Viewing category: AAC

Literacy Interventions in Speech Therapy

Speech pathologists have an important role to play in literacy instruciton. Unfortunately, my graduate program never taught me what that role was or what to do about it. So…I have spent at least a decade scoffing at presenters who tell me that I need to take on yet ANOTHER responsibility. Isn’t the SLP’s scope of… Read more

Shared Reading as Evidence-Based Practice

Did you know that shared storybook reading is an evidence-based practice for increasing expressive language skills? Not only does rearch support shared reading, but it is one of the most natural and universally known adult/child bonding interactions! Single subject case studies have found that shared storybook reading can result in significant expressive language increases for… Read more

Core Vocabulary for Evidence-Based Practice

Core or PECS for students with ASD?

At the beginning of this year, multiple people in my district began discussing communication for children with autism. The early childhood program is primarily using picture exchange communication with their students. However, once these same students enter elementary school, the elementary-high school SLPs begin using core vocabulary as our primary communication modality. At that… Read more

Low-tech AAC: Picture Exchange (Pros and Cons)

Please note before I begin this post that I am aware that PECS is a specific and trademarked system. I have been through the formal training, however, like most, I have adapted it and can no longer officially call it PECS. Over the years, I’ve had a love/hate relationship with picture exchange. I have gone… Read more

Low-tech AAC: Core Vocabulary (Pros and Cons)

Last year, several SLPs in my district attended a fantastic conference by Gail Van Tatenhove. By the end of the two days, we were ready to make some district-wide changes to AAC in our district. Although I have been using core boards and core vocabulary for years, this was going to be a radical collaborative… Read more

Low-tech AAC: PODD (Pros and Cons)

Seventeen years ago I was a brand new SLP graduate. I accepted the only mid-year job that I could find (overage for 2 SLPs with high caseloads) and began on a crazy adventure. One of the classrooms that I was to be serving contained students who were profoundly impacted by a variety of disabilities. I… Read more

How to use a mini core board

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Have you ever considered attaching a core board to your body? Since we are often on the move with students, having one on you at all times would be amazing. But short of tattooing the board to your arm, how could one ensure constant access to core communication boards? This is the question I was… Read more

Engage AAC users with a manipulative core board!

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Although picture exchange can be an effective communication system for some individuals (Tien, 2008), there are limitations to its use (Flippin et al, 2010). This includes the fact that comments are not introduced until phase IV of training, and protests and refusals are not directly taught. Core vocabulary, on the other hand, is… Read more

5 ways to teach the alphabet to early language learners

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Ms. T walked into the class to observe and was a little shocked. She saw the speech pathologist singing and signing the alphabet to a group of students. The students were not singing back and only some were actively attending. A few were trying some of the signs. Ms. T wondered if this was the… Read more

What is LAMP? How does it help communication?

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When my lovely Kindergarten student began school, she had an iPad and an app with 30 words on it. She was primarily using gestures, facial expressions, and a few ASL words to communicate her needs and wants. The problem was that she had receptive language skills within the average range. She understood nearly everything but was… Read more

Learning core words- one letter at a time

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Have you ever had a student with almost no words but you knew that they had a lot to say? These are the students that fascinate me the most. I desperately want to know how to help them communicate something. But where do I start? There are thousands of words that I could try to… Read more

Modeling Language- A Free Course

When you work with a student who is non-verbal or minimally verbal, do you wonder what to do? During my first year out of grad school, I was completely lost. I had a class of severely impacted and medically fragile students, and I had no idea what to do with them. I felt so… Read more

eMerging SLPs: Merging into the self-contained classroom

As far as speech pathology jobs go, I have a tough population. I wear Kevlar sleeves as part of my uniform. I have developed wicked fast reflexes. I get drool, spit, and occasionally blood on me regularly. However, there is nothing about my job that I love more than my self-contained classrooms. Yes, I adore… Read more