Tag Archive: resources
November 29, 2012
by Robin Parker -
Chanukkah is prAACtically here, even though it seems very early. Chanukkah starts at sundown on December 8th and ends at sundown on December 18th. Holidays are usually fun and busy. With all the fun comes changes in routines, less sleep, more stress, more excitement, more people, more compromise, and overall different expectations. This is a time to plan in advance the visual supports, visual systems, and AAC displays that will help everyone understand, organize, and communicate most optimally. Check out these great resources to help with the planning: Friendship Circle Blog- Preparing for Hanukkah, 15 Tips to Make Sure Your Child is Ready for The Holidays, & More Gateways Program Resources- There are visual supports for the Chanukkah Blessings. There are social story books that help with understanding that birthday candles and Chanukkah candles are different, that Chanukkah candles go out by themselves, and about Chanukkah candles and fire safety.... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Chanukah, Chanukkah, Hanukkah, resources, visual supports
November 9, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
No matter where they work, SLPs supporting people who use AAC generally do what they can to improve communication across environments. In an earlier Simple Start post, we talked about using photos of places within a school to support language comprehension. By showing a picture of the cafeteria or gym as we say those words, we can help both students with language processing difficulties and those with behavior regulation issues. — In this post, we extend the same concept to travels in and around the community. Here are directions for making visual supports that can be used with students who have community-based instruction or by families as they go about their weekly errands and routines. Simple Start: Visual Support for Places in the Community Take photo of locations in the community that the AAC user is likely to visit. Insert them into a document and add labels for each one... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: community, families, free download, home, photograph, picture ring, resources, visual supports
October 26, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
There are some good reasons to use nonspeech oral motor exercises, like blowing, puckering, tongue lateralization, and stretching. For a period of time, I used resistance exercises extensively with one client to improve the resting posture of his articulators and help him keep his mouth closed. Good for hygiene and to reduce his exposure to germs. Using these strategies, lots of children have gained strength and control that allowed them to better bite, chew, and swallow their food. Oral motor exercises can result in some meaningful gains. According to the research, however, improved speech articulation is not among them. There have been a number of studies on this approach, including some strong systematic reviews by McCauley and others. This summary by Dr. Greg Lof (Chair of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions) is a few years old but is worth another... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: controversy, EBP, evidence, nonspeech oral motor exercises, research, resources
October 20, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
While there are certainly attitudinal barriers to AAC, it’s also true that sometimes the people we are trying to influence just need more information. Sounds simple, right? Not exactly. Especially when we consider these factors. Adult learners prefer to chart their own course to learning new things rather than have others lay that out for them. Our behaviors are most likely to change when we discover solutions for ourselves, as opposed to following directions that others give to us. We have a limited amount of time to guide others to the information they need. Here are some things that have worked for us. Develop a bank of educational materials that pertain to the topics that you face most often in your clinical work. Create resource files for general topics, such as the empirically-supported benefits of AAC, and specific topics, such as the evidence base for using SGDs with individuals who... [Read More...]
Filed under: Strategy of the Month
Tagged With: acceptance, colleagues, Facebook, information, Jing, Pinterest, resources, Scoop.It, screencast, slps, teams, twitter
October 19, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
Simple Start is a series of posts that discuss AAC-related tools and strategies that are rather quick and easy to make or implement. Whether you are brand new to AAC or relatively experienced, we all come to a point where complicated just won’t do. – In our first Simple Start, we’re talking about Picture Card Rings, a type of visual support for language comprehension. The National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorders defines visual supports as any tool presented visually that can help a person function in their day-to-day life. In this case, we’ve narrowed it down to the specific case of using photos of places around a school to help the student better understand words like ‘cafeteria’ and ‘clinic.’ — Most people with AAC needs do not require a communication system that represents language through photographs. This is a very good thing since there is no way to... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: implementation ideas, photograph, PowerPoint, resources, Simple Start, visual support
October 12, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
Being sick is no fun, but when you can’t communicate effectively with your healthcare provider, it can be disastrous. Here are some resources that SLPs can use to help promote effective communication and prevent adverse affects. Accommodations Cards: One of the simplest things we can do to help healthcare providers understand the needs of a person who uses AAC, is to give some basic information on an accommodations card. Health Bridges is a project of the Western Pennsylvania Initiative to support individuals who have hearing and vision loss. Their website includes a section that allows you to create quick accommodations cards for this population and serve as a good example for ones that you can make on your own. Accommodations cards don’t solve all the problems, but they’re a quick and easy way to make a start. Patient-Provider Communication Website: Amazing array of information and resources from around the world.... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: communication, communication boards, doctor, healthcare, hospital, Medical, resources
October 8, 2012
by Robin Parker -
It is National Fire Protection Week October 7-13, 2012. Check Out These 5 Great Tips, Tricks, and Teaching Ideas: Sensory Breaks & Learning Activities Firefighters are being Educated in Auburn On-Line Fire Safety Games for Kids How To Teach and Present Information, Lesson Plans, and Visual Supports for children and adults with Intellectual Disabilities For Teachers and SLPS
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC Strategies, Fire Safety, resources, teachers, visual supports
September 28, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
In past posts, we shared links to some handouts from the ISAAC 2012 Biennial Conference in Pittsburgh. While it is great for those of us who attended but couldn’t get to every presenter we wanted to hear, the main idea was to help spread the awesome content to those of you who couldn’t be there. Here are some others that may be of interest. Creating a Core Vocabulary for a Common Core Curriculum by Karen Erickson, Penelope Hatch, Allison Dennis, & Marlene Cummings Baby Talk/Kid Talk PWUAAC Talk to Little Ones! by Krista Howard, Kaitlyn Graham, & Caroline Musselwhite Evaluating Preferred Augmentative and Alternative Communication Strategies for Patients in Long Term Health Care Hospitals by Susan Fager, Jenna LeDoux, & David Beukelman Prompting: A Cautionary Tale of Use, Misuse & Abuse by Jane Korsten & Terry Foss Supporting Linguistic Skills Through iDevices: Cool Tricks with New Applications by Caroline Musselwhite,... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: ISAAC 2012, resources
September 26, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
Get ready, AAC lovers, AAC Awareness Month is coming! One of the most wonderful things about the AAC community is the pervasive sense of sharing and giving. When we told some of the people we know that PrAACtical AAC was planning a giveaway for AAC Awareness Month, they responded with an overwhelming level of generosity. So far, we have books, switches, software, apps, and a low tech SGD to give away from some of the companies whose logos are appear in his collage and more. What can you do to win some of these fabulous goodies? Help spread the word about what AAC is, who can benefit, and how to better implement it. We’ve started you off with some suggestions here: 50 PrAACtical Things to Do In Celebration of AAC Awareness Month. We’ll be sharing more information about how to enter to win some fabulous AAC-related goodies, but we’ll give... [Read More...]
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: AAC Awareness Month, free, Giveaway, resources
September 14, 2012
by Carole Zangari -
We are so happy to share a link to downloadable resources that come from the collaborative effort of the Patient Provider Communication Forum, Central Coast Children’s Foundation, Dr. Bronwyn Hemsley, and Widgit Software. These research-based materials were developed to help improve communication in hospital settings. The link takes you to the Widgit Health site and is a set of cards with 26 key phrases for patients who use picture symbols to communicate. The cards are printable and available in 20 different languages. You can access those materials here.
Filed under: PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: advocacy, communication boards, download, hospital, Medical, resources