Beyond the Gestalt: Understanding Communication, Supporting Autonomy, and Building Self-Advocacy
Abbey Romeo from "Love on the Spectrum", her speech-language pathologist, Ryann Sutera, and her mom, Christine, talk openly about Abbey's gestalt language journey and what it has taught them all about communication. Explore how understanding gestalt language processing can transform the way we interpret and support neurodivergent communication with Abbey Romeo, Christine Romeo and Ryann Sutera. Through Abbey's communication journey, we'll examine how gestalt development and the use of visual communication can support self-advocacy.
Speakers
Abbey Romeo is best known for appearing in 4 seasons of the Netflix’s Emmy Award winning “Love on the Spectrum”. She is a social media influencer with over 3 millions followers on multiple platforms and is an global autism advocate. She has appeared on the Kelly Clarkson show singing her original song, Boyfriend Forever and more recently sang live with Kristin Bell performing a duet from Frozen and at the Hollywood Bowl opposite Conan O’Brien. She has received the Netflix award Reality Star On The Rise, Best Buddies Achievement in Media Award and has appeared on many international press outlets including, The Today Show, BBC, Rolling Stone, and People
Disclosure: Abbey is being compensated by AbleNet, Inc. for her participation in this live webinar.
Ryann Sutera, MS, CCC-SLP is a speech-language pathologist, educator, and founder of Support the Spectrum, a neuro-affirming practice. Ryann specializes in supporting neurodivergent individuals and their families, with a particular interest in gestalt language processing (GLP), autism, ADHD, AuDHD, AAC, apraxia, and executive functioning. Her work centers on understanding communication as more than simply the production of words; taking careful consideration into her client’s and caregiver’s interests, regulation and unique ways of making meaning. Through clinical practice and advocacy, Ryann works to help clinicians and families recognize and support authentic communication. She is particularly passionate about helping professionals move from asking, “How do we get this person to communicate?” toward asking, “How is this person already communicating, and how can we support them in being understood?”
Disclosure: Ryann is being compensated by AbleNet, Inc. for the development and presentation of this live webinar. She is the creator of Support the Spectrum and receives compensation from the sale of resources available for purchase on the Support the Spectrum website.
Christine Romeo is an honors graduate of the University of Massachusetts. Her life took a dramatic shift when Abbey was diagnosed with autism at 2.5 years old. She has spent 25+ in the front lines of autism interventions serving as Abbey’s advocate. Christine is now an international speaker presenting with Abbey and advocates for autism awareness. She appears in the Emmy winning Netflix series “Love On The Spectrum” for 4 seasons with Abbey and has built a global audience of followers on all platforms sharing insights and observations on parenting autism and how to build independence and a life after age 18.
Disclosure: Christine is being compensated by AbleNet, Inc. for her participation in this live webinar.
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
Caregivers
AAC Teams
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
Identify three characteristics of gestalt language processing in a client's communication.
- 02
You’ll be able to
Describe two ways communication partners can use context, experiences, and observed communication patterns to better understand a client's gestalts.
- 03
You’ll be able to
Explain two strategies for supporting self-advocacy through nonspoken means, such as music, art, or AAC.
The full 1 hour
Your learning path.
- 1
Welcome and Abbey's communication journey: All communication is connection.
0-10 minutes - 2
Christine's many hats: When to step in and when to step back.
10-15 minutes - 3
Abbey's communication through a GLP lens: True/false questions and how her visual dictionary helped communication partners better understand her unique language.
15-28 minutes - 4
Music and self-advocacy: Self-advocacy through song, starting with accessible supports.
28-41 minutes - 5
Resources, regulation, and building tolerance: Practical tools for communication, participation, and self-advocacy.
41-51 minutes - 6
Joy, humor and advocacy: Why laughter belongs in this work, and Christine's YouTube space.
51-58 minutes - 7
Closing: Abbey has the final word.
58-60 minutes
Earn ASHA CEUs in three steps
Free courses, ASHA CEUs when you opt in.
Register & attend
Register in under a minute and join us live.
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.
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