ISAAC hosts many informative and well-attended webinars each year.

Registration for live webinars is open to everyone.

All webinars, unless otherwise indicated, are recorded and will be made available for later viewing. Most are archived for members only. You can see the members only archive here.

Become a member of ISAAC to watch all of ISAAC’s webinars!

 

Upcoming webinars

 

 

 

                           

 

Challenges to Gestalt Language Processing

and Considerations for AAC

June 4, 2025

7:00-8:00 p.m. EDT

 

Presented by: Cheryl Fletcher, M.A., CCC-SLP, BCBA and Tiffany L. Hutchins, PhD

 

About the presenters:

Cheryl Fletcher is a licensed speech pathologist, Board Certified Behavior Analyst, holds a certificate in Assistive Technology Applications, and is a LAMP WFL certified professional (language and motor planning). She has over 30 years’ experience working with autistic clients and individuals with complex communication needs. She is certified in the Hanen Parent training programs and has run numerous programs for parents of children with communication delays. She has published and presented nationally and internationally on communication issues in autism and on AAC. She also provides independent educational evaluations (IEEs) for students, assessing their speech, language, social communication and AAC needs.

Dr. Hutchins has researched the relationships from parent-child interaction strategies to child language and social-cognitive development. Her work is broadly concerned with the social origins of language with the goal of understanding and supporting communication in neurodiverse populations. She has developed and validated new measures of social cognition that are widely used in research and practice and has investigated the efficacy of story-based interventions to support social cognition. Most recently, Dr. Hutchins examined the role of autobiographical memory in social communication and has designed translational practices to support its development and expression in autism. Dr. Hutchins teaches courses in the development of spoken language, psycholinguistics, and language disorders.

 

Seminar description: 

In this presentation we review fundamental challenges to the notion of ‘gestalt language processing’ in spoken development. These include definitional and conceptual difficulties, assessment issues, theoretical problems, a lack of an empirical base, and the nature of the language support recommendations arising from the Natural Language Acquisition (NLA; Blanc, 2012, 2022) protocol. We then argue that the application of NLA to AAC demands caution: AAC must be respected as a different modality that presents different constraints and affordances compared to spoken language. This, in turn, gives rise to specific concerns for adding ‘gestalts’ to a device that may prove counter therapeutic. We will describe the considerations that drive our concerns while urging caution around the application of NLA protocol to AAC. We will also address those areas in which we may sometimes agree with the therapeutic techniques promoted by some NLA advocates.

 

Moderated by:  Elizabeth Speaker-Christensen

 

SLPs who are USSAAC/ISAAC members may have their participation in this webinar reported for ASHA CEUs at no charge. Non-members must pay a $25 reporting fee.

This course is offered for 0.10 ASHA CEUs (Introductory level; Professional area).

 

Participants will be able to:

1. Describe definitional and conceptual problems surrounding the term “gestalt” in its application to the NLA framework.
2. Discuss the impact of the NLA approach on AAC systems and possible consequences of proposed preprogramming of systems.
3. Identify evidence based therapeutic techniques that support language development in young AAC users.

 

Time-ordered agenda:

  5 minutes:  Introduction of speakers, USSAAC and topic

10 minutes:  What is GLP? What are some challenges?

10 minutes:  Where is the theory? Spoken language? AAC use?

10 minutes:  AAC as a different modality and the constraints

10 minutes: The issues with adding gestalts

10 minutes:  Q & A

 

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) CEUs in speech-language pathology and audiology are awarded by the ASHA CE Registry upon receipt of the CEU Participant Form from the ASHA Approved CE Provider, USSAAC. CEU Participant Forms are available online at Registration or via the QR Code displayed during the presentation. ASHA CEUs are provided to full registrations. This program is offered for .10 ASHA CEUs (Introductory Level, Professional Area). Participants must stay for the entire presentation and complete the questionnaire at the end of the webinar.

