Tag Archive: classroom
November 26, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Looking for resources that promote successful school experiences? Need tools that support inclusive educational practices? Developed by Communication Rights Australia, the Teachers’ Toolkit for Students with Little or No Speech is a website that school personnel can use to identify effective strategies and supports for students with complex communication needs. Their Teachers’ Checklist contains a series of questions that are linked to topics on a range of supports and strategies that can make a big difference in the lives of AAC learners. There are also helpful forms for teams to develop a Student Profile and Individual Learning Plan. You can begin to explore their AAC resources here.
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: classroom, Inclusive Education, school
October 22, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
We’ve been focusing on training communication partners recently and today we’re focusing specifically on paraprofessionals/educational assistants. Our guest post is authored by SLPs Corinna Duffitt, M.Sc., RSLP (practicing for 21 years, 14 years in AAC) and Jennifer Wiegert, M.A., CCC-RSLP (practicing for 21 years, focusing on AAC for the past 6 years). They are colleagues on an AAC team with 4 other SLPs in a large school district in Surrey, BC, Canada. Their school district consists of 101 elementary schools and 20 secondary schools. Corinna and Jennifer are both passionate about giving children a voice and letting that voice uncovers their potential. They recently joined their private practice endeavours, outside of their public school positions, to form Chickadee AAC Communication Services. You can find them on Instagram (@chickadeeaacslps or #chickadeeaac), check in on their website, and/or follow them on Facebook. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: AAC Training for Educational Assistants Some of the challenges we encountered... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC partner training, classroom, educational assistant, paraprofessional, school
September 30, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. Before we turn to a new page on the calendar, check out these posts from our prAACtical week. Monday – PrAACtically October: AAC Resources for A Year of Core Vocabulary Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: AT and Virtual Reality Thursday – Building AAC Facilitation Skills with Tabi Jones-Wohleber: MASTER PAL Training, Module 6 Friday – PrAACtical Alert: AAC App Discounts ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Still have time for some more AAC reading? Here are a few suggestions. PrAACtical Teaching in the ASD Classroom: Predictable Chart Writing with Core Vocabulary AAC in the Classroom: Presentations You May Have Missed The Crust of AAC Every Second Counts with Lindy McDaniel Boosting AAC Implementation in the Classroom: 6 Things to Try
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC apps, classroom, summary post
September 12, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Here in the US, we’ve been back in school for a while and that makes it a good time to reflect on ways to integrate AAC into the classroom. Today’s video by Megan Conover as part of Saltillo’s webinar series. In this session, she covers some basic strategies that adults can use to help beginning AAC learners be successful in the classroom. Many thanks to Saltillo and Ms. Conover for creating, hosting, and sharing this archived presentation. Direct Link to Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bErjT5zi_9s
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: classroom, implementation, school
June 10, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends! Before you start the work week, take a look at some of our posts from the week. Monday – PrAACtically Reading with Karen Natoci: How Do You Know It’s Summer? Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: AT for Writing Thursday – PrAACtical Resources: AAC Tag Still have time for a little more AAC? Here are some past posts to browse. AAC in the High School Classroom: Where Core Vocabulary Meets Life Skills PrAACtical Teaching in the ASD Classroom: Shared Reading AAC in the Classroom: Presentations You May Have Missed Developing AAC Policies for Schools Cooking in the Classroom with Carol Goossens’
Filed under: Featured Posts
Tagged With: classroom, school, summary post
January 3, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Curious about how other professionals support AAC core vocabulary in their classrooms? Today, we have a range of videos from Macomb ISD in Michigan. Enjoy! Modeling Core Vocabulary Core Word Rap Core Vocabulary in Shared Reading Modeling Core Words While Building Self-Help Skills Vocabulary Instruction
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: classroom, core vocabulary, school, video
December 14, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Today, we hear more from Colorad0-based SLP Kimberly Walker who explains more about how they use the Treat Cart activity to support the communicative development of her students with AAC needs. You can see the first part of her post here. ——————————————————— The Treat Cart has made our co-treating planning so simple. The first Thursday of the month we take inventory to see what things we need to buy to restock our cart. We have done this by making a graph with paper and also doing an actual object graph with the products and sticky notes to simulate the products gone. We target the language of more and less and also work on making a list to take to the store. On the second Thursday of the month, we work on identifying environmental print of the products we are selling and practice selling to each other targeting the skills in... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC activities, classroom, education, school
December 11, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
As AAC practitioners well know, children who use some form of augmentative communication need a wide array of supports in order to be successful. In this post, we share a useful tool to systematically gather information about those supports to help teams with educational planning. Developed by Drs. Charity Rowland and Melanie Fried-Oken and Ms. Sandra Steiner, The Communication Supports Inventory – Children & Youth (CSI-CY) is designed to make goal writing easier for teachers and SLPs who work with students who have AAC needs. It is a wonderful way to build collaboration and get the team pointed in the same direction. Learn more about the CSI- CY here. You can access it online or download it for a hard copy.
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: assessment, assessment tools, classroom, downloads, education, school
November 8, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
For AAC learners, one of the most important things we can do to facilitate communication and language growth is to ensure the presence of supportive strategies throughout the school day. Today, we turn to Project ACCESS, from the Florida Department of Education, to learn more about a tool that we can use to analyze key elements of the communication environment. The Design to Learn Environmental Inventory was created by Dr. Charity Rowland (see also the Communication Matrix) and Philip Schweigert. You can learn more about this tool, what it covers, and how to use it in this 2-part series. It was created by Project ACCESS, funded by the Florida Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services, which focuses on helping educational personnel better understand the alternate achievement standards for students with significant cognitive disabilities. Design to Learn Environmental Inventory, Part 1 Part 2 We are grateful to the Florida DOE... [Read More...]
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: assessment, classroom
October 11, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Would it be helpful to have an overview of some of the most common AT tools in classrooms? Stay tuned! Today’s post features Sharon Plante, and covers a wide range of AT tools that are used for reading, writing, executive functioning, and more. Many thanks to the Center on Technology and Disability for making this available. Direct Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyfDRWatUwU
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: assistive technology, classroom, video