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Practically Speaking

Language, Literacy, & Academic Development for Students with AAC Needs

Edited by:
Gloria Soto, Ph.D.
San Francisco State University

and
Carole Zangari, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Nova Southeastern University

Contents

I Assessment

  1. Educational Assessment Issues
    Lynn Ahlgrim-Delzell
  2. Assessment of Early Communication Skills
    June E. Downing
  3. Language Assessment for Students Who Use AAC
    Lisa A. Proctor and Carole Zangari
  4. Diagnostic Reading Assessment for Students with AAC Needs
    David A. Koppenhaver, Beth E. Foley, and Amy R. Williams
  5. Writing Assessment for Students with AAC Needs
    Beth E. Foley, David A. Koppenhaver, and Amy R. Williams

II Instruction and Intervention

  1. Academic Adaptations for Students with AAC Needs
    Gloria Soto
  2. Addressing the Communication Demands of the Classroom for Beginning Communicators and Early Language Users
    Jennifer Kent-Walsh and Cathy Binger
  3. Supporting More Advanced Linguistic Communicators in the Classroom
    Carole Zangari and Gail Van Tatenhove
  4. Addressing the Literacy Demands of the Curriculum for Beginning Readers and Writers
    Karen A. Erickson and Sally A. Clendon
  5. Addressing the Literacy Demands of the Curriculum for Conventional and More Advanced Readers and Writers Who Require AAC
    Janice C. Light and David McNaughton
  6. Strategies to Support the Development of Positive Social Relationships and Friendships for Students Who Use AAC
    Pam Hunt, Kathy Doering, Julie Maier, and Emily Mintz
  7. Integrating Assistive Technology with Augmentative Communication

III Supports

  1. Supporting Collaborative Teams and Families in AAC
    Nancy B. Robinson and Patti L. Solomon-Rice
  2. Consideration of Cognitive, Attentional, and Motivational Demands in the Construction and Use of Aided AAC Systems
    Krista M. Wilkinson and Shannon C. Hennig

Series Preface

The purpose of the Augmentative and Alternative Communication Series is to address advances in the field as they relate to issues experienced across the life span. Each volume is research-based and practical, providing up-to-date and ground-breaking information on recent social, medical, and technical developments.

Volume Preface

The purpose of this book is to provide information to professionals and preprofessional students who serve children with significant communication challenges in school settings. It reflects the need for a resource that includes the necessary information for current and future members of teams serving students with AAC needs.

Academic Adaptations for Students with AAC Needs

Special education legislation has specified that the general education curriculum should be the primary content for students with disabilities, and the instructional activities used to implement it are the primary context for these students to receive instruction.

Educators must identify and develop appropriate instructional adaptations to support participation in general curriculum goals and activities. The chapter discusses effective practices central to adaptation development for students with AAC needs, beginning with access to the general curriculum mandate.

ACCESS TO THE GENERAL CURRICULUM: WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1997 introduced significant changes requiring students with disabilities to receive access and participate in the general curriculum. This implies that students receiving special education services have the right to participate in the same instructional activities as their typically developing peers.

To ensure the participation of students with disabilities is supported in the general curriculum, adaptations will be necessary at multiple levels of instruction delivery. This includes classroom restructuring and cooperative learning activities that foster interaction and collaboration among peers.

Adaptations at the Activity Level

Development of adaptations must analyze the instructional activity's demands against each individual's needs and abilities. Adaptations may include different methods of response or modification in presentation methods to align with the capabilities of students who utilize AAC. Specific strategies for engaging students into classroom activities are crucial to ensuring their active participation and achievement in the general curriculum.

Benefits of Cooperative Learning (CL)

Cooperative learning strategies provide opportunities for social interaction and academic collaboration between students with and without disabilities, as the structure encourages ongoing peer communication. These settings enhance social acceptance and peer interaction in ways that traditional learning environments might not.

Excerpted from Practically Speaking: Language, Literacy, & Academic Development for Students with AAC Needs by Gloria Soto, Ph.D., and Carole Zangari, Ph.D., CCC-SLP

About the Editors

Gloria Soto, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders, San Francisco State University

Carole Zangari, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
Director, Tyler Institute, Nova Southeastern University

Contributors

  1. Lynn Ahlgrim-Delzell, Ph.D.
  2. Cathy Binger, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
  3. Sally A. Clendon, Ph.D.
  4. June E. Downing, Ph.D.
  5. Kathy Doering, M.A.
  6. Beth E. Foley, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
  7. Yvonne Gillette, Ph.D.
  8. Shannon C. Hennig, M.S.
  9. Pam Hunt, Ph.D.
  10. Jennifer Kent-Walsh, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
  11. David A. Koppenhaver, Ph.D.
  12. Janice C. Light, Ph.D.
  13. Julie Maier, M.A.
  14. David McNaughton, Ph.D.
  15. Emily Mintz, M.A.
  16. Nancy B. Robinson, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
  17. Patti L. Solomon-Rice, M.A., CCC-SLP
  18. Gail Van Tatenhove, M.S.
  19. Krista M. Wilkinson, Ph.D.
  20. Amy R. Williams, M.A.