Tag Archive: visual supports
July 14, 2019
by Carole Zangari -
Happy Sunday, AAC friends. We thought you might like to catch up on some AAC reading. Monday – Summer Reading: A Few AAC Blog Suggestions Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Using Tangible Symbols to Support Communication Thursday – PrAACtically Visual: A Visual & Environmental Support Countdown ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: While you’re here sample some of these offerings from our series entitled PrAACtical Supports for Older Learners: AT Recipes for Success. Each one has a downloadable handout of home extension activities for teens and adults. Let’s Cook! Magazines and Nailpolish Computer Have a great week, everyone!
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: adults, blogs, object symbols, teens, visual supports
July 11, 2019
by Carole Zangari -
We’re very excited to welcome back AAC SLP Tabi Jones-Wohleber to these pages. You may remember Tabi from the wonderful AAC training materials she shared (11 full modules) or used her Classroom CORE book. Maybe you downloaded her All-In-One Visual Support Tool, used some of her great suggestions about AAC therapy with young children, or were lucky enough to attend one of her conference presentations. Her expertise, generosity, clear command of AAC practices, and commitment to ethical service provision have enriched the AAC lives many of our readers. Today, Tabi launches a new 6-part series on one of our favorite topics: Visual Supports. Let’s get started! :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Visual and Environmental Supports…4 – 3 – 2 – 1! Visual and environmental supports are the bread-and-butter of many a classroom with students with complex communication (and learning) needs. They may be presented on paper-based or electronic platforms. Understanding the purpose and process... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: downloads, Tabi Jones-Wohleber, visual supports
December 19, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Along with special foods, decorations, and gifts, the holiday season brings changes in our daily routines that can cause anxiety and other challenges for some people with AAC needs. In today’s featured video, Peggy Lawrence addresses why these challenges may occur in students with autism, and presents strategies we can use to provide instruction and support. This archived presentation is available through the Tri-State ASD Webinar Series, which receives support from the Kansas Technical Assistance System Network (TASN), the Nebraska Autism Spectrum Disorders Network, and the Colorado Department of Education. You can explore more offerings from this collaborative here. Direct link to “Preparing for Non-Routine Events: Strategies to Support Students with ASD”
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: anxiety, schedules, structure, visual supports
August 29, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Looking for ways to better support older students with autism and related disabilities? Stay tuned because Kate Love, Autism Specialist with the Colorado Department of Education, has practical suggestions that may be of interest. The Technical Assistance System Network (TASN) of Kansas generously shares this along with a number of other wonderful resources. In this video, Ms. Love discusses several ways to implement research-supported strategies, including visual supports, with students in middle and high school. You can download the handout for this presentation using the link below or by clicking here. Direct Link to Video: https://www.ksdetasn.org/resources/793
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: ASD, TASN, visual supports
August 19, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Busy week, AAC friends? Here are some posts that you may have missed. Monday – PrAACtical Resources: Core Vocabulary Flipbook for August Words Tuesday – AAC Link Up Wednesday – Video of the Week: Achieving Authentic Communication Thursday – Throwback Thursday: AAC Resources for Supporting Teams ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Still hungry for some AAC reading? Visual Supports for Places Around School (downloadable) Visual Supports for Places We Go (downloadable) AAC Intervention for Children with ASD Teaching Communication Partners Through Video Self-modeling Bilingual AAC Assessment Tips
Filed under: Featured Posts
Tagged With: bilingual AAC, summary post, visual supports
July 5, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
“I wish he could tell me what he is feeling.” Families and professionals often share the desire to help AAC learners become more proficient at expressing their emotions. Goals for identifying and/or labeling emotions are common in beginning AAC users, but even communicators with more advanced language skills can benefit from expanding their vocabulary of terms related to feelings. In this post, we share visual supports that can be helpful in increasing the emotional vocabularies of individuals with AAC needs. Click on the title to get downloadable copies of each visual support. Inside Out Chart Emotion Wheel Plutchik Wheel Emotions Wheel Worksheet from Childhood 101 Primary and Secondary Emotion Wheel
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: emotions, feelings, visual supports
June 28, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
We’re so pleased to welcome back Dr. Carol Goossens’, an AAC pioneer who is an internationally-recognized consultant, SLP, and Special Educator from New York. Throughout her career, she has consulted extensively in a variety of classrooms serving the full spectrum of children with special needs. Dr. Goossens’ has presented both nationally and internationally about her collaborative work with teachers, therapists, and families. In today’s post, she shares a treasure trove of ideas on using wearable AAC. Learn more about her approach to using vest displays in this extensive post. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Using Vest Displays with Preschoolers on the Autism Spectrum When working with students on the spectrum, we often struggle to gain and maintain their attention, especially during group activities such as Circle Time/Morning Meeting. The songs offered during Circle Time, however, create a great forum for working on a variety of communication skills, e.g., claiming a turn, announcing a song, choosing... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: Carol Goossens', communication displays, no tech, preschool, visual supports
May 10, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
SLPs Lori Sanzeri and Chelsea Collins, creators of Core City, are back to share ideas for implementing AAC in the classroom. Today, they share their experiences in using visual supports as a supplemental strategy for their students who are beginning to use AAC. Enjoy! ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Using Visual Sidekicks to Support Language Intervention Have you ever tried to read a book to your students without providing any visual supports? Do you find yourself having difficulty thinking about what questions to ask? Do you ever feel like the story is too “wordy” or difficult for your students to understand? Have no fear, Visual Sidekicks are here! Visual Sidekicks provide a color-coded communication board of target core and fringe vocabulary along with sentences of 3-5 symbols that simplify the text throughout the story. Children with special needs often demonstrate difficulties during structured literacy activities in the following areas: attending to... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: implementation ideas, language intervention, visual supports
February 22, 2018
by Carole Zangari -
Words for emotions and feelings are pretty common in AAC devices and non-electronic communication aids, like PODD books and eye gaze boards. It’s wonderful when our clients can tell us they are sad or angry with words rather than using challenging behaviors or suffering in silence. What can we do to further their skills in this area? Here are some suggestions to get us thinking. Beyond the Basics: Consider going beyond the basic feeling words (i.e., happy, sad, mad, tired, scared) and including additional emotion words in the AAC system (e.g., frustrated, embarrassed, disappointed, lonely, worried). Don’t assume that this is inappropriate just because an individual has lower language levels or cognitive delays. To learn language, we have to have access to it. Model, model, model: Use these emotion words throughout the day to express your own feelings, and narrate your observations of how others are feeling (e.g., “Joey’s crying... [Read More...]
Filed under: Featured Posts, PrAACtical Thinking
Tagged With: emotions, feelings, visual supports
July 19, 2017
by Carole Zangari -
Once AAC systems are in place, therapists, teachers, and parents often turn their focus on how to help learners use those to express themselves and to better understand their world. Today, we once again turn to Gail Van Tatenhove, an AAC master clinician, for teaching tips and ideas for resources and materials. This video is part of the Power AAC series from PaTTAN. Many thanks to Gail and PaTTAN for making this available. You can see other posts from the series here.
Filed under: Video of the Week
Tagged With: implementation ideas, Scaffolding, video, visual supports