 

ASHA Disclosures:

Speakers

Financial:

Cheryl Fletcher received an honoraria for a workshop on the topic of GLP and AAC

Tiffany L. Hutchins has no financial disclosures to report

Nonfinancial: 

Cheryl Fletcher has no non-financial disclosures to report.

Tiffany L. Hutchins has no non-financial disclosures to report.

 

Moderator

Financial:

Elizabeth Speaker-Christensen has no financial disclosures to report.

Nonfinancial:

Elizabeth Speaker-Christensen is a USSAAC member and on the Membership Committee.  She is a LAMP Certified Provider and an adjunct professor at DePaul University.

 

To register for this webinar please go to the following link:

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_9tWneviLQAC8sZq_1mG6ug

Please note: Only the first 150 attendees to log into the webinar will be guaranteed spots.

 

Download the flyer

 

USSAAC EDUCATION COMMITTEE:

Betsy Caporale, Kate DeJarnette, Nicole Gallagher, Richard Hurtig,

Mili Mathew, Michelle Phillipy, Wendy Quach, Sharon Redmon

 

 

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“The AAC classroom” (Communication comes in different forms)

June 18, 2025

7:00 – 8:00 pm EDT

Presented by:

Aryana Napoleon-Patenaude, Teacher/SLP (Summit School-Montreal)

Mariska Burger, SLP (Summit School-Montreal)

Leslie Levinson, Teacher (Mackay Center School-Montreal)

Trish Coffin, SLP (Mackay Center School-Montreal)

 

About the presenters:

	Aryana Napoleon-Patenaude is a bilingual Montreal local who completed her Master’s in Speech-Language Pathology at McGill University. She is a certified S-LP with the Ordre des Orthophonistes et audiologistes du Québec (OOAQ), with a special interest in the implementation of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC).
	Mariska Burger is a certified Speech Language Pathologist from the Netherlands. She graduated in 1999 from the Hogeschool Limburg and currently works at a school for neurodivergent students in Montreal QC, Canada. She has a specific interest in the area of Augmentative and Alternative Communication for students who present with an Intellectual Disability and/or Autism.
	Leslie Levinson has been a teacher at the Mackay Center School since 1990.  She created the first Augmentative and Alternative Communication class in 1998 and has been working with students with Complex Communication Needs since then.
	Trish Coffin is a Speech-Language Pathologist who has specialized in AAC for 25 years. She works with pediatric AAC clients at the Lethbridge-Layton-Mackay Rehabilitation Centre. She previously worked at AAC clinics in Mississauga and Ottawa, Ontario. She also taught Introduction to AAC to Masters S-LP students at McGill University in Montreal, for 7 years.

 

Webinar description: 

In this webinar a panel of four AAC professionals will address questions around their specific AAC setting. All professionals work in or with specialized AAC classrooms in either schools for neurodivergent students or students with physical disabilities and communication disorders. The questions will cover an array of topics including how classrooms are setup and how materials have been adapted. In addition, the panel will address AAC challenges and benefits identified in their specific environments.

 

Webinar Objectives:

1. Participants will learn about how a classroom can be adapted to encourage academic progress, language learning and communication skills through AAC.
2. Participants will learn about challenges and benefits when running an AAC classroom.

 

Time Ordered Outline

5 minutes:  Introduction of Speaker and topic Moderator

40 – 45 minutes:  Questions to address: 

1. Can you describe your specific AAC setting and give us a sense of your students?
2. Can you describe how you have adapted the classroom and the curriculum to facilitate language learning and communication?
3. Can you describe challenges you have encountered in your setting?
4. Can you describe the benefits you have identified for the students in your  AAC classroom?

  10 minutes: Q & A

 

Disclosures: 

All four professionals are employed by their respective schools.

No financial/non-financial disclosures.

