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Ideas for Home-School Connection: SPACE with NDT

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Ideas for Home-School Connection: SPACE with NDT

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The Multilingual AAC Toolkit is an online hub for research-based key principles, instructional strategies, and free, practical, and easy-to-use resources that are geared towards educators who teach Multilingual Learners with AAC needs.

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Inclusive Story Time in Spanish from Portland State University

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Inclusive Story Time in Spanish from Portland State University

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Post on Bilingual Literacy and AAC by Bilingüe AAC

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Post on Bilingual Literacy and AAC by Bilingüe AAC

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Our yearlong series on multilingual AAC support, guest-authored by BilingüeAAC, is drawing to a close. In today's post, Melissa Tapia and Sarah Lee address AAC, bilingualism, and literacy. BilingüeAAC is a group of SLPs with a shared belief in providing evidence-based intervention strategies and resources to bilingual Spanish AAC clients, families, caregivers, and professionals.
Bilingual Literacy & AAC
Welcome back to our Bilingue AAC Series! You can find our previous posts linked here, which wonderfully highlight best practices in bilingualism and AAC. ( Post 1, Post 2, Post 3, Post 4, Post 5).

We are excited to dive into our topic of bilingualism, literacy, and AAC and how we can effectively provide literacy intervention in culturally affirming ways with our Bilingual* AAC users.
*Clarification: We address "bilingual populations"; however, the resources discussed are specifically for Spanish/English speaking populations. Several of the suggestions can be broadly applied to other languages. The goal in bilingualism and biliteracy is promoting inclusivity and representation that allow for translanguaging. What is literacy?

The ability to read and write (ASHA, 2023).

Reading is interpreting and understanding written information.

Writing is the ultimate form of autonomous communication for all, as individuals can create their own messages. (see Karen Erickson and David Koppenhaver, Comprehensive Literacy for All)

Important across the lifespan and settings - school, work, and home.

Essential to individuals with complex communication needs who are AAC users.

What do we know about bilingualism?

Failure to include long-term development and maintenance of both languages for bilingual children limits opportunities to practice and generalize linguistic skills across contexts and hinders interpersonal relationships with family members (Soto & Yu, 2014).

The Cognate Advantage:

Cognates are defined as words that share form and meaning in two languages (e.g., helicopter-helicóptero) (Kelley & Kohner, 2011).

Spanish and English have more than 20,000 cognate pairs. More than half of the words in Beck et al., (2002,2008) Tier 2 vocabulary list were Spanish-English cognates (Montelongo et al., 2015).

By leaning into the cognate vocabulary pairs, it will build upon the child's existing knowledge necessary for academic success, encouraging bilingual and bi-literacy growth (Hernández, Montelongo, & Herter, 2016).

The cognate advantage is seen in typically developing children (Kelley & Kohner, 2011; Leacox, Wood, Sunderman, & Schatschneider, 2016; Anthony, Blumenfeld, Potapova & Pruitt-Lord, 2020), children with SLI and children with developmental language disorder (DLD) (Grasso, Peña, Bedore, Hixon, & Griffen, 2018; Payesteh & Pham, 2022).

Translanguaging:

The strategic use of all linguistic resources to communicate (García, 2014).

Translanguaging is more than rule-governed languages that we are switching across, but going beyond language and including a, "whole-body sense-making process" - the sights, the sounds, the features, the objects, and instruments, and how these are deployed (Garcia & Sánchez, 2020).

It includes the individuals' histories, biographies, and language practices (Cioé-Peña, Linares, 2020).

Translanguaging has been found in bilingual elementary school students while writing (Bauer, et al., 2017; Velasco & García, 2014)

Amongst 1st graders in pre-writing planning discussions (Gort, 2012)

Considered a beneficial instructional strategy to improve reading comprehension and engagement (Daniel & Pacheco, 2016; Jiménez et al., 2015).

* A reminder: English core vocabulary or "high-frequency words" are not the same in Spanish or many other languages. Refer to Soto & Cooper (2021) or Macarthur Bates for a more comprehensive and developmentally appropriate list.
Bilingualism and Bi-literacy with a socioemotional lens

Promoting a child's heritage language is developing a sense of ownership over their linguistic repertoires and their voices as multilingual authors and storytellers

Gaining access and connection to their families and communities

Recognizing caregiver and child bonding as valuable

Provides self-empowerment and autonomy in their world (Cioé-Peña, Linares, 2020.)

Culturally responsive and equitable work includes the family's culture, perspectives, language, intervention strategies, and so much more!

The intersections

Do bilingual children have the same access as their monolingual peers?

Do AAC users have the same access to early literacy as compared to typically developing communicators?

Do Disabled children have the same access as their typically developing communicators?

NO 🙁 AAC users, or children who rely on AAC, tend to have limited access to materials with print and fewer opportunities to engage in "writing" (Light & Kent-Walsh, 2003).

Given all this information, we can see how there are literacy-based access and opportunity barriers for our bilingual AAC users.

Well, Bilingue AAC is here to provide you with some of our favorite bilingual book titles and inclusive AAC literacy intervention strategies that can help you navigate these barriers your current AAC users may have!

