We have been doing communication circles in schools for decades. Now is the time to get them going at home. This webinar will give ideas for supporting everyone in the family-parents, siblings, cousins, and grandparents-in learning your child's communication device, and getting better at modeling, and being a great communication partner. This will include activities for: exploring the communication system, playing games with the communication system, and learning how to model all day long. Participants will have access to a dropbox with a new idea shared every week for 2 months.

Communication Circles at Home:  It's A Family Thing!

This webinar will support families and professionals in supporting students, including students who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), in being active participants in science experiments. Science experiments offer students opportunities to: engage in active learning, see models of their AAC systems, talk with their AAC systems, and write with the alphabet before, during, and after the experiment. Focus will be on using the scientific method to scaffold learning about science. Join me for an overview of ways to engage your student, learn through exciting science experiments, and have FUN! Participants will have access to an 80+ page booklet on using experiments to support AAC, writing, and learning, and a link to a dropbox with additional science activities. I have worked with a number of companies providing free and paid consulting. This includes AbleNet, Assistiveware, Attainment, Don Johnston Inc, TobiiDynavox, Prentke-Romich/Saltillo, and Panther Technology. I own a company, AAC Intervention, through which I provide consulting services, presentations, books, and software. I am publishing a book on this topic through TeachersPayTeachers. However, I am making that book free to all participants of this webinar.

Science Experiments and AAC: Let's Blow Stuff Up and LEARN!

People who use communication devices must juggle multiple balls: WHO to talk to, WHEN to initiate, WHAT to say, and WHERE to find the language on their devices. Typically, instruction emphasizes primarily where to find language, resulting in poor generalization and limited initiation. This session will support students in learning to generalize the use of core language by supporting the following steps:<ul><li>Rehearse (WHERE to find language)</li><li>Practice (adding WHAT to say)</li><li>Model (adding WHO to talk to)</li><li>Go (generalizing, using devices in multiple settings, and considering all elements)</li></ul>

AAC: Building in Generalization: Rehearse, Practice, Model - GO!

Parents, teachers, and therapists would agree that music is a highly motivating medium for student learning. We also know that visual strategies support our struggling learners. Put this together, and we have 'songboards' to scaffold learning across the curriculum. This workshop offers new strategies for using songs with visual supports to scaffold literacy. This webinar will highlight independence, interaction, and important goals. The focus will be on supporting emergent and early conventional literacy learning for all students, with special strategies for students who use AAC. Targets include: concepts about print; phonological awareness at the word, syllable, and phoneme level; alphabet exploration and learning; story retelling; and syntax support. Participants will have access to a Dropbox with 5 sample songboards.

Using Songboards to Support Literacy:  Visual Supports and AAC!

This webinar will support families and professionals in helping students COMPOSE using their AAC systems, and WRITE using the alphabet! We will explore both process (how to support your students in composing and in writing with the alphabet), and product (how to create materials that are engaging and worth the effort!) We will talk about using devices and the alphabet to create light tech materials (e.g., bookmarks, PostIt books) that can be mailed to friends and family far away. We will also talk about creating easy high-tech materials (using apps &amp; fun websites) that can be sent instantly. Join me for an overview of ways to engage your student, make delightful materials, and have FUN!

Connecting Through WRITING:  Supporting Emergent Writers in Fun Writing Products

Parents, teachers, and therapists would agree that music is a highly motivating medium for student learning. We also know that visual strategies support our struggling learners. Put this together, and we have songboard to scaffold learning across the curriculum. This workshop offers new strategies for accessing songs, and for using songs to support learning. The focus of this webinar will be on: independence, interaction, and important goals. The focus will be on supporting language and communication for all students, with special strategies for students who use AAC. Targets include: supporting students in learning vocabulary, categorization, concepts, grammar, and question forms. This webinar will include lecture and demonstration.

Using Songboards to Support Communication: Focused on AAC

For students who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), learning the linguistic, operational, social, and strategic skills required to engage in successful interactive communication is challenging. One powerful strategy is developing Communication Circles or circles of peers who support AAC users in learning and practicing skills, generalizing AAC-related skills learned in therapy, and integrating AAC with curriculum objectives. Communication Circles support target students weekly, carrying out activities designed jointly by professionals and student team members. This workshop will provide an introduction to selecting target students and peers, and initiating a Communication Circle.

Dr. Caroline Musselwhite

SLP

AAC Intervention

Communication Circles at Home: It's A Family Thing!

$15

Certification | 1hr

Science Experiments and AAC: Let's Blow Stuff Up and LEARN!

$15

Certification | 1hr

AAC: Building in Generalization: Rehearse, Practice, Model - GO!

$15

Certification | 1hr

Using Songboards to Support Literacy: Visual Supports and AAC!

$15

Certification | 1hr

Connecting Through WRITING: Supporting Emergent Writers in Fun Writing Products

$15

Certification | 1hr

Using Songboards to Support Communication: Focused on AAC

$15

Certification | 1hr

AAC Communication Circles Intro: Developing Student Peer Support Teams

$25

Certification | 1hr