Tag Archive: intervention
April 30, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
We know that there are lots of PowerPoint haters out there, but we’re not among them. While we have certainly suffered through a presentation or two in which it was used poorly, we’ve also been inspired by those who use it well. It has lots of uses beyond teaching and presentation. Here are some ideas for using it to enhance your AAC intervention. 1. Personal Dictionary: Create a dictionary with slides for the new words the individual is learning. You can record the pronunciation of the word, provide the definitions, give examples, illustrate with images, and link to external sites. 2. Switch-accessible Books: These are fun to make and positively addictive once you get started! In the AAC Literacy Camp we did a few years ago, we made lots of little books like the one shown here and printed hard copies for the kids to take home. Reading online is... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: accessible books, intervention, PowerPoint, reading, resources, therapy, vocabulary, writing
January 16, 2013
by Robin Parker -
Thematic language therapy can be part of a meaningful language experience. This is true for everyone but especially helpful for learners with social communication/language difficulties. The theme of a session or theme of a month (or semester) can help a learner understand the relationship of individual activities to a larger main idea. For some learners it is easier to understand the details than to understand the ‘big picture’. By adding well thought out thematic features in intervention, the learner can then have many opportunities to relate the component parts of a theme to a main topic. Another aspect and benefit of thematic language learning has to do with word, concept, & vocabulary access. If a theme is used in a variety (or ALL) activities, there is a greater chance that the learner will be using similar words and concepts in talking, listening, reading and writing. By using all language modalities, vocabulary, word... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: intervention, Thematic Language Therapy
December 23, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
In an earlier screencast, we gave some clinical rationales and empirical evidence for using AAC. In this post, we share two screencasts that continue this train of thought. In part 1, we talk about why to use pictures for individuals at the intentional presymbolic level. In the second part, we’ll talk about some specific advantages that picture-based communication has over a speech-only approach. Part 1 Part 2
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: advantages of AAC, clinical rationale, intervention, picture-based communication, pictures
December 16, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
Do you work with colleagues and families who have concerns about using AAC? Get questions about whether AAC is really necessary? Overhear remarks about not wanting to “give up on speech?” So do we. We’ve planned a few screencasts to help in addressing these issues. Here’s the first one.
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: clinical rationale, concerns, evidence, giving up on speech, intervention, myths, research support, speech only
November 19, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
In writing our posts on vocabulary teaching, we came across a host of vocabulary materials, games, apps, activities, lesson plans, worksheets, and websites. Some were by SLPs, but the majority were by general education teachers, teachers of English as a second language, and special education teachers. No matter what the age, grade level, or instructional setting, they all shared the same focus: teaching the meaning of new words. At first glance, that makes sense. But learning the meaning of new words is just the beginning. There are other, equally important things to focus on in vocabulary instruction that go beyond learning the meaning of new vocabulary words. Beyond learning the meaning of brand new words (“I understand it when I hear it.”), we can help learners to: • Develop a deeper understanding of known words (“I understand different aspects of this word.” “I know many different ways to use this... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: broader lexicon, intervention, language intervention, lexical diversity, new word learning, semantics, vocabulary
November 18, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
In an earlier post we listed some of our favorite strategies that aren’t as widely used as they could be in AAC intervention. Among them, was qualitative rating scales, or Likert-type scales. We use them for a variety of purposes and love their potential for expressive communication. – In this video, from From Autism and Tertiary Behavior Supports Project of the Kansas Technical Assistance Network, you’ll learn one way of using simple rating scales to help people with ASD regulate their own behavior. We like the detailed implementation information presented in The Incredible 5-point Scale. –
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: behavior, intervention, positive behavior support
November 17, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled. Plutarch Last week, Robin discussed some strategies and activities for teaching new words to individuals who are at the earlier stages of language learning. This week, we move ahead and address semantic instruction for individuals who regularly create sentences to express themselves. One of my favorite things about working with AAC learners at this level is the opportunity for having metalinguistic conversations. Getting them to think and talk about language can accelerate their learning. Here are some prAACtical thoughts on how this relates to semantics with a focus on building word consciousness. We’re all familiar with music appreciation and art appreciation. I always think of word consciousness as a sort of like word appreciation. It refers to an awareness that words are the building blocks of language and that they can be examined and manipulated... [Read More...]
Filed under: Strategy of the Month
Tagged With: intervention, language therapy, new words, semantics, vocabulary, word consciousness
November 14, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
Want to help AAC learners accelerate their receptive vocabularies? Here’s one quick and easy step in the right direction: Talk to them. We’re not trying to be snarky here. The truth is that we speak less to people who are minimally verbal than we do to people who talk. In general, kids with AAC needs hear far less language than speaking children do. Fewer words heard means fewer opportunities to learn language. That’s a cycle worth breaking. When we’re around typically developing children, they’re always asking questions. “What’s in the bag, Mom?” “Why is she doing that?” “How come Billy gets to have one and I don’t?” “Where are we going?” “Are we there yet?” Kids ask lots of questions, particularly in the early years. Annoying? Sometimes. Valuable? Always. From a language learning perspective, those pesky questions serve a very useful purpose: they invite (or demand) a linguistic response. They... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: intervention, language magnets, messages, questions, SGD, vocabulary, word learning
November 13, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
We’re always looking for engaging activities to use to practice words that our AAC friends are learning. For some learners, making avatars can be a great way to do have an authentic reason to use words for body parts and accessories as well as modifiers for size, shape, color, and other things. Plus…Who wouldn’t want an excuse to make a younger, thinner, cuter, or funnier version of themselves?! Here are some sites to check out. Pop Art Pixies: Basic avatar site oriented for girls. Good for using core language, making requests, color & size words. DoppelMe: Easy to use site for making cartoon-like avatars with several opportunities to choose elements, like clothes, hairstyles, and backgrounds. Use words for feelings to select facial expressions. WeeWorld: Another user-friendly site that can be a fun way to use descriptors in making selections to create, dress, and style your avatar. This site’s graphics would... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: intervention, language therapy, new words, repetition with vareity, semantics, vocabulary
November 12, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
This post is a follow-up to some others in which we introduced a general sequence of how we conceptualize semantic instruction and then went on to discuss the initial step in more detail. Today, we’ll be talking more about Step 2, Teaching the new word(s) with explicit instruction activities. There are so many creative ways to teach new word meanings, but for this step in the process we stick with those that meet a few basic criteria. Guidelines for Creating or Selecting Activities to Teach New Words Rich context: As we’ve said before, context reigns supreme. The cognitive, social, and linguistic cues that children use to learn new word meanings change over time, but at every stage they derive meaning from the surrounding context. Using contextual cues makes us more efficient learners and so it is something we want to encourage in our AAC learners. For a beginning communicator, a... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: intervention, language therapy, new words, semantics, vocabulary