1. Select appropriate bilingual book titles that amplify the voices of your student's culture.
Using bilingual books can promote cultural awareness, deepen and broaden vocabulary in both languages and create an inclusive space where all students feel valued.

2. Create environments in which your students can observe and participate in shared storybook reading.

Have pre-stored messages from books available on high-tech devices

Use core boards available for a given literacy lesson

3. Create opportunities for students to expand on their ideas through writing conventionally or with adapted methods.

Whiteboards available for quick phonics demonstrations

Keyboards available on high-tech devices

Alternative adapted pencils, such as symbol-based icons, multiple single-button voice output communication devices to provide response options. For example, which letter sounds like/b/? VOCA recordings: "B" or "C"?)

4. Review vocabulary and explicitly identify Spanish-English cognates

Pre-reading, previewing, or "story walk," and discussing the shared vocabulary.

Identify the vocabulary in the AAC device in both language overlays.

Here is a cognate vocabulary list by Colorín Colorado.

5. Review Spanish high-frequency words. Here is a vocabulary list with suggested prompts and examples of Spanish sentence structure and conjugations.

6. Include photos, objects, families, and their culture throughout the school and classroom setting.

7. Provide both languages in written text throughout the room (i.e., numbers, alphabets, materials, etc.)

Books we love:
A heartwarming tale of all the ways you can eat and share Platanos from the perspective and voice of a Dominican-American girl in NYC. I love the vibrant colors and pictures of her family, friends, and community. Spanish and English text are both available.
What I do:

Pre-reading vocabulary identification: help/ayudo, ingredient/ingrediente (cognate), eat/comer, platanos, like/me gusta, sweet/dulce, party/fiesta, more/mas, buy/comprar, see/veo, favorite/favorito (cognate).

AAC vocabulary customization: Refer to post 4 for more culturally affirming ways to customize AAC systems.

Story walk: Comment on the pictures. Model AAC device vocabulary.

Discussion question: What is your favorite food? Is there a food you like to eat with your family?

Shared book reading: Comment, ask questions, respond/expand.

Predictable chart writing: I like to eat ______. Quiero comer ____________.

Connection to the world and self: Bring in platanos - describe platanos (color, shape, texture). Show images of maduros, tostones, mangú. How would you eat it? Take a vote (math skills-tally). Cooking activity: Make maduras.

Family/community follow-up: We read "Platanos Go with Everything" and learned about the different ways to eat platanos. Do you have a favorite family food you would like to share with the class?

Ramón is in a new home and is scared about starting a new school and being new, and it turns out, El Cucuy is, too. This story, rooted in Mexican folklore, involves El Cucuy (a monster) and a little boy, Ramón as they begin a new journey in new unexpected places. The author wonderfully disperses Spanish words throughout the text in this dual-language print.
Literacy Activity ideas: You can do it! Take a dive into bilingual literacy with AAC users! Not sure where you can find more appropriate texts? Check out Colorín Colorado's website for more book recommendations.
Check out local libraries and find texts written by authors who represent the language.
Colorin Colorado Books for Kids

Pre-reading vocabulary identification: Stop and discuss translanguaging in the text. (e.g., 'That word is in Spanish and that one is in English.')

AAC vocabulary customization: Refer to post 4 for more culturally affirming ways to customize AAC systems.

Story walk: Comment on the pictures. Model AAC device vocabulary. Describe what you see. What does it look like? What does it do?

Discussion question: What is something new you tried? What helps you when you feel scared?

Shared book reading: Comment, ask questions, respond/expand.

Predictable chart writing: I feel ______. Me siento __________.

Family/community follow-up: We read "El Cucuy is Scared Too." We reviewed the following vocabulary [brave/Valiente, strong/fuerte, nervous/nervioso, scared/asustado]
Can you share with the class a time your family tried something new that required bravery?
(sleeping in your own room, moving to a new town, learning a new language)

Check out our website at BilingueAAC.com for suggested Spanish-English children's books!

About the Guest Authors

Sarah Lee is a monolingual Speech-Language Pathologist certified in NY, CA, and Or. She has worked within school and early intervention settings across all 3 states specializing in AAC. She has a Master's of Science in Speech-Language Pathology from Western Kentucky University and a Master's of Science in Neuroscience and Education from Teacher's College, Columbia University. Sarah believes in evidence-based, innovative intervention strategies and synthesizing literature to practice. She manages the Instagram account, @AAC_together.

Melissa Tapia is a bicultural and bilingual Speech-Language Pathologist in Illinois. She attended Illinois State University for both undergraduate and graduate studies, majoring in Communication Sciences and Disorders and Spanish Language, Literature, and Cultures. Melissa is the owner and founder of Hablame Speech Therapy. She focuses on a client-centered collaborative model with bilingual families through in-home therapy services. She believes in helping AAC users gain access to communication in their immediate and most comfortable environment using various communication modalities and educating caregivers in how to best support their children together. Melissa manages the Instagram account, @hablame_de_language.

