To complement a praacticalaac.org blog post series called 'Resources for a Year of Core Words', I created monthly core word boards using Symbolstix. I completed them for the entire school year, and shared the files with staff in my school district. I also wanted to share the monthly core words one month at a time here on my blog. So, here’s the board for December: PDF Download Link Here are some ideas on how you can use the monthly core words: Print 1 copy, then laminate it (or put it in a sheet protector) and use it for aided language stimulation during various activities at school (circle time, small group rotations, transitions, lunch, taking a walk, etc.) Print 1 copy, then laminate it (or put it in a sheet protector) and provide it to parents for aided language stimula[...]

Throughout my 10 years as a speech-language pathologist (SLP), I have provided services via private practices, schools, and home visits. One of my favorite things about working in private practices and conducting home visits is the amount of direct parent contact (particularly for teaching how to implement augmentative and alternative communication [AAC]), which is typically 1 to 4 times per month. The parents are available at the end of the sessions for parent education that is built into the service time. Direct contact with parents in the schools, on the other hand, is typically limited to 1 to 4 times per year for the annual individualized education program (IEP) meeting and any observation time(s) parents specifically request. The reason for reduced parent contact could be due to scho[...]

The 2015 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) convention is now officially a wrap. The convention was held November 12 - 14 at the Colorado Convention Center and the Hyatt hotel in Denver, Colorado. Over 14,000 people attended various events throughout the convention. I attended memorable sessions and social events, and my wife and I exhibited apps for my company, Expressive Solutions, in the exhibit hall. Sessions Since I was interested in learning more about how to serve my students with augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) needs, I attended several AAC sessions. I learned so much valuable information by listening to the presenters (Karen Erickson, Gloria Soto, Tracy Kavich, and others) and having discussions with attendees including Carole Zangari, Vicki[...]

We're pleased to announce that Raffleway 1.2 is now available, and it is FREE for new and existing users. Here’s a list of what’s new: Barcode scanning that scans QR Code, PDF417, and Aztec barcode types commonly used in convention badges. Includes an unlimited number of FREE test scans for barcode scanning. 1 month or 1 year In-App Purchase (IAP) subscription for barcode scanning that saves the information scanned. Barcode scanning IAP saves first name, last name, and email address for a giveaway, but it also saves all of the information from a convention badge for exporting to CSV. The information may include, but is not limited to first name, last name, email address, badge number, registration type (e.g., exhibitor, participant), phone number, street address, city, state, zip c[...]

For some time I have been thinking about how questions are asked to young children who are talking very little or not at all, as well as individuals with augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) needs. My thoughts have come from observing teachers, instructional aides, parents, and even SLPs who ask a lot, I mean a lot of questions to these populations. It seems like the individuals are continually being tested, whether the adult has that intention or not. I have also recently seen blog posts from David Niemeijer, Maureen Nevers, Carole Zangari and others whose posts inspired me to write about my thoughts. The authors discussed the difference between questions that are closed-ended and open-ended. In this case, closed-ended questions refer to questions in which the answer is alr[...]

To complement a praacticalaac.org blog post series called 'Resources for a Year of Core Words', I created monthly core word boards using Symbolstix. I completed them for the entire school year, and shared the files with staff in my school district. I also wanted to share the monthly core words one month at a time here on my blog. So, here’s the board for November: PDF Download Link Here are some ideas on how you can use the monthly core words: Print 1 copy, then laminate it (or put it in a sheet protector) and use it for aided language stimulation during various activities at school (circle time, small group rotations, transitions, lunch, taking a walk, etc.) Print 1 copy, then laminate it (or put it in a sheet protector) and provide it to parents for aided language stimula[...]

Percentally Pro version 2.0.1 is now available. Here’s a list of what's new: • Enhanced the alert, undo and stopwatch features • Scrolling added to long notes • UI enhancements • Bug fixes • iOS 9 ready If you like the new features, please leave a comment on the iOS App Store listing for Percentally Pro 2. If you have feedback, please email support@expressive-solutions.com.

This morning I listened to an Emily Blunt interview on the Howard Stern show, and it was interesting to hear her discuss her stuttering. Emily said she started stuttering at age 7, and she couldn't get a handle on it until she began acting at age 12. Many people know that rhythm and melody improve fluency, but she talked about the psychological side in regard to becoming a character. She described acting as a "removal of self from yourself," and how that idea helped her stuttering. To me it sounded like Emily gained confidence by acting like someone else, and was thus more comfortable being someone else than being herself. Emily went on to say that people on the street have influenced how she played a role. For example, when Emily was doing 'The Devil Wears Prada', she said the following l[...]

To complement a praacticalaac.org blog post series called 'Resources for a Year of Core Words', I created monthly core word boards using Symbolstix. I completed them for the entire school year, and shared the files with staff in my school district. I also wanted to share the monthly core words one month at a time here on my blog. So, here’s the board for October: PDF Download Link Here are some ideas on how you can use the monthly core words: Print 1 copy, then laminate it (or put it in a sheet protector) and use it for aided language stimulation during various activities at school (circle time, small group rotations, transitions, lunch, taking a walk, etc.) Print 1 copy, then laminate it (or put it in a sheet protector) and provide it to parents for aided language stimulat[...]

Percentally Pro 2 has a backup feature to transfer all of the app’s data from one iOS device to another. The backup includes all of the sessions, students, and goals that you created. The following steps will allow you to backup on one iOS device (e.g., iPhone), then restore the backup on a different iOS device (e.g., iPad): Export Backup (Backup Data) 1. Tap the More tab 2. Tap Backup 3. Tap Export Backup 4. Tap Mail to email a backup file 5. Alternatively, tap Dropbox to export a backup file to your Dropbox account (Dropbox > Apps > Percentally Pro). If you want to export to Dropbox, you need an account, then turn on Dropbox Integration in Percentally Pro Options (More > Options). Import Backup (Restore Data) 1. Before you import a backup file, you need a Dropbox acc[...]

In Percentally Pro 2, you can export all students’ data or one student’s data. Either way, the following information regarding the student’s completed sessions is exported: Start Time, Minutes, Goals, Scores, and Notes. When you export, Start and End dates are selected, so you can report progress for a specified period of time (e.g., quarterly, annually). The following steps will allow you to export all students’ data as well as one student’s data for a range of dates: Export all students’ data 1. Tap the Students tab 2. Tap the Action button (box with arrow going out) 3. Select the Start and End dates that you wish to export 4. Tap the Next button 5. Tap Mail to email the data. Alternatively, tap Copy to copy the data, then paste it outside of Percentally Pro 2. You can also Save [...]

The main purpose of Percentally Pro 2 is to collect data, which is accomplished during sessions. When you run a session, you collect data to assess progress on goals and to calculate service minutes. The following steps will allow you to collect data via sessions: 1. Tap the Sessions tab 2. Select a session to start or to resume 3. Tap Start/Resume 4. For the student selected, determine a goal to collect data, then tap the following: P in dark green for correct with prompting, ✔︎ in light green for correct, X in light red for incorrect, P in dark red for incorrect with prompting. 5. If you make a tallying mistake, tap the Undo button 6. If you have more than one student in the group, switch between the students to collect their data 7. Tap the Compose button (pencil in square) to [...]