Tag Archive: literacy

Video of the Week: Shared Book Reading

May 4, 2014 by - Leave your thoughts

Video of the Week: Shared Book Reading

Shared book reading is one of our favorite things to do when spending time with AAC learners. We love the interactive nature of shared reading, and appreciate the fact that we can make books engaging with the use of props and by relating the text to the learner’s life experiences. In today’s featured video, we learn more about the use of shared reading and how it can be used with people who have significant disabilities. Dr. Karen Erickson’s video comes from the Dynamic Learning Maps Alternate Assessment System. Direct Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwSxTDsQZb0&feature=youtu.be  

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Strategy of the Month: Thoughts on Teaching Word Prediction

March 31, 2014 by - Leave your thoughts

As we wrap up a month of AAC and literacy, let’s look at a strategy that spans communication, reading, and writing. Word prediction, as you know, is a strategy in which the learner begins spelling a word and the AAC device provides a word bank of possible options using a prediction algorithm. There are lots of kinds and levels of prediction, and the technology keeps getting better and better. Word prediction is built into most high tech SGDs, many text-to-speech apps, and some writing programs. In this post we consider some of the issues around using and teaching word prediction. Time and Effort Word prediction (WP) saves keystrokes, which is important for our prAACtical friends who have limited energy, poor endurance, and issues with fatigue. Does it save time? Not always, and there were some important studies that revealed this in the mid-1990’s. Of course, technology has improved a lot... [Read More...]

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Loving Literacy-Let’s Read and Write Storybooks

March 24, 2014 by - 2 Comments

Loving Literacy: Let's Read and Write Storybooks

Literacy instruction involves lots of reading and writing. Last week, Carole discussed using storybook reading and the RAAP (Read, Ask, Answer, Prompt) strategy by Drs. Cathy Binger and Jennifer Kent-Walsh to teach communication and literacy.  To use storybooks with all learners we need to have lots of books that are easily accessible. Books need to  be accessible physically as well as through content and interest. It is lucky that with all of today’s on-line resources there is an abundance of ways to obtain as well as make and write storybooks.  All learners can and should be be involved in both the reading and writing process. Not only do literacy skills improve but so do communication skills. Involving Learners in the Storybook Process   Reader & Writer Vocabulary- Facilitate involvement by using reader and writer vocabulary. Refer to learners as “readers”, “authors”, “editors”, “publishers”, “critics”, etc.  When you are treated and referred... [Read More...]

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Building Communication Skills During Storybook Reading

March 17, 2014 by - 6 Comments

In this post, we continue to explore strategies for advancing the literacy experiences of people who use AAC. Today, we’ll look at a strategy used in the research of Drs. Cathy Binger and Jennifer Kent-Walsh. What is a little different about this strategy is that it uses literacy experiences, specifically storybook reading, to build communication skills. One component of their research focuses on an interactive reading strategy called RAAP: Read, Ask, Answer, Prompt. There is lots to love about this approach, but one of our favorite things is that is makes heavy use of aided language input, an intervention strategy that is critical for partners of beginning communicators to use. You can read more about aided language input and see videos here. It also gets partners using language expansions and extensions, an intervention strategy that is effective for communicators at many levels of proficiency.  Finally, we appreciate the frequent use of... [Read More...]

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Before We Read: Using Predictions for PrAACtical Learning

March 14, 2014 by - 4 Comments

Before We Read: Using Predictions for PrAACtical Learning

This month, we’re focusing on literacy learning for our Monday posts on Strategy of the Month. In honor of that topic, here’s a quick tip for adding a bit of interaction to book reading. This tip works for books you’ve never read before, or perhaps haven’t read in a really long time. Take a few minutes before the reading begins to predict what the book will be about. We’ll get to the ‘How To’ part in a minute, but first, here’s why we think this is a prAACtical idea. It gets AAC learners thinking about something more than requesting, and we know you are just as passionate about that as we are. It helps the AAC learner activate their background knowledge, something that (we’ve noticed) many of them don’t do automatically. That doesn’t mean that they aren’t capable of it, of course, but it does mean they need practice and... [Read More...]

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Research Tuesday: Literacy Instruction for Students with Significant Disabilities

March 11, 2014 by - 1 Comment

Research Tuesday: Literacy Instruction for Students with Significant Disabilities

We all remember certain ‘firsts’ – your first bike, your first plane ride, your first car. One of my memorable ‘firsts’ is the first book I was ever given that was ‘just for me.’ I have fond memories of lazy summer afternoons with The Wishing Well, one of the Alice and Jerry basal readers.  I may have broadened my library since that was given to me for my 4th birthday, but it still sits on my shelf and just paging through it brings back memories of being transported to another world. We can hardly imagine what life would be like without books. Reading brings us more than information. It allows us to explore, escape, relax, and dream. What must it be like to be deprived of the chance to learn and enjoy the printed word? Sadly, that is the reality for too many children and adults with AAC needs. In... [Read More...]

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More Robust Literacy Instruction for People Who Use AAC

March 10, 2014 by - 8 Comments

More Robust Literacy Instruction for People Who Use AAC

We love learning about AAC and literacy from resources that have a ‘presume competence’ philosophy, that provide research support, and that include specific teaching guidelines.  With these ideas in mind, we love the Literacy Curriculum found on the Literacy Instruction Website by Janice Light and David McNaughton at Penn State.  There are specific guidelines for providing literacy instruction to individuals with severe communication impairments.  There is a specific curriculum to tell you what skills to teach, reasons for teaching those skills, how to teach the skills, and videotaped examples of teaching the curriculum. There is listed research support  that you can use to understand the rationales for the skills you are teaching as well as  provide evidence-based information about why you are choosing the approach.  This post is intended to provide an introduction to the Literacy Curriculum.  For comprehensive information go to the Literacy Instruction Website by Janice Light and David McNaughton.... [Read More...]

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Robust Literacy Instruction for People Who Use AAC

March 3, 2014 by - Leave your thoughts

Robust Literacy Instruction for People Who Use AAC

We get so many questions about the best way to ‘do’ literacy with AAC learners that decided to build on the earlier posts from and talk more about the ways in which we can support the development of reading and writing skills. For AAC learners, the most important skill set (after communication) is the ability to read and write. When given the chance, we’d teach literacy before almost anything else. Why? First, because it opens the door to so many things. When someone can read and write they are more likely to be successful with academics, find jobs and develop real careers, and enjoy productive leisure time. Secondly, we find that it changes people’s perceptions of an AAC learner. When they see Billy writing or reading with comprehension, they understand that his severely limited speech does not reflect his intellect, motivation, or potential. It shapes their perception of him to... [Read More...]

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Text-Based Aided Language: Making the Literacy-Communication Connection for Children with Autism

January 23, 2014 by - 2 Comments

Text-Based Aided Language: Making the Literacy-Communication Connection for Children with Autism

We are so pleased to have this guest post by Alicia Garcia. She is the lead SLP at AAC Clinic at One Kids Place, in Ontario. You can read her previous post here. Today, Alicia takes us in a textual direction. Enjoy!  When working with children with autism who have complex communication needs we have found it is not uncommon to see children who, despite having significant communication and language challenges, can read and sometimes type words. Their ability to decode written words is far superior to their ability to communicate their wants, needs and thoughts. Some of these children use AAC systems for their face-to-face communication and, in some cases, have a literacy program in place; they frequently have handy access to writing or typing tools. These children do not, however, use text to communicate with people. They have not made the Literacy-Communication connection. We wonder… how do we help these... [Read More...]

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