February 12, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
We’ve had some interesting conversations recently with colleagues who firmly believe that AAC learners have to be consistent in the use of their new skills before it’s appropriate to move on. We disagree. There are times when consistency is essential. Crossing the street? Fine. No parent or professional is going to let a learner do that alone until they’re 150% consistent. But for most other things that we teach, it doesn’t make sense to focus on consistency. Here are some of our prAACtical ideas for what to do if you work with learners who are inconsistent in using their AAC skills. 1. Understand it. Inconsistency is a part of the learning process, and not a sign of failure, incompetence, or ‘stubbornness.’ (Ugh! I can’t even write that without that prickly feeling at the back of my neck.) Think about developmental norms for speech sound acquisition. Remember those charts of when... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: consistency, five
August 15, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
We’ve been having fun with sequenced message communicators and apps this summer. Yes, they’ve been around for a long time, but that doesn’t mean we use them to capacity. You just can’t beat those simple technologies for flexibility and ease of use. Here are some of the things we’ve been trying out. 1. Say hello: Record a variety of age appropriate greetings so that each time the AAC learner uses it, they greet their peers in different ways (e.g., Teen: “What’s up? Hey, how’s it going? Lookin’ good! Nice to see ya! Hey, what’s goin’ on?”). 2. Get the group’s attention: Allow AAC learners to help get their classmates’ attention (e.g., “Listen up, everyone! Mrs. Martinez has something to say”. “Hey, room 113-Mrs. M is ready for us to move on.” “Eyes forward, room 113.”). 3. Give instructions: Record steps to an activity so that the AAC learner can give... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: 5, five, sequenced message, SGD
August 8, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
Because sometimes you need something quick, simple, and free. 1. Quick Pics from the Patrick Ecker AAC site 2. ConnectAbility’s Visual Engine 3. Picto4Me: An app for your computer that you can install to Chrome 4. PhotoSYMS program 5. Aragonese Portal of AAC: Over 14,500 symbols that you can download and use
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: 5, communication book, five, free, resources, visual support
August 1, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
AAC technology is awesome. It really is. But it isn’t always ‘the answer.’ Here are a few things we try to keep in mind. 1. It’s not always the most efficient way for someone to communicate. Vocalizations, word approximations, gestures, and manual signs may be quicker and easier. 2. You always need a back-up. Another device, an app, a communication board, a PODD book, a print-out of the main SGD screens. Something. 3. It may not be the preferred means of communication with family and close friends. It’s not up to us to make that call. 4. The ‘latest thing’ isn’t always the best. Some of our prAACtical friends still lament the loss of the built-in printer on the Liberator. For them, the smaller, sleeker design of replacement devices weren’t worth the trade-off. 5. We generally don’t maximize the devices/apps we have. In some situations, there are useful features that... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: 5, five, technology
January 15, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
2012 was certainly the year that saw an explosion of SLPs and teachers authoring materials that they offer for sale. TeachersPayTeachers (TpT) is one of several sites that became popular this year and is credited with giving a huge boost to the movement. Here are some of prAACtical interest. Kate Ahern’s Core Word Boards: This set of communication boards can be a big timesaver for anyone who wants to implement a core word approach and needs help in getting set up with some initial materials. (17 pp) Fun for Learning’s visual support with a Star Wars Theme. Use this (or one of her other thematic kits) to customize picture schedules and supports based on the learner’s area of interest. (Free) Working on semantics? This PowerPoint template for making vocabulary teaching supports from Jerilyn can be used to provide practice. (Free) Teaching interrogatives is something that most of us don’t... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: five, resources, TeachersPayTeachers