BilingüeAAC: www.BilingueAAC.com

Instagram: @bilingueaac

Facebook Group: BilingüeAAC

TPT: BilingueAAC

This post was written by Carole Zangari

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POWER:AAC is a training series developed by PaTTAN with Gail Van Tatenhove, CCC-SLP. Gail, a speech/language pathologist with over thirty years of experience in the field of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), has collaborated with AAC practitioners in Pennsylvania intermediate units over the course of several years on this project. The result is this series of brief modules, which can be used for professional development by individuals or groups who are supporting students with complex communication needs and who need or use AAC.

The POWER:AAC modules are intended to build the capacity of school personnel to improve communication skills and provide flexible, generative vocabulary for students who need or use AAC.

What does "POWER:AAC" mean?

The title of this series of training modules - 'POWER:AAC' - refers to the five key principles of this project. POWER:AAC classrooms have educational teams who are learning to:

Practice powerful communication PARTNER skills

Create powerful communication OPPORTUNITIES

Implement power WORDS in social and instructional contexts

Continually utilize EVIDENCE in decision making about AAC systems and supports

Create, implement, and share powerful RESOURCES.

Each of the 12 POWER:AAC modules contains materials in a variety of formats, including a video presentation, a presentation transcript, and presentation slides in both PowerPoint and PDF formats. Some of the modules also include supplemental presentation materials. Each module includes a pre- and post-test assessment and application assignments for classrooms, for us in local professional development contexts.

You can access the POWER:AAC modules and materials by clicking on these links:

Module 1: Welcome to POWER:AAC
Module 1 provides an overview of the series and materials. POWER:AAC is designed to build the capacity of those who serve students with complex communication needs who require the use of of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems. The materials are appropriate for self-directed or professional learning community use.

Module 2: Assess Classroom Practices
Module 2 of the POWER:AAC series addresses common classroom practices with students who may have very low or no speech, who may need or already use AAC systems. A variety of effective classroom practices are introduced, including the use of flexible, generative, potentially powerful words known which are referred to as "core" vocabulary or "core words". As a means of identifying your current educational practices and adopting POWER:AAC classroom practices, you will be asked to complete a self-assessment profile.

Module 3: Develop Personal AAC Systems
Module 3 of the POWER:AAC series reviews the various multi-modal AAC options to consider for students who need/use AAC, from no-tech, through low-tech, to high tech. A guide for making one such option- a simple manual communication board - is introduced.

Module 4: Select Core Vocabulary Words
Module 4 of the POWER:AAC series covers the important topic of selecting words for a student's AAC system. It focuses on the importance of core vocabulary words and planning for providing sufficient vocabulary in student AAC systems.

Module 5: Represent Vocabulary Words
Module 5 addresses issues regarding the representation of vocabulary words with pictures. It provides simple strategies for teaching pictures for core vocabulary words, and managing pictures on other visual support materials in classrooms.

Module 6: Provide Support and Scaffolds
Module 6 covers the visual supports and educational scaffolds that are essential in a POWERAAC classroom environment, including tools to help students communicate with their AAC systems.

Module 7: Practice Partner Skills
Module 7 covers the important topic of communication partner skills. AAC literature reports that adult communication partners facilitate communication growth for their students when they learn how to model language using the form of AAC the student is learning to use, create communication opportunities, and respond to students' use of their systems with descriptive feedback.

Module 8: Teach Vocabulary
Module 8 presents a variety of strategies for teaching core and extended vocabulary using their AAC system. These strategies provide starting points for guiding POWER:AAC classroom teams in developing their own systematic approach to teaching vocabulary use with their students.

Module 9: Use AAC in Class
Module 9 addresses the four purposes of communication as defined by Janice Light in her work on Communicative Competence - wants and needs, information transfer, social closeness, and social etiquette. For students who use AAC, learning to communicate for these purposes puts them on a path towards increasing communication competence. IEP goals are also discussed in this module.

Module 10: Use AAC at Home
Module 10 focuses on the role of parents and the family in their child's AAC communication success. This module is designed to help school staff support parents and families as they use their child's AAC system and core vocabulary at home.

Module 11: Collect Evidence
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Module 12: Share Resources
Module 12, the final module in this POWER:AAC Series, provides resources to help you connect with a community of others who share a commitment to the principles of a POWER:AAC classroom, as well as experiences and idea about its implementation.

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Since most bilingual children who use AAC are being educated by monolingual or English-dominant professionals, the instructions to use SYOC-B are presented in English, while models and materials are in Spanish. The words presented by month and accompanying materials to teach the target words are below. Activity sheets for each core word, in Spanish only, to share with Spanish-dominant caregivers and professionals are available in this Padlet.

The following activities are meant to be suggestions. You do not need to use all activity sheets. Use the resources that are most applicable to your objectives. For more information on the key AAC strategy of each month, please reference SYOC materials.

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The School Year of Core-Bilingüe (SYOC-B) is the Spanish adaptation of the English School-Year of Core ( SYOC), a series of resources for teaching core vocabulary words to children who use AAC. SYOC was conceptualized and created by AAC Specialist and SLP Michaela Sullivan, along with two SFSU pre-professional SLP students, Beth Lytle and Alisa Lego, and other volunteers.

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