Tag Archive: intervention
November 8, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
All this month we are talking about considerations in teaching new words to people who use AAC. We’ve talked about the role of focused aided language stimulation and wanted to follow that up with a few more ideas for implementing this strategy. Select the new (target) word to teach giving consideration to Tier 2 words that fit with their language or curriculum goals. Pronounce it. Provide a student-friendly definition Use aided language input: Model the word on the device if it is stored in there OR use the device to explain the new word in a student-friendly way. Find ways to use it throughout the day (and beyond). Hearing the word in various contexts is a great way to deepen the learner’s understanding. Have the AAC learners say it using their AAC (e.g., spelling it out on SGD) or natural speech. Segment it. (E.g., “One of our new words is... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: aided language input, focused language stimulation, intervention, language therapy, new words, semantics, vocabulary
November 7, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
Earlier this month, we introduced a general sequence of how we conceptualize semantic instruction. We promised to elaborate on that. There are two things that I really love about this approach to to vocabulary teaching. The first is that is honors a principle that we know to be true: providing repetition with variety not only helps us reach learners with different strengths, but also gives our AAC learners much-needed practice. The other thing that makes this really work for us is that assessment has an active role but not a central one. Testing takes a backseat to teaching. As we all know, getting accurate assessment information from people who are learning their AAC systems is a huge challenge. Often, our AAC friends don’t have decent test-taking skills so we’re not really testing what we think we’re testing. Just last week I got to see Kristofer, an adorable little fellow who... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: aided, aided language input, intervention, language therapy, new words, semantics, vocabulary
November 6, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
Lots of AAC learners make mistakes when they assemble words into sentences. Here is a brief screencast talking a little bit about what to think about when providing therapy to individuals with syntax errors. –
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: aided language input, intervention, language therapy, strategies, syntax, word order
November 3, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
For all of us, the process of how we learn to use words begins with the expression of our own intents. Initially, we use words, pictures, or signs to make our wants/needs known but that soon develops into social exchanges, true conversations, stories, and more. For some of our AAC friends, the path to a rich lexicon can be convoluted and bumpy. Our November Strategy of the Month posts will focus on vocabulary instruction giving both general principles that should guide our teaching and specific considerations for communicators at different levels. As SLPs, we should be champions for a comprehensive approach to semantic instruction in AAC. Much of what we already know for teaching semantics to people who speak can be applied quite nicely to individuals with AAC needs. Certainly some things will need to be adapted, but that’s not the real issue. We’ve noticed that SLPs sometimes forget to... [Read More...]
Filed under: Strategy of the Month
Tagged With: intervention, new words, semantics, strategy, vocabulary, word learning
November 2, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
We were lucky enough to snag copies of Sentence Builder by AbiTalk when it was offered for free earlier this year and have had a great time with it. It comes with prepared lessons at two levels and the flexibility to create your own lessons. Here are some ideas for using the ready-made lessons to build language skills in AAC learners. Core Vocabulary: We’re always looking for ways to practice an initial lexicon of basic core words, like I, is, have, and can. These words appear with frequency in Sentence Builder, which makes it a great fit for learners working on that skill. Those of you using this app in a group may find that this offers a great opportunity for differentiating instruction in multi-level groups. Parts of Speech: In AAC therapy, we often focus on the part of speech since that it how many SGDs organize vocabulary. We like... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Apps, core vocabulary, intervention, language therapy, Magic Moments, MLU, semantics, Sentence Builder, syntax, therapy activities, vocabulary
October 9, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
Visual supports are not just for people with behavioral challenges. In this post, we share some ideas of using visual schedules and other supports to enhance comprehension and language learning. Let’s look put this into a clinical context. Marvin is a high school student with intellectual disabilities and cerebral palsy who is learning to use a high tech SGD. He is a personable young man who engages easily and comes to each session with a ‘ready to learn’ mindset. Most of Marvin’s goals revolve on learning to build sentences using core words. Although he has very limited literacy skills, he really, really wants to learn word prediction. This presented a bit of a dilemma, as I typically don’t begin to teach word prediction until spelling skills are approaching the third grade level. Marvin has some terrific splinter skills but his overall spelling skills are probably around the mid-first grade level.... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: intervention, visual supports
October 8, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
Questions are more like assessment than they are like instruction. Don’t believe us? Look at the questions these therapists posed and see if you didn’t feel like you were being quizzed. What’s your name? Where do you live? Do you know your address? How old are you? When’s your birthday? What school do you go to? What’s your teacher’s name? What’s that called? What do we do with that? Can you tell me more about it? Just to be clear, we think data-based decision-making always plays an important role in good therapy. However, assessment is assessment. Assessment helps us figure out what to teach and how to teach it. But it should look and sound very different than instruction. So when the SLP tells us she is going to teach a new skill by asking a question, we start to tense up. Here’s why we’re de-emphasizing questions in our AAC... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: implementation ideas, intervention, language facilitation
October 7, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
For this week’s video, we head back to the Aaron W. Perlman Center at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center for a wonderful video about getting started with AAC symbols. We know you will enjoy this overview of some of the most popular AAC symbols and the lovely examples they share. –
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: AAC system, choice making, getting started, implementation ideas, intervention, symbol
September 30, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
This week, we’re heading back to the Autism and Tertiary Behavior Supports Project of the Kansas Technical Assistance Network. They have two wonderful videos by Lori Chambers on Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS). – You can view an overview of this approach here: Part 1 and Part 2 . Also, look for the handouts that accompany these videos. –
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: ASD, implementation ideas, intervention, PECS, reinforcement
September 23, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
We love this video that reminds us that technology is a beautiful thing, but the real power is in communication. Kudos to the AAC team at Thames Valley Children’s Centre for this wonderful reminder of three important things. Language learning happens through good teaching, not the mere provision of equipment. Verbal expression without technology is not only powerful but awesome. Literacy is something we should prioritize for all learners. As we prepare for AAC awareness month, enjoy this lovely conversation.
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: intervention, language