Group items tagged

"Augmentative Communication, Augmentative Communication News (ACN), distilling the ongoing research, exemplary practice, and new development activities in the field into a practical format that made it possible for clinicians, students and teachers to translate ongoing research and development into immediate practice. For fifteen years (1994-2009) Michael B. Williams, a gifted writer who himself relies on augmentative communication tools and strategies, wrote, edited, and oversaw the publications of Alternatively Speaking. This newsletter was written by and for people with complex communication needs and covered topics of personal and immediate interest to individuals who benefit using AAC. Alternatively Speaking provides straight talk on key issues, from the perspective of people who rely on AAC. Every single issue of these two seminal publications in the field of AAC is now available"

"The Communication Supports Inventory- Children & Youth (CSI-CY) is a tool to help professionals working with students with complex communication needs make educational plans that are comprehensive enough to capture their strengths and restrictions. The  CSI-CY is designed to make goal writing easier for teachers and speech-language pathologists who work with students who are augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) users or potential users. By itself, it is not an assessment, but rather a guide to organize the professional's understanding of the impact of a student's communication strengths and limitations on their participation at school and home. The Inventory consists of a survey and a report. The World Health Organization developed the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health-Children and Youth Version (ICF-CY) in 2007 to provide a global common language for describing the impact of health conditions and disabilities on human functioning. This Inventory uses that same global common language. It utilizes the broad perspective on function and disability of the ICF-CY to characterize students who use AAC."

see list of resources, too. not all are free Say it with Symbols! is your first stop resource for families, caregivers, nurses and support professionals looking for easy-to-use, functional augmentative communication aids to help non-verbal loved ones and patients communicate their needs and feelings using pictures and symbols."

"Augmentative-Alternative Communication" also click Left Navigation Menu to explore wonderful and practical resources and free downloads NOW THIS LINK http://jpschools.org/resources/speech-hearing-resources/ http://jpschools.org/resources/speech-hearing-resources/augmentative-alternative-communication-aac/

"Augmentative Communication Bill of rights (Amy Goldman NJC)"

"Augmented Communication Core Vocabulary with Board Books"

"Every voice should be heard Some people are hard to hear -- through no fault of their own. Disabilities like autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, Angelman syndrome and Rett syndrome make it harder for many individuals to communicate on their own. Many people use Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) tools in order to help make their voices heard. We work to help bring out the voices of those with complex communication needs through good tech that actually makes things easier and supports everyone in helping the individual succeed."

"The International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (ISAAC) works to improve the lives of children and adults who use AAC. ISAAC's vision is that AAC will be recognized, valued and used throughout the world. ISAAC's mission is to promote the best possible communication for people with complex communication needs"

There is a rapidly growing body of research that demonstrates the positive effects of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) intervention on the communication of children and adults with complex communication needs. Despite the positive impact of many AAC interventions, however, many individuals with complex communication needs continue to experience serious challenges participating in educational, vocational, healthcare, and community environments. In this paper, we apply the framework proposed by the International Classifi cation of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) to illustrate the need to re-think AAC intervention to improve outcomes for individuals with complex communication needs, and to foster a new generation of intervention research that will provide a solid foundation for improved services. Specifi cally, the paper emphasizes the need to take a more holistic view of communication intervention and highlights the following key principles to guide AAC intervention and research: (a) build on the individual ' s strengths and focus on the integration of skills to maximize communication, (b) focus on the individual ' s participation in real-world contexts, (c) address psychosocial factors as well as skills, and (d) attend to extrinsic environmental factors as well as intrinsic factors related to the individual who requires AAC.

EVERYTHING an individual uses to communicate or enhance communication. Different strategies may be needed for different situations and communication partners. Strategies and tools may be combined to meet a wide variety of communication functions. flipbook

Children and adults with developmental delays have benefited from the use of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems to develop language skills necessary for more generative and functional communication. Beginning communicators however, have historically been considered too young or too pre-linguistic and therefore have not been introduced to AAC systems until behaviors, thought to be prerequisites, have been noted. Recent research and theories about early communication development have challenged this traditional practice and broadened the scope of what is considered to be AAC. Practitioners and parents unfamiliar with early AAC options may not recognize possible applications of communication strategies used with typically developing children and older persons with developmental disabilities. AAC is applicable at all ages for learning communication roles and behaviors as well as for functional communication for persons who do not yet demonstrate clear referential symbol use. This article addresses nine questions that are frequently asked about early introduction of AAC systems to children under 3 years of age. Rationales and strategies are provided that can assist early interventionists and parents in considering AAC options for children at risk for being unintelligible or non-speaking.

Caroline Musselwhite's updated website on AAC. This site is full of interesting and useful information regarding aided and augmentative communication and includes therapy ideas to develop learning and communication through AAC.

"A blog of ideas, materials and resources. Our focus is on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) across the day and across all settings, but other resources will be shared, too!"

"Three Apple iBooks have been designed to help families and professionals alike to get started with Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). "

Augmentative Communication News article about Two Switch Auditory Scanning

The Development of Quality Indicators for Alternative and Augmentative Communication

Episode #116 features a description of how and why to use core vocabulary (high frequency words) as the basis for an augmentative/alternative communication system. The entire episode was generated using only "Frequently Occurring Home and School Words" from the list generated in the article "Vocabulary-Use Patterns in Preschool Children: Effects of Context and Time Sampling" by Christine A. Marvin, David R. Beukelman, and Denise Bilyeu published in Augmentative and Alternative Communication, Volume 10 in December, 1994. The episode demonstrates that using only high frequency words users can still elicit complex, generative language. You might find it beneficial to listen to the episode twice or to read along as you listen to the episode. TRANSCRIPT: http://bit.ly/howtohelpsaythingstranscript

Augmentative Communication and Early Intervention Myths and Realities MaryAnn Romski, PhD, CCC-SLP; Rose A. Sevcik, PhD The use of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) services and supports with infants and young children has been limited, owing to a number of myths about the appropriateness of AAC use with this population. This article will provide an overview of some of the myths that have hampered the inclusion of AAC into early intervention service delivery and refutes them. It will then examine some of the realities that must be considered when delivering AAC services and supports to young children