Tag Archive: free
June 27, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
What are you doing later today? How about tomorrow? If you’re in the mood for AAC learning, please join me at this free online conference, AAC in the Cloud. 3 tracks with presentations on intriguing topics Great presenters, including a keynote by Kate Ahern Space for interaction and dialogue Free?! Yes, thanks to the amazing team at CoughDrop. Click on the image below to find out more. See you soon!
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Conference, free
March 6, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Looking for some AAC materials to round out your collection of resources? Teachers Pay Teachers, the online marketplace for materials made by teachers and therapists, has quite a few. Here are a couple of freebies to check out. AAC Myths by Susan Berkowitz Preverbal Communication-AAC Checklists by Ricki Block of Preschool Speechie Plus AAC Home Information Questionnaire by Tarra Bailey AAC Brochure for Teachers and Support Staff by Sublime Speech Leveled Core Communication Boards by Sister SLPs What are your favorite AAC resources on Teachers Pay Teachers? We’d love to hear about them.
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: free, Teachers Pay Teachers
February 23, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
For comprehensive AAC systems, there is no doubt that we need access to tools with the communication symbols that match our client’s needs. There are times, though, when ‘free’ and ‘simple’ fits the bill. Whether you are a graduate student clinicians/teacher, parent, or professional, these tools may come in handy. Picto4Me: This executable program works with Google Chrome and allows you to create communication boards and other visual supports at no cost. You can view and use the boards online via computer or mobile device or print them. This program offers voice output and scanning, too. ARASAAC: We’ve written about the wonderful resources at the Aragonese Portal of AAC in previous posts. Keep them in mind as you are searching for symbols or creating AAC supports. Trial versions: Some companies offer a free trial of their symbol software or programs so that consumers can try before they buy. We love... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: communication book, download, free
December 10, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
We’ve talked a lot about innovative communication displays and today we’re going to highlight a recently released one. I was delighted to hear about CommuniKate from Dr. Joe Reddington, who blogs at joereddington.com. Joe is a principal of White Water Writers, a project that trains teachers and youth leaders to run inspiration literacy camps, and works toward a world where all children can hold books they have written. He researches ethical issues around power and control in the context of communication disability, and produces open datasets for AT provision, among other things. In this post, Joe introduces us to CommuniKate. CommuniKate 20 is a socially focused page set designed exclusively for people who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). It was designed so that it could be easily used in conjunction with a low-tech communication book and as a progression from a book to a dynamic display device. It covers core vocabulary and... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: CommuniKate, free, Joe Reddington, open source
May 18, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
In previous posts, we’ve written about our love of rating scales as an easy way to help people with significant language challenges express their preferences. We also posted a video of that in action with a little preschooler using Talking Mats to tell whether he liked or disliked various school activities. What could be better than getting the authentic input from our prAACtical friends? Two things, actually. An e-tool for this purpose A FREE app In this post, we share two demonstrations, one with an adult client and one with a child. You can see the demo of the app here. First, take a look at James. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzAgGmLYpE0 Next, let’s take a peek at Matthew: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIIv17eTgFI And, last, but not least, a link to the free Talking Mats app.
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: free, rating scale, Talking Mats
April 29, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
Looking for a way to learn more about AAC issues and have a limited budget? Be sure to check out the back issues of Augmentative Communication News (ACN) and Augmentatively Speaking (AS). AAC pioneer Sarah Blackstone wrote and published ACN, which distilled research and practice information into a quarterly publication that was both engaging and enlightening. Dr. Blackstone published ACN for 21 years (1988-2009) and has since made each of these newsletters available on her website. You can download them as PDFs here. She also collaborated with Michael Williams on the publication of AS. This was a unique newsletter in that it was written by (and for) individuals who use AAC and was published for 15 years. The back issues are available here. Both publications have information useful to clinicians, educators, families, and people who use AAC. Happy reading!
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: ACN, AS, free, Michael Williams, newsletter, Sarah Blackstone
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
July 1, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
Looking for an AAC app for someone who reads and writes? Here are a few free ones that you can explore and use in your evaluations. 1. Verbally (Free): Plus a premium version for purchase that allows for more customization and prestored mesages for things the client may want to say over and over (e.g., What’s going on with the kids? Can you help me with something? I don’t agree with that. I need my pain medicine, It’s too cold in here. etc.) 2. Locabulary Lite 3. Phrase Board 4. Small Talk Conversational Phrases 5. Small Talk Daily Activities 6. Small Talk Pain Scale 7. Talk Assist Do you use one that didn’t make it onto our list? Please let us know.
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: free, iOS, iPad, print, text, text-to-speech
October 2, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
If you’ve been following our blog, you know that we have mixed feelings about the AAC app revolution. More specifically, we’ve had concerns about the decision-making process around app selection, the paucity of apps that allow for children to learn true generative language, and a few other things. We continue to advocate for AAC app selection to occur within the context of a feature match process that gives appropriate attention to the full range of AAC options. In this mega-post we’ve included our most recent update of free and lite versions of AAC apps for iOS and Android plus a variety of additional resources related to AAC app selection. Tools to Use In Making Decisions About AAC Apps Feature match form developed by Jessica Gosnell at Boston Children’s Hospital Feature match checklist created by Scott Marfilius and Kelly Fonner Our supplemental rubric covering language and communication features, RELAAACs Places to... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC checklist, AAC rubric, Android, Apps, free, iOS, iPad, lite, mobile device, RELAAACs
September 26, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
Get ready, AAC lovers, AAC Awareness Month is coming! One of the most wonderful things about the AAC community is the pervasive sense of sharing and giving. When we told some of the people we know that PrAACtical AAC was planning a giveaway for AAC Awareness Month, they responded with an overwhelming level of generosity. So far, we have books, switches, software, apps, and a low tech SGD to give away from some of the companies whose logos are appear in his collage and more. What can you do to win some of these fabulous goodies? Help spread the word about what AAC is, who can benefit, and how to better implement it. We’ve started you off with some suggestions here: 50 PrAACtical Things to Do In Celebration of AAC Awareness Month. We’ll be sharing more information about how to enter to win some fabulous AAC-related goodies, but we’ll give... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC Awareness Month, free, Giveaway, resources