Tag Archive: friendship
April 23, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Many of our AAC learners need help building the knowledge and skills that are important when trying to connect with others and develop true friendships. In this post, SLP Katie Bernadkin shares one approach that she uses with her students. Katie is a New York City native now working in San Diego middle and elementary schools. She focuses on autism, AAC, and social cognition. In this post, she explains how uses Social Thinking’s Peer-A-Mid concept to support her students. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Building a Peer-a-mid Do you have any kids on your caseload that have a hard time recognizing when other kids are attempting to befriend them? Conversely, do you know the student who seems to always end up with a “friendly” peer, who is daring them to say something naughty? Recognizing these signs is such a valuable skill for our socially challenged kids to learn. I like to start with the... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: friendship, social cognition, social emotional development
April 8, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Spring is springing in our part of the world, bringing inspiration for new beginnings and the possibilities of rebirth. Here are some of the posts we shared in our prAACtical week. Monday – April Is Autism Awareness, Acceptance, and Appreciation Month Tuesday – AAC Link Up (Check out the things people shared here if you get a chance.) Wednesday – Video of the Week: AT in the IEP Thursday – 5 Ways to Promote Generalization of AAC Use ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Inspired to read and learn more about the complexities of autism? Here are some posts that may be of interest. Sensory Interventions for Students with ASD: What Does the Research Say? Communication Supports for Problem Behavior with Dr. Pat Mirenda SGDs for People with ASD Narrative Skills in Students with ASD Friendship Skills for People with ASD who Use AAC And don’t forget to check out Lauren Ender’s materials for discounts on AAC and literacy apps... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC apps, ASD, friendship, narrative, summary post
June 9, 2016
by Carole Zangari -
It’s throwback Thursday! Today, we are revisiting some prior posts on the topic of helping learners with AAC needs develop and maintain meaningful friendships. 5 Ways SLPs Can Support Friendships for People who Use AAC 5 (More) Resources for Supporting Friendships in Individuals who use AAC Video of the Week: A Recipe For Friendship Communication Circles: With A Little Help From My Friends Back to School-Making Friends Fresh Look: Friendship Skills for Children With ASD Who Use AAC Do you have ways of supporting the friendships of learners who use AAC? We’d love to hear about them.
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: friendship
January 7, 2015
by Carole Zangari -
As they move beyond the primary school years, AAC learners sometimes need help making and maintaining friendships. This video has some helpful tips.
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: friendship
July 18, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
Today we are revisiting some of Robin’s most popular posts. 30 Ways to Celebrate Autism Awareness Month AAC Must-Have’s for the Classroom and Therapy Room The First 12: Getting Started with Core Words Literacy For Everyone with Adapted Books Beyond Requesting: Using Scripts to Teach Conversation AAC Goals That Matter Creating Communication Boards: There are Lot of Apps for That! Join Together: Core and Fringe Vocabulary Beyond Requesting: Let’s Chat with Peers Begin AAC Now: 10 Things to Do
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: ASD, friendship, robin parker
July 17, 2014
by Carole Zangari -
“I have lost more than a beloved friend. I have lost an inspiration. She would rather light a candle than curse the darkness, and her glow warmed the world.” (Adlai Stevenson)
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: ASD, friendship, robin parker
June 23, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
For school-aged children, few things are more painful that being excluded from a group. Today we’re excited to share a series of videos from SET-BC on the topic of social inclusion. Laurie Smith and Lorraine Kamp produced two substantial videos entitled Speaking Out and Joining In. They also have links with shorter videos on some of the strategies. Quick Soapbox: Fellow SLPs, this is important stuff. All the AAC in the world won’t matter if people are isolated or lonely. The communication and social skills it takes to develop and maintain meaningful relationships outside of the family is something that we can address in the goals we write and the therapy we provide. We can do something about this.
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: education, friendship, inclusion, social skills
May 6, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
As we’ve said before on this blog, SLPs have great potential to make a difference in the social experiences of people who use AAC by supporting the development of friendships. ASHA’s Better Speech and Hearing Month (#BHSM) gives us a great opportunity to spread awareness that this is an area in which SLPs can make a tremendous difference. We’re so excited to share this Fresh Look post by Dr. Erinn Finke, Assistant Professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Penn State University. I was recently lucky enough to find myself in conversation with Pat Mirenda, a top researcher in the field of AAC and Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). In trying to decide what we really “know” about effective AAC strategies for children with ASD, we decided that while there is a lot of research regarding how to use AAC to teach children with ASD to request things, there really is not... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: ASD, Erinn Finke, Fresh Look, Friends, friendship, social skills
May 2, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
– 1. We love this article by ConnectAbility on helping children build friends. – 2. Online connections can be fun, too. AAC Small Talk is a Yahoo group for kids who use AAC and their friends. It’s hosted by Pam Harris and Dr. Jill Senner. – 3. Games and friends go hand-in-hand, but sometimes a little adult support is needed. We really liked the ideas in this post by SLP Tahirih Bushey on how to choose and play games that build communication: http://bit.ly/J3IMtM 4. Novita Children’s Services has some wonderful information about helping friendships to develop: http://bit.ly/HQQoMD – 5. Explaining AAC to a child’s friends and classmates doesn’t have to be hard! We love this PowerPoint by master AAC clinician Gail Van Tatenhove. She wrote it for students in inclusive classrooms to introduce Minspeak so that they can be good communication partners for their friends who use AAC. – . Want to see our... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: friendship, resources
February 22, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
No feeling person could read Louise Kinross‘s post, My Child’s Dream: To Have Friends, without being moved. One of the most basic fervent wishes that all parents have is for their sons and daughters to make and keep friends. Disabled or not, parents fear loneliness for their kids, and rightfully so. Loneliness is a sharp and lasting pain. And, in many cases, completely unnecessary. Kinross’s post, brought to my attention by Ellen Seidman of (Love that Max), inspired me to generate this list of things that we SLP’s can and should be doing to support kids and families. is 1. Make friendship skills a priority: Are there friendship goals in the IEP? There could be. If you’re thinking about working on a social skill, take a step back and see if it makes sense to focus more specifically on communication skills in the context of making and keeping friends. Educationally relevant?... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: friendship, partner training, social skills