 

To register for this webinar please go to the following link:

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_JngXUFOtR5CeLg8X97uinQ

 

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Strategies for Success: Applying and

Obtaining a USSAAC Minigrant

July 9, 2025

7:00 – 8:00 p.m. EDT

Presented by: Amy Goldman, MS, CCC; Krista Davidson, MS, CCC; Tami Altschuler, MA, CCC

Moderated by: Patrick Regan

 

About the presenters:

		Patrick Regan (moderator): Patrick Regan has been an AAC user for about 27 years, having acquired his speech disability, and his first speech-generating device just after his second birthday. In addition to his current role as USSAAC President-Elect, Patrick has been actively involved as a member of USSAAC’s AAC Awareness Committee and as a member of USSAAC’s DEIA Committee. He is also a member of ISAAC’s LEAD Committee and a frequent chat moderator for ISAAC’s Chats for PWUAAC. Patrick is employed as a Media Tech Coordinator, and a Senior Media Tech for St. John United Methodist Church in Anchorage, Alaska.
		Amy Goldman (panelist):  Amy has served in various capacities on the USSAAC Board of Directors, where she is currently Past-President. As a member of USSAAC’s Development Committee, Amy serves on USSAAC’s minigrant review committee. Amy specialized in AAC services and pre- and in-service training about AT and AAC, and has been a vigorous advocate for people with complex communication needs throughout her long career.
		Krista Davidson (panelist): Krista Davidson is a clinical professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at The University of Iowa. She specializes in the education and supervision of graduate student clinicians in the treatment and evaluation of clients with AAC needs across the lifespan. Krista is also the co-chair for the Disaster Relief Committee for USSAAC and the creator of the communication app RescueVoice.
		Tami Altschuler (panelist): Tami Altschuler, a speech-language pathologist and Clinical Specialist in Patient-Provider Communication at NYU Langone Medical Center, leads initiatives to integrate communication access into standard patient care. As a PhD student in Rehabilitation Sciences at NYU, her research focuses on the factors at provider and organizational levels that lead to healthcare disparities among individuals with newly acquired or chronic communication disabilities. Tami co-developed and now co-facilitates the USAAC Speaker Connection. She is a published author and lecturer on both national and international stages.

 

Seminar description:

Did you know USSAAC members can apply for a mini grant? Two opportunities are available: one for Amplifying AAC Voices and one focused on emergency preparedness and response.  Learn application requirements and strategies for getting your proposal approved.  Panelists include past mini grant recipients who will describe their funded work. Email minigrants@ussaac.org to learn more. Register today!

 

Seminar objectives:

1. List two requirements for funded minigrants.
2. Describe the role fo people who use AAC in successful applications.
3. Provide an example of how an applicant’s capacity to implement their proposal may be described.

 

Time-ordered agenda:

  5 minutes:  Introduction of speakers, USSAAC and topic (Patrick Regan)

7 minutes:  Overview of Minigrant for Emergency Preparedness and Response: purpose, requirements, and process (Amy Goldman)

8 minutes:  Emergency Preparedness and Response Minigrant Recipient (Krista Davidson)

7 minutes:  Overview of Amplifying AAC Voices Minigrant: purpose, requirements, and process (Amy Goldman)

8 minutes: Amplifying AAC Voices Minigrant Recipient (Tami Altschuler)

10 minutes: Walk through the application forms and rubrics

10 minutes:  Q & A (Patrick Regan and panelists)

 

Disclosures:

Financial: Krista Davidson and Tami Altschuler received funding from USSAAC for their projects.

Non-financial: All presenters are USSAAC members.

 

To register for this webinar please go to the following link:

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_MFkdKZ4gQ2yY7kXaHXxMvQ

Please note: Only the first 150 attendees to log into the webinar will be guaranteed spots.

 

USSAAC EDUCATION COMMITTEE:

Betsy Caporale, Kate DeJarnette, Nicole Gallagher, Richard Hurtig,

Mili Mathew, Michelle Phillipy, Wendy Quach, Sharon Redmon

 

 

 

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Information about ISAAC webinars