Goal Getters: Crafting Quality Objectives for High-Tech AAC (on-demand registration)

Presenter: Ann Bedard, Speech-Language Pathologist/ Assistive Technology Specialist

Relevant Financial Relationship: Ann is a salaried employee at EASTCONN, a regional education service center located in Hampton, CT. Her work is partially funded by the Connecticut Tech Act Project.

Relevant Non-Financial Relationship: Ann is a member of ASHA and helps facilitate a statewide AT/AAC Community of Practice.

Presenter Biography: For over a decade, Ann has worked as an Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) consultant across Eastern Connecticut schools (and beyond thanks to Zoom), to collaborate with and train educational teams in regards to selection and implementation of AAC in the educational environment. Prior to working with the Assistive Technology Team, Ann worked in the EASTCONN Related Services Group as a full-time school-based SLP. Ann also concurrently worked in the home setting to deliver speech-language services through EASTCONN’s Birth-to-Three program. She received her Bachelor’s degree from UConn and Master of Science degree from Southern Connecticut State University. While pursuing her graduate degree, Ann worked in the university’s Center for Adaptive Technology. She is grateful for having gotten the opportunity to work with individuals with special needs from birth through post-secondary education. She and her husband have a 9 year-old daughter and 6 year-old son.

Learner Outcomes

• Learners will identify two challenges with writing goals for people who use high-tech AAC
• Learners will identify two ways to improve pre-existing goals
• Learners will identify characteristics of high-quality goals

Agenda

• Introduction (5 minutes)
• Polls (5 minutes)
• Challenges to writing goals (8 minutes)
• Considerations (12 minutes)
• Applying considerations to pre-made goals (10 minutes)
• Crafting goals from scratch (10 minutes)
• Videos of goals being worked on (10 minutes)

Cost: Free

Audience: Assistants, Students, Early Career Professionals (under 5 years), Related Professionals, International Affiliates

Topic Area: Augmentative and Alternative Communication, Language and Learning in School-Age Individuals, Leadership and Professional Issues

ASHA CEU Requirements: Must complete the post webinar assessment with 80% accuracy. Unlimited attempts are allowed. Partial credit is not available.