ableU Live & Local-Seattle: AAC in Action
Join us for a fun and educational in-person event where you'll enjoy free food and drinks while learning practical strategies for integrating AAC into everyday life. This engaging panel discussion features SLPs from a variety of settings and a parent of a device user, sharing real-world insights on device implementation, effective parent training for increased carryover, and ways to foster collaboration across different settings. Don't miss this opportunity to connect, learn, and gain valuable tools for holistic, effective AAC support!
Panelists
Kelleen Dunley, MS, CCC-SLP is the Lead Speech-Language Pathologist at the University of Washington Autism Center with over 10 years of experience supporting autistic and neurodivergent individuals and their families. Her work spans speech, language, social communication, and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), with a particular passion for helping individuals develop communication systems that support autonomy, self-advocacy, and authentic self-expression.
Disclosure: Kelleen will receive payment for this event.
Emily Steenbergh is a school-based SLP with over 10 years of experience. Beginning her career in Detroit, Michigan, she has also provided services for students in the states of Hawai'i and Washington. In Hawai'i, Emily co-founded Malama Speech Therapy Services and coordinated care for students throughout all the islands, particularly in the most rural schools of Hawai'i. She collaborated with government officials to develop policies and procedures for Hawai'i's Department of Special Education. In Washington, Emily is now working with schools and families as the SLP on a preschool assessment team and in developmental preschools of the greater Seattle area.
Disclosure: Emily will receive payment for this event.
Izzy Montano is a former U.S. Navy Intelligence Specialist, a self-contracted speech-language pathologist serving the Arlington School District, and the founder of SLP AI Tools.
Disclosure: Izzy will receive payment for this event.
Danniell Horn is a special needs parent and advocate who believes that communication is a fundamental right. Since introducing an AAC device to her son Desmond's routine, she has focused on the power of daily modeling and bridging the gap between home, childcare, and community spaces. Danniell shares her firsthand experience navigating the technical, emotional, and practical sides of raising an AAC user, offering practical insights for other parents on the same path.
Disclosure: Danniell will receive payment for this event.
Built for you
Who this course is for
Every minute is written for working clinicians, educators, and families. You walk away with real-world tools to try with your next learner, not abstract theory.
Speech-Language Pathologists
Educators
AAC Teams
Communication Partners
After this course
What you’ll walk away with.
You leave with concrete skills and frameworks you can apply in your next session, classroom, or family visit, not just ideas to think about later.
Earn your CEUs
Attend the full course and pass the post-session assessment at 80% or higher. Your 0.1 ASHA CEUs are reported to ASHA when you opt in on the assessment.
- 01
You’ll be able to
Describe and apply effective strategies for fostering buy-in and empowering caregivers and educators to promote consistent AAC use and increase carryover across home, school, and community settings.
- 02
You’ll be able to
Discuss strategies for collaborating with professionals and caregivers to support AAC use across settings.
- 03
You’ll be able to
Identify and list at least two actionable strategies for AAC implementation in school, clinic, or home settings.
The full agenda
Your learning path.
- 1
Introduction
0-5 min - 2
Panel Discussion on AAC carryover strategies, collaboration strategies, and implementation strategies
5-50 min - 3
Wrap up and Q&A
50-60 min
Earn ASHA CEUs in three steps
Free courses, ASHA CEUs when you opt in.
Register & attend
Register in under a minute and join us in person.
Pass the assessment
Complete the short post-course assessment with 80% or higher to confirm mastery.
CEUs reported to ASHA
Choose to be reported on the assessment and your 0.1 ASHA CEUs are filed to ASHA for you. No paperwork, no chasing certificates.
Ready when you are
Save your seat. It’s free.
Registration is short and free: no credit card, no trial, nothing to cancel later.
Keep going
More in AAC Implementation
Build Capacity in AAC Implementation Across Environments by Shifting Mindsets
The need to build capacity while supporting students with complex communication needs is critical. SLP's and AAC teams need to deepen and expand their knowledge base in AAC implementation. Having the knowledge in the hands of one expert is not a sustainable model of support for AAC. To ensure a larger impact, we must move to a model that builds capacity. What tools and strategies can we use to shift the current expert mindset? Examples of how multiple district level teams embraced a capacity building model supported by a county level AAC team will be shared. Participants will be encouraged to consider their current state and determine what shifts can be made toward a capacity building model.
AAC and Transition: Life Starts at Twenty-One
This presentation discusses critical elements for a successful transition to adulthood. Does the AAC device transition with the student or is it owned by the school district? Do school age teams consider vocabulary selection for adult roles and relationships? We need to consider the goals of the individual. AAC users participate in a variety of adult contexts from college to the workplace. Planning needs to start well before the age of twenty-one.
Implementing the Use of AAC in the Classroom and School
Do you feel like your teachers are struggling to implement your techniques and strategies in the classroom? This training is for you! You will learn how to better serve and teach your classroom teachers and other general/special education teachers throughout your school to implement and use AAC in their classrooms. Through the implementation of AAC in the classroom setting, children have access to communication through a first-then board, picture communication system, speech-generating device, and more. We will explore the different options, when to develop/use them, and how to incorporate these tools into the educational setting and curriculum.