Communication & Literacy for Everyone! Strategies for empowerment. AAC facilitates speech and language development; therefore we need to teach more than nouns.
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: communication, literacy
There are a lot of celebrations this month. It is officially Autism Awareness Month. A new name for this that has popped up & taken hold is Autism Acceptance Month. Awareness and/or Acceptance seems to mean different things to different people but hopefully the intent is similar. We hope that this month is filled with great ideas to support ALL people with autism and their families. We hope that educators, clinicians, and whole communities are inclusive, that they presume competence, and that they support communication and language using best prAACtice information and research. We do know that there is more to hope for than just this, like better employment outcomes, more appropriate accommodations, and more individualized support but if focus stays on the former, it seems then that the latter would improve. Plus we have more control (if there is such a thing) on facilitating inclusivity, presuming competence, and of course... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: 2013, Autism Acceptance, Autism Awareness, literacy, Poetry
Earlier this year, we shared some articles about supporting students who use AAC in general education settings. Although we don’t have data to back this up, our estimation is that most children who use AAC are not in inclusive classrooms. Nonetheless, they all learn literacy skills. In this post, we share an article about literacy learning in students with significant disabilities by Karen Erikson, Penny Hatch, and Sally Clendon. We love the way that it addresses a comprehensive approach to learning to read and write and how AT can be used to support the learning process. You can access that article here. Erikson, K., Hatch, P., & Clendon, S. (2010). Literacy, assistive technology, and students with significant disabilities. Focus on Exceptional Children, 42,5, 1-17.
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: article, AT, Clendon, Erickson, Hatch, literacy, reading, writing
World Book Day is just 3 days away. Check out these PrAACtical ideas for celebrating. Just add AAC displays, aided language input, language facilitation strategies, and enthusiasm and World Book Day will be a special celebration. Dia Diversity in Action for 2013 Children’s Book Day- This blog post provides recommendations for a diverse Children’s Book Day (April 30th), but there are some great ideas that can be used for World Book Day. Exploring Children’s Literature through Book Trailers Great blog by K-5 teacher librarian who has been successful using book trailers as a way to connect readers with books. Think of how many learners would be excited and motivated by a video trailer about a book. Caught in the Act of Reading– a photo idea by Pragmatic Mom that we think would be a great classroom or therapy center activity for... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: aided language input, Language facilitation strategies, literacy, World Book Day
Get ready for World Book Day ! Help spread the love of all things about reading. This is a day about the joy of reading more than the instructional aspects of reading. We are sure everyone has their own ideas about the fun in reading but we picture comfortable spaces, favorite books, favorite authors, and special times reading with someone special or even alone. World Book Day is all about books, authors, illustrators, and of course reading . The idea is to celebrate reading and all that reading has to offer. March 7, 2013 is the 16th annual World Book Day. Check out all of the resources, contests, and books available on the official World Book Day website. With the thought of reading as a celebration, here are some great resources for ALL readers 50 Fabulous, Fun, Ideas to Encourage a Love of Reading for World Book Day & Every Day of the Year by NutureStore... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
14 Valentine’s Day Activities for Love, Literacy, & Learning Valentine’s Day is a theme that seems to take precedent in February. When we use this theme, we like to focus on it before, during, and after February 14th because then there is a lot of opportunity to talk about it before, during, & after the holiday. This is like conversation which involves so much more than talking about the ‘here & now’. For the Computer: Use Heart Generators http://www.cryptogram.com/hearts/ http://acme.com/heartmaker/ http://www.bobarmadillo.com/sluggyv-day/ Use Word Clouds Taxedo Wordle Image Chef Practice Valentine’s Day Spelling Words Research Valentine’s Day & Write Key Fringe Vocabulary Create sentences with core words using multiple hearts Write word poems using heart generators Have students take turns telling you or another student what to write on the hearts Apps Special Valentine Day Apps First Words Valentines– Free- learn and spell key Valentine’s Day vocabulary. Nice errorless learning... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: literacy, Valentine's Day, writing
Sometimes the pages of communication books can be hard to turn, particularly if the pages are stiff or laminated. Here are some tried-and-true methods of putting spacers between the pages to make the books easier for unruly hands to handle. Use a small square of soft Velcro to a corner of the page. The adhesive-backed Velcro makes this a quick and easy fix, and it’s a good way to use up leftover scraps. Foam stickers from a craft or dollar store work well if you only need a small amount of separation between the pages. We love that you can get them in a wide variety of shapes and themes (e.g., dinosaurs, soccer balls, princess crowns). Great way to personalize the book based on your client’s interests. Colorful pom-pom’s can be hot-glued to one end of a paper clip. Use the other end to clip the fluffer to the page.... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: adapted books, literacy, page fluffer, physical access, spacer
The joys of being able to read and write should be made available to everyone. No matter what the type or extent of disabling condition, it is now known that we can be effective in teaching real literacy skills. While not every learner gets to the same point in the journey, all augmentative communicators have the right to high expectations and quality instruction. There are lots of wonderful literacy support programs that have emerged in the past decade. Here are five to to take a (second) look at. Bookshare: An accessible book service available without charge to US students who have disabilities that impede their ability to use print effectively. Schools and other organizations can also register. This video says, um raps, it all. Some of our favorite people with AAC needs grew up in an era where they had no legal right to attend public school or did attend... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
The holidays are prAACtically here and depending upon the holiday traditions you celebrate they may be closer than you realize. Time seems to fly after Thanksgiving and before you know it, social norms seem to dictate gift exchanges, lots of invitations to people’s houses, and of course many gifts for friends and family. An easy way to accomplish gift giving is to ‘gift an app’. You can give apps that are pure fun, educational or a combination of both. To top it off, it is easy to stay within budget, avoid traffic, avoid crowds, and save tons of time (no need to wait for it to arrive). Before you think it’s too complicated, check out these ‘Gifting an App’ instructions by Cult of Mac. The process could not be simpler and you can email the recipient(s) or print out a gift certificate (if necessary right before the gift is needed).... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Apps, gifts, holiday, language, Learning, literacy
We originally talked about Avaz, the first commercially available AAC app developed in India, back when we introduced PrAACtical AAC in January of 2012. At that time, one of the primary developers, Ajit Narayanan, was recognized by the MIT Technology Review through the prestigious TR35 List, which applauds 35 innovators under 35 years of age. We were congratulating the team at Invention Labs and thinking that they would continue to improve communication for individuals with disabilities throughout 2012. They have succeeded. The Avaz team has worked this year seeking feedback from AAC professionals throughout the world. They have listened and have made many updates to improve the communication and language options of the Avaz App. We thought this was a great time for some follow-up information because many of the modifications and added options relate to vocabulary, which just happens to be our strategy of the month. Pre-loaded vocabulary has... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: literacy, vocabulary