#TalkingAAC 2022
Pre-Conference Workshops
Join us October 4 & 5 for your choice of two amazing workshops! Each workshop costs $50 and takes place LIVE on Zoom.
In the morning, we welcome Kelly Key to share with us ideas on increasing family involvement with AAC. This workshop is titled Tips for Increasing Family Involvement & Supporting Follow Through with AAC at Home.
Learn how one unit school district (grades EC through Transition) provides coaching, training, activities and resources for families to help them gain comfort and confidence with supporting their child who uses AAC. Parent involvement begins before device implementation in an effort to empower families and create a partnership. The SETT framework for AAC consideration is utilized as a springboard for ongoing collaboration. Providing ongoing training, support and resources once their child obtains a device is imperative for AAC success in all environments. These two mornings will be filled with many tips, resources, and activities (both in person and virtual options) that you will be able to share and implement with your student's families right away!
Kelly Key is the Assistive Technology Coordinator for the Barrington School District (EC-Transition) in Barrington, Illinois. She has worked in the field of special education for over 25 years. Kelly has been in her current role (Assistive Technology Coordinator) for over 16 years. She has also served as an administrator for 13 years as a Special Services Facilitator and Assistant Principal. Prior to becoming an administrator, she taught special education students with multiple needs for 9 years. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Special Education, a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Special Education, and a Certificate of Advanced Study in Educational Leadership as well as an ATACP (Assistive Technology Applications Certificate). Kelly presents at local, state, and national conferences and colleges on various assistive technology topics.
Learn how one unit school district (grades EC through Transition) provides coaching, training, activities and resources for families to help them gain comfort and confidence with supporting their child who uses AAC. Parent involvement begins before device implementation in an effort to empower families and create a partnership. The SETT framework for AAC consideration is utilized as a springboard for ongoing collaboration. Providing ongoing training, support and resources once their child obtains a device is imperative for AAC success in all environments. These two mornings will be filled with many tips, resources, and activities (both in person and virtual options) that you will be able to share and implement with your student's families right away!
Kelly Key is the Assistive Technology Coordinator for the Barrington School District (EC-Transition) in Barrington, Illinois. She has worked in the field of special education for over 25 years. Kelly has been in her current role (Assistive Technology Coordinator) for over 16 years. She has also served as an administrator for 13 years as a Special Services Facilitator and Assistant Principal. Prior to becoming an administrator, she taught special education students with multiple needs for 9 years. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Special Education, a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Special Education, and a Certificate of Advanced Study in Educational Leadership as well as an ATACP (Assistive Technology Applications Certificate). Kelly presents at local, state, and national conferences and colleges on various assistive technology topics.
Our afternoon pre-conference workshop features Dr. Kathryn Dorney. This workshop is titled: AAC Vocabulary Considerations for Children with Autism, Complex Communication needs, and Other Extensive Support Needs
Children with autism, complex communication needs, and other extensive support needs require substantial individualized instruction, consistent support, and individualized ways to acquire, maintain, and generalize new skills and conceptual understandings. Their unconventional forms of communication and negative expressions are often viewed as maladaptive and disruptive. Further, many educators and therapists believe they lack communicative intent. This virtual two-day session will focus on AAC as a support for this group of children with an emphasis on vocabulary considerations. Topics to be discussed include vocabulary learning, aided language input, attributing communicative meaning, and core vocabulary within a relationship-based framework. The role of multi-faceted AAC interventions with consideration of receptive language, the theory of gestalt language processing, and research on speech segmentation will be discussed.
Kathryn E. Dorney, Ph.D. CCC-SLP is an advocate, clinician, educator, and researcher with over 25 years of clinical experience as a speech-language pathologists in early learning programs, public schools, private practice, and families’ homes. She recently obtained her Ph.D. from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she worked at the Center for Literacy and Disabilities Studies. Her research interests include early communication and emergent literacy for children with extensive support needs.
Children with autism, complex communication needs, and other extensive support needs require substantial individualized instruction, consistent support, and individualized ways to acquire, maintain, and generalize new skills and conceptual understandings. Their unconventional forms of communication and negative expressions are often viewed as maladaptive and disruptive. Further, many educators and therapists believe they lack communicative intent. This virtual two-day session will focus on AAC as a support for this group of children with an emphasis on vocabulary considerations. Topics to be discussed include vocabulary learning, aided language input, attributing communicative meaning, and core vocabulary within a relationship-based framework. The role of multi-faceted AAC interventions with consideration of receptive language, the theory of gestalt language processing, and research on speech segmentation will be discussed.
Kathryn E. Dorney, Ph.D. CCC-SLP is an advocate, clinician, educator, and researcher with over 25 years of clinical experience as a speech-language pathologists in early learning programs, public schools, private practice, and families’ homes. She recently obtained her Ph.D. from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she worked at the Center for Literacy and Disabilities Studies. Her research interests include early communication and emergent literacy for children with extensive support needs.