Kate Ahern

Epiphany at 4:30 in the morning today. She's less cuddly than her sister, Karma, but she sleeps on the pillow next to my pillow inches from my head, all night, overnight. (She's a 9 1/2 week old Ragdoll).

AAC users are invited to join us for our amazing virtual AAC Camp!

Starting in May! AAC youth Book Club!

Haunted by hopelessness: 12 Zambians share their stories as HIV drugs run out Mothers and children, husbands and wives, doctors, truck drivers and religious leaders are all grappling with the fallout from the sudden U.S. cuts in aid.

I look at close to 100 stories a week and even more outside of work. I’ve done this ten years.

This is among the most horrific things I’ve ever read — testimony from dying children whose access to medicine has been cut off by the Trump administration.

www.npr.org/sections/goa...

The amount of cooked your brain has to be to think the Nazis were the good guys. You have to abandon basic childhood heroes like Indiana Jones. "Nazis..."

AAC Voices online valentines party feb 14 2025 7 pm edt on zoom password LOVE all students and friends welcome. Games. Parties. Reading of I like you. Picture of two hands on what and one black making a heart shoe on a red to pink background

Current and former students of mine from any era join us Friday!

The hardest thing about being a teacher today is teaching about the American revolution as the American experiment enters what may well he it's end years.

Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers. 15/20
#booksky
#bookchallenge

Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers. 14/20
#booksky
#bookchallenge

Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers. 13/20
#booksky
#bookchallenge

A sample graphic organizer for teaching vocabulary to AAC users. The title is vocabulary for Hansel and Gretel. It is a 5x5 grid. The tops of the columns are labelled Word, Meaning, Saying it with AAC, Sentence and Picture. The words are glistened, gobble, nibble, capture. The rest of the organizer is filled out.

A list entitled Teaching Picture Book Vocabulary to AAC Users. It reads: Select words from the book you will be reading. Words should be level 2/3 words. Use a graphic organizer to present the word, definition, definition using only words found in common AAC systems, a sentence, and a video clip or image. Say, type/write the word, and spell it. Ask the kids to guess what it means. Allow plenty of wait time for them to think, look at the video/graphic and make a message with AAC. The more you so this the more they will participate and make connections. Share the full definition as you enter it in the organizer. Using a common AAC system (or more than one if you have time) model how they could say the meaning of the word with their AAC system. (Paraprofessionals/peers could do this on individual devices so more kids see their own device modeled.) If you have time ask for a sentence and write it down. If not, create a sentence yourself. Review the word, definition, how to say it with AAC and the sentence one more time While reading have your kids do a movement or hold up a sign or something when they hear a vocabulary word. You need to present a word and have the student have experiences with a word many times for them to "own it". If a word reoccurs in another book you can do it again. Presenting vocabulary this way teaches tier 2/3 words using tier 1/2 words meaning - that makes it differentiated for different levels of language learning. Try to use motivating videos, images and sentences. Connect them to the students lived experiences. My students ask to do vocabulary!

How I teach vocabulary in picture books to AAC users:

Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers. 12/20
#booksky
#bookchallenge

Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers. 11/20
#booksky
#bookchallenge

Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers. 10/20
#booksky
#bookchallenge

A square advertisement for Ahern Academy, Virtual Home School Cooperative. Text reads: Fill the New Year with Light! A year round online school community for AAC users age 6+ with literacy, math, social and emotional learning, communication skills, science and history instruction. Taught by expert accessible education and AAC specialist Kate Ahern, M.S.Ed. Text ‪(978) 420-4902‬ for more information. www.aacvoices.org Now enrolling for winter 2024-2025. Limited openings. Image shows the company logo, a bee, and evergreen boughs and twinkle lights.

Hello, Ahern Academy, a program of AAC Voices, LLC, is a year round, virtual home school for learners age 6+ who use AAC to communicate full or part time. We offer daily classes in phonics and math as well as four days a week of reading, writing and science, history or communication class. #AAC

Isn’t ordering online exactly what they want? Less overhead. Etc.

Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers. 9/20
#booksky
#bookchallenge

I would pay it forward to my ten year old student Abigail. I teach special education, all of my students are non-speaking and communicate using speech devices. Abigail has Angelman Syndrome. Everyday Abigail would use her speech device to request "I can do it with a broken heart".

Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers. 8/20
#booksky
#bookchallenge

Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers. 7/20
#booksky
#bookchallenge

Well, when put it that way…

Books We Love Here are 350+ great reads from 2024 hand-picked just for you by NPR staff and trusted critics.

I don’t always have good news to share first thing in the morning BUT…

IT’S BOOKS WE LOVE DAY!!!!!

apps.npr.org/best-books/#...

Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers. 6/20
#booksky
#bookchallenge

Choose 20 books that have stayed with you or influenced you. One book per day for 20 days, in no particular order. No explanations, no reviews, just covers. 5/20 #booksky #bookchallenge

Screen shot of the Disney + website for the movie Out of My Mind. A slim young girl in a wheelchair is surrounded by several cheering adults and other children.

#AAC #SeeMeSeeMyAAC this movie was excellent. Though as someone who has lived in the world of augmentative and alternative communication for her entire career I was thrown off by the slightly wonky picture symbols! Honestly this is a must watch ages 9 and up!

Dana Goldberg post: I have shared the same bathroom with Sarah McBride on several occasions, and she never once made me uncomfortable. She did however help me fix my makeup. That congresswoman knows how to blend her foundation, which is more than I can say about Donald Trump.

They say the cover up is always worse.