Connecting & Communicating with Young Learners with Autism Through AAC – Part 1
In this session, participants gained a framework outlining the central role of social-emotional foundations in building communication skills for young learners with autism. Participants engaged with "connection concepts" like engagement, regulation, and relatedness and explored pre-linguistic AAC modalities. Participants identified strategies to maximize outcomes.
Presented by
Tanna is a speech-language pathologist with over 15 years of experience supporting children and young adults with complex learning needs. In my work as an early interventionist, AAC consultant, and coach at Summit AAC & Autism Support, I provide online tutoring to children and young adults learning to connect and communicate and 9ffer coaching to families and teams supporting complex communicators across their daily lives. As the founding director at AACcessible - a nonprofit organization driven to improve global access to AAC through education, advocacy, awareness, and action- I lead a board of volunteers and contributors with a similar heart to serve the AAC and special needs communities. At AACcessible, we are building a robust "village" and resource library of free and low-cost training, digital tools, and support services for those touched by communication challenges and other barriers to living and learning. Tanna receives a salary from Dynamic Therapy Associates as an AAC SLP and Trainer, and consulting fees as a private consultant for Summit AAC & Autism Support. Tanna also receives a teaching stipend for adjunct courses with the University of Washington and honorariums for select speaking engagements at conferences and on teaching platforms. Tanna is the founding director at AACcessible & The AAC Academy, where she receives a commission for the sale of courses she have authored.
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
Behavior Specialists
Educators
Parents & Caregivers
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
Define and discuss the "connection concepts" of regulation, relatedness, and engagement.
- 02
You’ll be able to
Describe at least two ways in which each of the connection concepts explored in this session impacts language and AAC learning.
- 03
You’ll be able to
Discuss at least two ways to enhance one's understanding of a learner's regulation and engagement needs.
The full 1 hour
Your learning path.
- 1
5 minutes Introduction, Disclosures, & Objectives
- 2
10 minutes Framework Overview
- 3
40 minutes "Connection Concepts" & "AAC Snapshots"
- 4
5 minutes Question & Answer
Earn ASHA CEUs in three steps
Free courses, ASHA CEUs when you opt in.
Register & attend
Register in under a minute. Join live or watch on-demand, whichever fits your schedule.
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.
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