Augmentative and Alternative Communication in the Classroom: Creating an Environment with Universal Communication Access Supports

In this training, participants will 1) Recognize their active role as communication partner and 2) Learn to build opportunities for students to participate in their educational environment consistently across settings.

Many teachers and support providers work with students who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) and rely on the District Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) to support implementation. But communication happens all day, every day, not just in the speech room. What happens when the SLP is not around? How do you create an inclusive classroom and school environment that supports students with a range of communication access needs? This session is designed to get the classroom team on the same page by building a shared understanding of communication modalities and universal classroom supports for AAC users. We highly recommend that classroom teams and service providers attend together. Attendees will leave with resources and practical strategies that can be implemented immediately!

Intended Audience

  • Teachers
  • Speech-Language Pathologists
  • School psychologists
  • Board Certified Behavior Analysts
  • Occupational Therapists
  • Para-educators
  • Any professionals supporting students using AAC devices

Participants Will

  • See all students as communicators and understand that there are no prerequisites to communication access
  • Recognize their active role as communication partner
  • Learn to build opportunities for students to participate in their educational environment consistently across settings
  • Support implementation of low, mid and high tech tools throughout the school day (universal and student specific)
  • Ensure that classrooms are designed for communication access and have embedded language enriched supports
  • Understand and implement universal strategies to support skill development with AAC systems

Presenter

Casandra S. Guerrero, M. Ed., M.S., CCC-SLP, Speech-Language Pathologist

Dates

  • Part 1: Thursday, September 19, 2024 from 2:30 PM - 4:30 PM
  • Part 2: Thursday, September 26, 2024 from 2:30 PM - 4:30 PM

Registration

AAC in the Classroom: Universal Communication Access Supports Registration External link opens in new window or tab.