AAC in the Cloud 2018 Conference

Heroes, Unite!

Looking for CEUs? When you watch the sessions in our conference player you'll see a link at the end to fill out participation surveys that will be used to generate a certificate you can report for credits.

	Day 1 - June 26, 2018
Time	Track 1	Track 2	Track 3
11:30 am ET	Welcome and Opening Remarks
12 pm ET	Moving AAC users beyond single words can be a difficult transition. Too often we focus on requesting as the objective, and on using single labels for items the user wants. But we need to grow language as well, and move students from single words through to complete, linguistically appropriate sentences. Susan Berkowitz: Moving Beyond Single Words with AAC	Avoiding reduced frequency of AAC use - and potential loss of progress - is a big concern for many school-based SLPs as the summer ends. However, we know from research that while frequency of intervention is important, ensuring carry-through via training of a student's family and circle of support is an even bigger predictor of success. This session will address the rise of a consultative model of telepractice for AAC as well as general tips to help parents, siblings, and everyone else in a student's life the most powerful allies in their language acquisition. Lucas Steuber: Presence from a Distance: AAC in Telepractice and General Tips for the "Summer Slump"	What kind of resources are available to start AAC implementation at home, therapy or school for spanish speaking people? The presentation will review different apps, software and low tech aids so families, therapists and teachers can start working right away! Patricia Gutierrez: Available AAC Resources in Spanish Session will be in Spanish
1 pm ET	The Communication Technology Education Center (CTEC) is creating a lively video series specifically for support teams of individuals who have complex communication needs. The STAR series of short videos is for people of any age, using high tech to light tech AAC. The entertaining video scenarios illustrate evidence-based training and support strategies for increasing meaningful communication. Bonnie Mintun & Jamie Crum: Supportive Training with Active Respect: A STAR Approach to Training AAC Support Teams	Rachael Langley: 5 Fixes for Common AAC Problems	Curious what sets CoughDrop apart from all the other AAC apps and devices out there? Come find out how CoughDrop leverages the cloud and team-based tools, data, and reports to make strengthen every member of the AAC team. Scot Wahlquist: Intro to CoughDrop- Create, Collaborate and Communicate through the Cloud
2 pm ET	Executive functioning (EF) skills are critical to using one’s information and skills. This presentation will look at AAC through an executive functioning lens, connecting areas of challenge in EF skills with challenges that many users of AAC face. It will also provide evidence-based strategies to enhance executive functioning skills for users of AAC. Amanda Samperi: Executive Function & AAC	This session will discuss components of the AAC system and how to use the system to support implementation for the AAC users in your life. Information provided in this session is based on research and experience in clinical practice with individuals and teams using AAC as well as system design experience. Heidi LoStracco: AAC Top Ten List: Combining the System & Implementation in a Recipe for Success	Although on the surface, apps appear to be the easy choice due to cost, availability, and ubiquity of tablets/phones, care should be taken when evaluating for an individual. This session discusses app advantages/disadvantages and how to consider apps for an individual with complex communication needs. Mike Cole: What to consider when considering AAC apps
3 pm ET	Many schools refer their students to a clinic to procure a personal SGD through the consumer's. The referring SLPs have a wide variety of comfort levels with AAC and need varying levels of support. This is an overview of how the clinic can work with the schools to support the school, the family and the AAC user to maximize the consumer's communicative potential. Melissa Hoffmann: Collaboration between Clinic & School in AAC	The IEP is a key tool to assuring access to AAC devices and services for students with disabilities. This session, appropriate for professionals as well as families, will highlight barriers and solutions to including AAC in the IEP. Amy Goldman: AAC in the IEP	Do you struggle to connect with your AAC user? Do they only use their device to request? The problem could be what you’re choosing to talk about! We will discuss tools for determining highly motivating topics and tips for easy modeling in the moment to keep the conversation going. Sarah Weber: Make Your Modeling Meaningful: Tools & Tips for Aided Language Input
4 pm ET	One of the toughest jobs in special education is that of a paraprofessional. Paraprofessionals play vital roles in guiding/supporting our students, especially those who are utilizing AAC. Hear directly from three experienced paraprofessionals as they share their perspectives in working with elementary students who utilize AAC. Josey Kahn, Jennifer Cook, Tristan Dick: Empowering Paraprofessionals to support AAC Usage	A nationwide survey of general and special education teachers (pre-k – high school) identified perceived barriers in being able to provide partner aided language in the classroom setting. The results of this survey will be shared with participants along with practical solutions to overcome these obstacles, and provide educators with the tools and confidence they need to speak AAC. Deidre Dobbels & Kelly Key: Strategies to Increase AAC Modeling in the Classroom	Bill Binko: Working With High School Teams to Make Assistive Technology
5 pm ET	As families modelling AAC, we often focus on specific nouns, objects or foods to request, and names of people. This session will help families think about expanding to describing words. With a descriptive approach, we can enhance social interaction, have more fun, and better develop our kids' language and cognition. Erin Sheldon: Descriptive Teaching at Home: Modeling for Interaction	“Complaining” is not a negative behavior, in fact, it is a positive one that gives AAC users a way to make their feelings known. Join us as we demonstrate why we should encourage our users to “complain” in a functional manner! CANCELLED Shaun Pearson: More than One Way to Complain: Helping AAC Users make feelings known	“AAC in the classroom” usually means AAC for students. Sometimes, however, it's the teacher who needs AAC! I'll be talking about AAC in the workplace, specifically the classroom as a workplace, based on both my experience and that of other teachers I know of. Practical tips incoming! Alyssa Hillary: AAC in the Classroom...for the teacher
