November 21, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
Recently, I had the opportunity to work with a first grader who was able to do many things: flash a dazzling smile, grab and hold onto materials on his laptray, vocalize loudly, visually track peers as they moved around the classroom, reach and take a toy that was offered to him, and laugh in such an engaging way that two girls immediately went to his side. What he DIDN’T do, though, was communicate purposefully. How do you address the learning needs of a 7-year-old who is not yet communicating with intent? Here are some initial thoughts. Getting him to learn to communicate purposefully, frequently, and in a way that is obvious (not subtle) is Priority #1. The way we typically approach this is to work with the team (teacher, OT, PT, aide, family) to decide on a motor movement that he can do, and agree to shape that into a... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: PMT, preintentional, prelinguistic
January 6, 2013
by Carole Zangari -
Although we are eager to get our AAC learners communicating with symbols, there are some times when we have to intervene at the prelinguistic level. Goals at this level center on communicating intentionally using overt behaviors, such as pointing, reaching, showing, and leading. We try to provide them with many opportunities to learn and practice these behaviors. Today, we’d like to share a set of brief videos from the website on Literacy for Children with Combined Hearing and Vision Loss. Because literacy develops from a good foundation in communication, the site demonstrates intervention designed to teach early communication skills. As you watch each of these videos, look for how the interventionist does these 7 things: Uses a context that is meaningful to the child Communicates warmly and enthusiastically, but does not overwhelm the learner Focuses on a single target behavior Uses language to label what is happening Provides physical guidance... [Read More...]
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: deafblind, hearing loss, prelinguistic, vision loss