Tag: autism
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Learning to Speak AACtion Plan: Week 12
Well, friends, here we are…it’s the final week of the Learning to Speak AACtion Plan! For those of you who have been following along every week, you have a strong core vocabulary foundation to model for the augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) users in your lives. When I started this in January, my goal was…
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The “Beginner” Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) System Catch 22
It’s ridiculous if you think about it. In schools around the world, children with complex communication needs (CCN) are being asked to prove that they can communicate before they are given access to language. How can students show they have the ability without the words they need? NO ONE can prove he/she can communicate without being…
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Learning to Speak AACtion Plan: Week 11
Can you believe it!? It’s Week 11 of the Learning to Speak AACtion Plan! For those of you who have been following along each week, thank you. Knowing that you’re interested has been motivating for me. This may be one of those resources that ends up being useful to parents and professionals who don’t even know the importance augmentative…
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Learning to Speak AACtion Plan: Week 10
The daffodils always surprise me. Even though I know they are the first flowers in my yard to bloom, I don’t notice that they’re green and growing until I see the first flower. The yellow gets my attention, and spring begins. Every year I wonder how I missed the leaves. It would be exciting to…
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Learning to Speak AACtion Plan: Week 9
“A goal without a plan is just a wish.” ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California was once called “the bridge that couldn’t be built.” It took ten years of planning because of the intense opposition and another four years to actually build it. Once…
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Learning to Speak AACtion Plan: Week 8
“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” ~Arthur Ashe Welcome to Week 8 of the Learning to Speak AACtion Plan! If you’ve been following along each week and doing all of the practice lessons up to this point, you have learned 35 core vocabulary words in your child’s augmentative and…
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The Day You Raised Your Expectations
Have you heard about the rats? There’s a study that was done where Bob Rosenthal, a researcher, took a group of regular, every day, average rats. The rats were divided randomly into two groups. He put signs labeling one cage of rats as “maze bright” and the other as “maze dull.” Each group, with the signs…
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Learning to Speak AACtion Plan: Week 6
Welcome to Week 6 of the Learning to Speak AACtion Plan! This week, one of my students made organic dog treats to donate to the animal shelter, and he gave me a package to give to my dog. Since today also happens to be Valentine’s Day, I wish you all the kind of joy that my…
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AAC Modeling Part 2: Layers of Modeling Engagement
Yesterday, I wrote about AAC Modeling and compared it to introducing broccoli to a child. I’ve also written about modeling here and here, if you’d like some additional information. If you are at all involved in the world of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), you probably hear a lot about modeling, also called Aided Language Input…
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AAC Modeling Part 1: A Piece of Cake and a Bite of Broccoli
If you are at all familiar with augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) implementation, you have likely heard of modeling, also referred to as aided language input and aided language stimulation. In my daily conversations, I get the feeling that dedicated teachers, parents, and therapists often have the misconception that they’re not doing enough for their…