Spring AAC Assessment Compass Training Series

ABOUT THIS COURSE

The AAC Assessment Compasstraining series is  a four part, introductory course designed  to provide speech-language pathologists and other communication professionals a stepwise framework to guide execution of the core elements of a comprehensive augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) assessment.   This course is designed for beginning to intermediate communication professionals with a firm foundational understanding of typical communication development and no experience or limited experience with AAC assessments.  This series includes 12 hours of synchronous instruction conducted via live, online classes and 4 hours of self-paced, guided, asynchronous learning through assigned readings, structured discussions, and extended learning activities.

INSTRUCTOR

Tannalynn Neufeld, MS, CCC-SLP

Tanna is an SLP graduate of Nova Southeastern University and a Washington and Florida State licensed and ASHA certified speech-language pathologist and AAC consultant with over 15 years of clinical experience working with children who use AAC. She is an assistant teaching professor and clinical educator at the University of Washington and operates a private, AAC consulting practice in Seattle, offering pro bono and donation-based, tele-consulting to improve access to AAC support for professionals, communicators, and families. She has presented nationally at continuing education conferences, as well as locally to support school districts and private organizations in the Seattle area. Tanna is former president of the Northwest Augmentative Communication Society and mentors professionals across the country who wish to learn how to support assessment and intervention for communicators learning language with the support of AAC. She is founder and president of AACcessible Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving access to AAC-related education, support, and resources for professionals, communicators, and families across the globe.

FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES

• Founder and President of AACcessible Foundation and this website, www.aaccessible.org.
• Receives an honorarium for live and on-demand trainings on AACcessible and other continuing education sites.  A portion of this honorarium supports AACcessible projects. ​
• Receives donations for private consulting services offered through consulting practice and sister company, Seattle AAC. A portion of these donations support AACcessible projects.
• Receives revenue from products sold on Teachers Pay Teachers and Boom Learning under via storefronts, Teaching from the Trenches and SLP in the Trenches.      A portion of this revenue supports AACcessible projects.
• Earns a salary as a faculty member of the University of Washington.
• Creates products that are sold on AACcessible and generate revenue to further the mission and vision of the organization.   A portion of proceeds from these products support overhead costs for AACcessible and mission projects.

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NON-FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES

• Founder, director, president of AACcessible.
• Member of ASHA and ASHA SIG 01, 11, and 12.
• Admin for Facebook pages and groups, Seattle AAC, Tannalynn Neufeld MS, CCC-SLP, AACcessible, AAC Made Easier, AAC Materials Made Easier, Peds SLP, AAC and Telepractice/Tele-Ed, AAC and ABA.
• Contributing Editor for SLP Nerdcast.

COURSE SCHEDULE

This live training series meets on the follow dates:

• Saturday, April 10, 2021,      9:30 AM -12:30 PM Pacific Standard Time
• Saturday, May 8, 2021,        9:30 AM -12:30 PM Pacific Standard Time
• Saturday, June 5, 2021,       9:30 AM -12:30 PM Pacific Standard Time
• Saturday, July 12, 2021,       9:30 AM -12:30 PM Pacific Standard Time

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Upon completion of each part of this series, learners will establish the following objectives and use a combination of assessment methods to determine growth across objectives.

Part 1:  Functional Communication Assessment

1. Utilize a communicative independence framework (The “AAC Journey Framework”) to guide AAC  assessment planning and execution.
2. Identify at least three assessment strategies to assist in intervention planning and AAC feature matching for complex communicators in the earliest stages of communication  development.
3. Define and describe at least three core assessment areas essential to effective feature matching for complex communicators with varying abilities.
4. Develop and execute an effective communication assessment plan to inform the next steps in the AAC assessment process (Feature Matching, System Design, and Trial).
5. Identify resources for further development of functional communication and access screening skills.

Part 2:  AAC System Feature Matching

1. Utilize an AAC assessment framework (The “AAC Compass Framework”) to guide your AAC assessment from      functional communication to feature matching.
2. Identify and describe core AAC features available in no tech, light tech, and high tech AAC tools on  the market.
3. Make connections between communication skills and needs and AAC system features to select systems for trial (the AAC Featuring Matching process).
4. Apply prior learning about communication skills and needs and features in a case exploration assignment to further ability to apply concepts to practical problems.
5. Identify resources for further knowledge of AAC features and current AAC tools and strategies to enhance feature matching skills.

