Tag Archive: coronavirus
April 17, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
Twelve years ago, when Robin and I first wrote about preparing AAC users for medical emergencies, a pandemic wasn’t on the radar. We were thinking about ‘regular’ things that go wrong, like broken bones and asthma attacks, not a worldwide emergency. Still, some of the helpful tools that we suggested back then remain very helpful and today we are revisiting them. There are a lot of unknowns about Covid-19, but one thing we do know is that when someone is affected, things can change very quickly. The time to plan for the unexpected and unimaginable is now. Please do whatever you need to so that the AAC users in your lives have a communication passport or other document that can help unfamiliar partners understand them and communicate with them. Accept that there may be a situation in which the AAC user is separated from familiar people. AAC users may be... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: communication passport, coronavirus, emergency preparedness
March 29, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
Hello, AAC friends! Like many of you, we’ve been settling into new routines and sheltering in place. Here are some posts from our prAACtical week. Monday – Free Communication Tools for Patients with COVID-19 Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Telepractice for Children Who Use AAC Thursday – How I Do It: Digital Connections With Families to Support AAC Users ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: If you have the time, check out these posts from the archives. Faces of AAC: Making It Work in a Busy Family PrAACtically Reading with Karen Natoci: The Family Book Family Collaboration by Dr. Barry Prizant Using Visual Sidekicks to Support Language Intervention From Presence to Contribution: A Family’s Journey Toward and Inclusive Life
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: coronavirus, family, free download
March 26, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
Staying connected with families is such an important aspect of being an effective AAC interventionist. In today’s post, we have a return visit from SLP Sarah Gregory, who shares the things that she is doing to maintain these connections as we learn to do this work from afar. You can read Sarah’s previous contribution here. Digital Connections With Families to Support AAC Users I hope this blog post finds everyone well! The COVID-19 virus has created an uncertain and unprecedented time for us all, but I have gotten so much comfort from the generosity and resource sharing in our AAC SLP community this week. As we get creative in supporting our AAC users remotely, the app SeeSaw has been a key to connecting with my students and families (I am not affiliated with this app in any way). I have used this free app to create a loop between home... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: coronavirus, Family support, telepractice
March 23, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
Today, we turn the reigns over to our friends and colleagues at the Patient-Provider Communication Network. If you work in healthcare or know someone who does, please share these critically important resources. If you know someone who is seriously ill with the coronavirus, make sure they have a means of communication should they have significant speech difficulties or need to be intubated. Everyone else, bookmark the Patient-Provider Communication website for future reference. ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: FREE Communication Tools for Patients with COVID-19 When it’s hard to breathe, it can be hard to speak! In light of COVID-related respiratory illness, a greater number of people need breathing tubes or ventilator support, which takes away the ability to speak. Hospitals and healthcare workers need resources to support communication in alternative ways. As a public service, the Patient-Provider Communication Forum, with support from the United States Society of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (USSAAC), is providing... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: coronavirus, Covid-19, medical setting, USSAAC
March 22, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
Greetings, AAC friends. It’s been a week marked by stress and changes for all of us, and you probably didn’t have a chance to do much AAC reading. Here’s what we’ve been up to. Monday – PrAACtical Resources: Dealing with the Covid-19 Pandemic (Updated 3/21) Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: On Writing AAC Goals Thursday – PrAACtical Resources: Online AAC Support for Families During School Closures Friday – Telepractice in AAC: Calling All Providers Can you stick around for some more? We’re listing a bunch here for you to pick from. How We Do It: Tele-AAC with Nerissa Hall and Hillary Johnson How We Do It: Using Language Boards to Support AAC Use By Nerissa Hall and Hillary Jellison AT Recipes for Success: Shared Reading Sometimes I Feel Sunny Pete the Cat Bark, George Bear Wants More AT Recipes for Success: Sensorimotor Activities Fun... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC activities, AAC goals, coronavirus, Covid-19
March 20, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
We can’t do everything, but we can all do something. Here at PrAACtical AAC, we’re doing what we can to provide information that will help AAC users, families, and professionals survive and thrive as we adjust to a new normal. With increasing restrictions due to the coronavirus, there is an increased need for AAC telepractice services, a form of service delivery that we first wrote about many years ago. If you are an AAC practitioner who has room for additional clients and are willing to allow for the public sharing of your information, we invite you to complete this form. The results will be shared publicly so do not include any personal information or contact information that you do not want to share in this space. Edited – Use this link to download a document with the information provided voluntarily for release on PrAACtical AAC: https://praacticalaac.org/?wpfb_dl=388 . This is for... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: coronavirus, telepractice
March 19, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
The AAC field is peppered with amazingly dedicated professionals who come up with creative solutions to the day’s latest challenges. In this guest post, SLP Laura Boates, a graduate of McGill University, shares some web-based materials that were created when her school system, Edmonton Catholic School District in Alberta Canada, announced school closures to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Laura is incredibly passionate about helping every student find their voice through AAC. She is currently part of a multidisciplinary AAC team for assessment, trial, implementation, and funding of communication devices as well as supporting teachers and families using AAC. On Sunday, March 15th, the government of Alberta Canada announced the cancellation of all classes from Kindergarten to Grade 12, as well as the closure of all preschool and licensed childcare centres. However, it’s business as usual for staff, so teachers and therapists are working on creatively delivering curriculum and supports.... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: coronavirus, home, home practice, school
March 16, 2020
by Carole Zangari -
No matter where you live, chances are good that the coronavirus has been on your mind. In today’s post, we share an interactive graphic with many free downloadable resources that can be used to support the AAC learners in your life. You can access visual schedules for handwashing, social narratives, videos, educational materials, and more by clicking the links embedded in the graphic below. Use the slider on the right to navigate up and down, or click the image to go to the full-sized version. This is an evolving resource that will continue to be updated. If you know of things that we should add, please tell us in the comments below. Stay safe and healthy, AAC friends.
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: coronavirus, Covid-19, pandemic