Group items tagged

"This correlation chart illustrates how Reading A-Z levels approximately correlate to other leveling systems commonly found in leveled reading materials. Reading A-Z uses objective (quantitative) and subjective (qualitative) Leveling Criteria to measure text complexity. Teachers should use their professional judgment of additional qualitative criteria along with reader and task considerations to determine if an individual book at a given level is appropriate for a student. Printable Chart"

Autism Teaching Strategies shares dozens of free autism social skills teaching resources including many free .pdf downloads which vary in difficulty and complexity.

"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"

a free weekly webinar series with Dr Caroline Musselwhite, CCC-SLP and Maureen Nevers, CCC-SLP. We have been walking Angelman families through how to evaluate if they have a robust AAC system, how to think about and plan for aided language stimulation, and how to create opportunities to model and use specific targeted words. The content is targeted at Angelman syndrome families but is applicable to any population with complex communication needs and significant disabilities.

"Episode #144 features a description of three tools useful for supporting reading by minimizing distractions, providing statistics, and helping to decrease the complexity of difficult vocabulary within bodies of text."

Writing IEP Goals and Objectives for Authentic Communication - for Children with Complex Communication Needs

Hatch, Erickson, Geist Presentation ATIA15

"To help educators understand the Common Core State Standards and their application to students with significant cognitive disabilities, the Dynamic Learning Maps™ consortium has created and will continue to create online self-directed learning modules"

"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"

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

Hereward College is a general FE College in Coventry providing both day and residential places. We welcome all students including those with diverse and complex support requirements. In addition to residential students, day disabled and non disabled students also attend the College. We promote an all-inclusive, broad and balanced curriculum, which provides all students with relevant and challenging learning opportunities. We are actively encouraging learners with disabilities and able-bodied students to work together in order to help personal development, improve social skills, build self-confidence, develop teamwork and support independence for both the disabled and non-disabled students.Feedback from students has shown us that they like the inclusiveness of the College population. Whatever your interests and needs, you can pick and mix from a wide range of courses and services to enable you to develop your skills and confidence and follow your dreams, regardless of any disability, impairment or learning difficulty. We are based in Coventry with all the exciting venues and opportunities that a city has to offer and close to excellent transport networks (55 minutes from London by train).

When writing communication goals and objectives for learners with complex communication needs one place  to start is the research.

"Hemingway highlights long, complex sentences and common errors; if you see a yellow highlight, shorten the sentence or split it."

From Karen Erickson and crew

A Stepping-Up Technology Implementation Grant directed by the Center for Literacy and Disabilities Studies. The universal core vocabulary will be provided in multiple formats and levels of complexity to meet the diverse sensory and physical needs of students.

Students are likely to know many more words than they use in their writing. This lesson is designed to help students better use their vocabulary by teaching (or reviewing) what verbs are and to then help them access verbs they already know and use them in sentences. Students work together to brainstorm and create lists of verbs for each of the letters of the alphabet. Then, choosing one verb for each letter, they create pages for an Action Alphabet book. Each page includes an illustration and a sentence using the verb in context. The project can be adapted according to age level and language ability. Students in kindergarten may work together on a class book, while older students may work in small groups or individually. Similarly, the complexity of the example sentences will vary depending on students' writing levels."

Handout/Presentation Slides from Linda Burkhart and John Costello from CSUN 2008

Here are great directions in adapting the Start-to-Finish Books for students with complex learning needs.

Wonderful listing of free fun online activities for students with complex learning challenges!

PACER provides information, support, workshops, and referrals to both families and professionals. PACER provides puppet programs on disability awareness, abuse prevention, and bullying prevention. PACER's Simon Technology Center provides software, adaptive devices and training to help children and young adults with disabilities learn to communicate through technology. PACER provides programs for Native American, African American, Hispanic/Latino, Somali and Southeast Asian communities. Many of our publications have been translated into Hmong, Somali and Spanish. PACER's Family-to-Family Health Information Center provides a single source of information, including resources and support, for families whose children have disabilities and complex health care needs. Through the Technical Assistance ALLIANCE for Parent Centers, PACER offers consultation and technical assistance to the over 100 parent centers across the nation funded under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Its work affects the 7 million children with disabilities across the nation. Other programs focus on employment, grandparents, housing and bullying prevention.