Part 3:  AAC System Design & Customization

1. Utilize an AAC assessment and intervention framework (The “AAC Compass Framework”) to guide your AAC      assessment from feature matching to system selection.
2. Identify at least three vocabulary selection strategies to support communicative growth for AAC users at the earliest stages of communication development.
3. Identify and describe  essential considerations for effective language arrangement to support the unique needs of AAC users at different stages of communication development.
4. Identify at least three customization areas to consider for communicators with vision or motor limitations.
5. Identify resources for ongoing development of AAC customization skills.

Part 4:  AAC System Trials, Decision,  & Delivery

1. Utilize an AAC assessment framework (The “AAC Compass Framework”) to guide your AAC assessment from AAC System Design to AAC System Trial and beyond.
2. Establish and execute an effective plan for system trial with core, evidence-based AAC practices at the center.
3. Demonstrate understanding of family-centered strategies to support final system recommendations.
4. Identify resources to support report writing, data management, and system funding.
5. Identify resources to continue development of AAC intervention skills.

COURSE MATERIALS

Textbook: The digital text, AAC Assessment Compass  Field Guide  is required and included with the course registration fee.  Students will receive a code to download this digital guide in their confirmation email following registration.  This guide will be referenced throughout the course and used for extended learning assignments completed asynchronously.  This text is copyrighted and should be shared with others outside of this course.

Handouts:  Students will receive digital access to handouts for each lecture to assist in note-taking and learning.  These will be provided as digital PDF downloads via a link received upon registration.  These handouts are copyrighted and should not be shared with others outside of this course. Class Materials can be found here.

Virtual Classroom:  Students are encouraged to join the web or mobile version of the virtual classroom for this series to ask questions and participate in extended learning between classes. Participation is strongly encouraged but not required. You can request to join the virtual classroom here,

EXPECTATIONS

Students

Attend 4 synchronous classes:  Learners are expected to attend all schedule, synchronous classes for the duration of the class (3 hours each class for a total of 12 hours across all four classes).  In addition to synchronous instruction via live lecture and discussion during class times, students will have assigned readings and extended learning activities to complete independently or as a small group.  Classes will be held via video conferencing at a link provided in email confirmation following registration.  Classes will meet at the same link each time.

Review assigned readings:  Readings are expected to take up to a total of  3 hours to complete and are distributed throughout the series. All assigned readings are taken from the AAC Assessment Field Guide and are outlined in detail in the Course Outline section below.  Students are expected to complete the readings prior to each class and reference these readings as needed to foster understanding of the course content.

Participate in case  assignment and  class discussions:  Class discussion will take place during class time via polls and other interactive learning activities. Students are expected to participate in these activities to foster their understanding of the content. This participation, however, is not monitored and up to the discretion of the student.

Students will also work on a cumulative project (Case Assignment) throughout the series, completing portions alongside lecture during synchronous class time and remainder during asynchronous time (an hour outside of class distributed across the series).

• Case Assignment:  Each student will work independently on a Case Study      Worksheet throughout the training series and submit a completed worksheet with the final quiz after completing the last class in the  series.  The completed Case Worksheet is due within 48 hours of the  Part 4  class date.  Students will receive feedback on their  completed document.  Full credit is provided to those who submit a  completed worksheet on time.

Complete 4 Quizzes:  A short quiz and survey will be assigned following each synchronous class to further check understanding of course content.  A passing score of 80% or greater on each class quiz (total of four quizzes, not cumulative but focused on the content presented in the corresponding class)  is required to receive a certificate for completion of the series and CEU credit.  Each student will have two opportunities to complete each class quiz.  Quizzes must be completed within 48 hours of the class date.

Instructor

The instructor will reserve 10 minutes of synchronous class time for questions.  She will also be available for asynchronous questions during scheduled, virtual office hours (held via video conference, once per month during the series)  and within the virtual classroom space provided at the start of the series.  Questions posted in the virtual classroom will be addressed within 72 hours of posting. Details regarding office hours are provided during the first class time in the series.

CONTINUEING EDUCATION CREDIT (CEU's)

This series offers a total of 16 Certification Maintenance Hours (CMH) or 1.6 CEU's.   Participants who wish to receive ASHA CEU's for this training series must meet the following requirements:

• Hold ASHA CCC in good standing and provide their full name, address, and ASHA number upon registering for the series.
• Attend all schedule, synchronous class times for the duration of class (3 hours each class, a total of 12 hours across the series)
• Complete all assigned readings and the Case Study assignment, submitting the completed assignment at the end of the series.
• Complete a quiz following each class with a score of 80% or greater.  Quizzes will be based on assigned readings and lecture content presented during live training classes.