6 pm ET	My friend Lydia Wayman and I both have a diagnosis of autism. We are both verbal; AND we are both AAC users! We use AAC to supplement our verbal communication. Come hear us talk about how we use AAC to help us; even though we are verbal. Chloe Rothschild & Lydia Wayman: AAC and Verbal Individuals: How AAC Impacted Our Lives	This session will share strategies and videos of families using AAC in ordinary, playful activities. It will emphasize how core words and irreverent kid-friendly vocabulary can make AAC just another way that we talk while we play. Jodi Melendez: Making Modeling Fun at Home	This session is geared mainly toward clinicians Elisabeth Nuboer: Helping Patients Preserve Their Vocal Legacy
7 pm ET	Want to get a quick update on the latest and greatest? Lightning talks are quick info-shares by anybody who wants to sign up, for whatever they'd like to talk about. At the same time, Hack Night is a chance for tech-minded folks to mingle and share ideas. Join for a minute, or for the whole hour! Lightning Talks (and Hack Night on Slack)
	Day 2 - June 27, 2018
Time	Track 1	Track 2	Track 3
12 pm ET	Dana Nieder, Keynote
1 pm ET	Providing successful home, school, and community communication experiences for individuals who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) can be challenging, particularly in environments that do not easily allow for use of high-tech AAC systems. This webinar will provide participants with an overview of innovative strategies collaboratively developed by family members and therapists to overcome environmental and positional barriers to communication. This "show and tell" will highlight some of the creative adaptations that have allowed children and young adults to communicate in bed, in the shower, horseback riding, swimming, and more! Jill Senner/Matt Baud/Shelley Harris: Overcoming Barriers to Communication	This course will teach participants 10 essential guidelines to consider when implementing AAC across a diverse population of students. Attendees will learn how to select appropriate vocabulary, support user motor planning, provide effective prompting strategies and successfully train a student’s circle of support. Rachel Madel: 10 Cardinal Rules for AAC Implementation	Bill Binko: Visual Supports Using LessonPix
2 pm ET	This presentations will run through steps, concerns, and consideration regarding students who will be transitioning from school-based services to adulthood. Adult vocabulary, funding, and resources will be considered. Kathryn Hellend: AAC and the Transition to Adulthood	We're always making changes to CoughDrop, based on new research and what we learn from our users. Come see how new integrations, built-in modeling ideas and other new features keep making CoughDrop better and better! Brian Whitmer: What's New With CoughDrop	“Tell Me More” will provide instructional tools to utilize while developing teaching models for AAC users. Descriptive teaching poses inquiry phrasing that elicits responses that may be composed through of core vocabulary but still challenges the academic content presented. Descriptive teaching helps teachers meet the demands of State standards/assessment while respecting the domain of AAC users. Nicole Wingate & Angie Sheets: Tell me More -- Descriptive teaching methods for instructors of AAC users
3 pm ET	Tips and tools for working with the emerging communicator! Jenna Williams: Supporting Emerging Communicators	Children with challenging behaviors are children who are trying to tell us something. What might be they telling us? We can use our AAC tools, messages, and teaching methods to better support them in safely sharing their messages — making their AAC tool truly their VOICE. CANCELLED Audra Vanderland: Something’s Wrong: Using AAC to support Children With Challenging Behaviors	This presentation will compare and contrast 6 common and robust AAC iPad apps. 3 sentences will be inputted in each app revealing just how intuitive each is. Although every feature of each app will not be able to be discussed, key features of each app will be reviewed. Christine Baudin: Comparing & Contrasting 6 Common Robust AAC apps
4 pm ET	The goal for any individual who is nonverbal is to create the opportunity for them to become fully communicative. In order for that to happen, individuals need to learn to write and thus need to learn to read. Writing is the ultimate independence in communication, as the user does not have to depend on anyone to “put words” onto their device. This session will teach big-idea concepts about reading and writing while video examples help to being the concepts to life. This session is for those looking to increase their knowledge of guided reading and foundations for beginning writing for complex kiddos. LIVE ONLY - Susan Norwell: AAC Considerations in Teaching Reading and Writing	ABC books connect literacy to communication & give us a purpose to chat. There are a large variety books that can provide a prompt for a lesson, an opportunity for a child to read to themselves, or an engaged time for a parent to read with their child. Kelly Fonner: ABCs & AAC - Alphabet Books and AAC Implementation	Get practical ideas on how to build the language skills of AAC users. When we set up AAC, we choose an AAC system based on a balanced vocabulary. This means an AAC system based on with a core word vocabulary, but which also gives quick access to fringe vocabulary and the alphabet. With the balanced vocabulary comes power! The power to say whatever you want! A powerful AAC system like this, gives the AAC user the opportunity to build their language skills, and with that develop real communication. It allows the AAC user to communicate for a wide variety of different reasons, far beyond choice-making. This workshop will cover ready-to-go, practical ideas for building language. It will cover: * Using books to build language * Using toys/games to build language Amanda Hartmann: Building Language in AAC
5 pm ET	Do you have kids on your caseload who barely seem to notice you? It can be super hard to get these kids to engage in language-building play. Join me as I share practical tips for building interaction and play skills in beginning AAC users! Chana Feinstein: How to Get Beginning AAC users to Interact With You	Miriam O’Sullivan: Children with Autism as AAC App Designers	The are time when “less is more.” AAC is not one of those times! Increasing availability vocabulary on the main page, increases Motor automaticity and reduce key stoke and the time it takes to gereate a novel utterance. Amber DeVine-Stinson: When More is BETTER: Increasing Motor Automaticity & Decreasing Page Navigation
6 pm ET	At the end of the conference we'll open up the Slack chat rooms to whatever topics people would like to discuss. If you have a big question or want to find like-minded thinkers, grab a room and keep the conversation going! Breakout Groups (check Slack for details)