples of aided language input in AACtion? Last month, we shared some video explainers of this powerful strategy. In this post, we have a short list of therapists, educators, and families using this key instructional strategy. Lindy McDaniel with a preschool friend Dynamic Therapy Associates in a speech therapy session Communicare examples for playing a game and reading a book Independent Living Centre of Western Australia on ALI in play  Gail Van Tatenhove demonstrating in a classroom group activity  Dana Nieder reading at home  Shelane Nielson at home making goop 

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PrAACtical Resources: Video Explainers for Aided Language Input

March 28, 2016 by - 1 Comment

PrAACtical Resources: Video Explainers for Aided Language Input

A growing number of clinicians, families, and educational teams are prioritizing the use of aided language input as a foundational strategy for AAC learners. When we first started writing about this strategy, it was rare to see adults using AAC to talk with AAC learners.Consistent implementation is still a challenge, but more and more of you are speaking AAC to teach AAC. And quite of few of you are doing your best to influence other stakeholders to support augmented communicators in this way. If you are doing inservices, teaching classes, or guiding teams toward better AAC intervention, the videos listed below may be useful to you in those efforts. Chris Bugaj developed this clear and engaging cartoon explaining the concept for people new to this strategy.   Caroline Musselwhite recorded a full webinar with detailed information on aided language input. Communicare, a clinical practice with a strong focus on AAC,... [Read More...]

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Video of the Week: Infusing AAC Core Vocabulary into Interactive Storybook Reading

March 9, 2016 by - Leave your thoughts

Video of the Week: Infusing AAC Core Vocabulary into Interactive Storybook Reading

Reading is such a great activity to build language skills in AAC learners, but it takes some practice to get the hang of how to engage our partners, model language, and create communication opportunities. We’re off to New Zealand today to the Kimi Ora School in the Wellington region for a demonstration that shows how we can provide some aided language input and opportunities for core word use in interactive storybook reading.      

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Video of the Week: Aided Language Input with Gail Van Tatenhove

February 18, 2016 by - 7 Comments

Video of the Week: Aided Language Input with Gail Van Tatenhove

When you have a chance to peek into a therapy session by a master clinician, take it! In today’s featured video, Gail Van Tatenhove shares a clip where she demonstrates use of a pivotal intervention strategy, aided language input, as they discuss a book. Among many other things, Gail is author of one of our favorite therapy tools, The Pixon Project Kit. Enjoy! Direct link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QywUaX99-D4

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Video of the Week: Aided Language Input with Dr. Caroline Musselwhite

September 9, 2015 by - Leave your thoughts

Video of the Week: Aided Language Input with Dr. Caroline Musselwhite

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

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