Current Services

I love sharing what I have learned!

Presentations & Professional Learning

Looking for more direct support and guidance? I provide neuro-affirming, practical, and deeply engaging presentations focused on AAC implementation, gestalt language processing, and communication support for pediatric AAC users.

My goal is always the same: helping teams move toward communication approaches that build connections and are immediately usable in real-life settings.

Whether I’m speaking to school teams, SLPs, OTs, educators, parents, or interdisciplinary professionals, presentations are designed to leave attendees with both a shifted perspective and strategies they can begin using right away.

More On Speaking

    • AAC and Gestalt Language Processing

    • Neuroaffirming AAC Practices

    • AAC and Stimming

    • Modeling for AAC Users

    • Supporting Regulation Through Communication

    • What To Do When AAC Isn’t Working

    • AAC Implementation Across Environments

    • Language Development for Complex Communicators

    • Interdisciplinary Collaboration

    • AAC Coaching Model

    Custom topics and trainings are also available based on your organization’s needs.

    • Conferences

    • School districts

    • Professional development days

    • Parent trainings

    • Virtual workshops and webinars

    • Podcasts and guest speaking opportunities

    • University programs and graduate courses

    Both virtual and in-person options are available.

    • Neuroaffirming and strengths-based supports

    • Evidence-informed and clinically practical

    • Engaging, relatable, and easy to apply

    • Supportive of interdisciplinary collaboration

    • Centered around authentic communication experiences

Learn More About Me & Prior Speaking Engagements

Interested in bringing a presentation or training to your team, conference, or organization?

Please reach out through the contact form below or email me directly to discuss availability, presentation topics, and customized training options.

I’d love to collaborate with you.

Instead of a default voice, AAC users can now have a voice that actually sounds like them—their age, their identity, their personality. Right now, Personal Voice can be used with any AAC app that allows it to pull from the iOS personal voice from the accessibility setting (like the one shown here, which is the FREE @weavechataac If your AAC user can say just ten phrases, you can use THEIR voice and not the synthesized voice that comes with the app. It is a free option (compared to voice software options that can be 💵💵). So if you’ve never checked this setting… you might be missing a powerful option for your AAC user. Need instructions. Just comment “VOICE” and I will send them your way. Oh and be sure to hit the FOLLOW button for more AAC supports and resources!
If you’ve been around me for awhile you know how I feel. AAC stimming is not a problem to fix—it’s communication, regulation, and learning in action. When we write IEP goals that honor exploration, scripting, sensory needs, and pre
If you’ve been around me for awhile you know how I feel. AAC stimming is not a problem to fix—it’s communication, regulation, and learning in action. When we write IEP goals that honor exploration, scripting, sensory needs, and preferred language, we’re not lowering expectations… we’re making communication actually accessible. These are the kinds of goals that: ✨ respect autonomy ✨ support nervous system regulation ✨ build real, meaningful language If we want authentic communication, we have to stop trying to control how it “should” look and get curious and more detailed on what we see with AAC and preservative activations. Here are just a few goals I would use to make this shift. 👇 Save this for your next IEP meeting 💬 Drop in the comments which one you’re using with your AAC user/team. 🔁 Share with a team member who needs this shift ✨✨✨Want more support for AAC and stimming?Follow as something NEW is coming in the next few months✨✨✨✨
Writing goals around access and communication partners when we are meant to reflect everything around the AAC user’s performance can feel….well impossible. But when writing meaningful goals for AAC success we must consider the role com
Writing goals around access and communication partners when we are meant to reflect everything around the AAC user’s performance can feel….well impossible. But when writing meaningful goals for AAC success we must consider the role communication partners play (I mean we have to have two people to communicate right?) so we can make the justification that part of the process is making sure those best practice implementation strategies and AAC best practices are part of the goal. Wait time, acknowledgement, aided language input, and more. Include them in your goals so the partners KNOW they must be using it. Because if we don’t water the flower correctly, can we really blame it for now growing? Ive almost always got at least one or more of these types of goals for a new device trial. What do you think?! What other goals do you need help with?👇👇 Stay turned and be sure to follow as we compete this goal writing series and explore more AAC supports together. ❤️
Thought it was time for another goal series where we explore how we can write goals that can help us see progress and help our AAC users enhance communication skills. This week we are going to dive into 3 of the biggest AAC barriers you might see a
Thought it was time for another goal series where we explore how we can write goals that can help us see progress and help our AAC users enhance communication skills. This week we are going to dive into 3 of the biggest AAC barriers you might see and 5 goals to help you break though that barrier. The first. AAC user interest. “But they aren’t interested in AAC so what’s the point of us using it?” Let’s shift both our minds (everyone needs to communicate) and our goals (see these 5️⃣ examples). Ive left these pretty generic but would absolutely be more specific based on what I know from my baseline data and the AAC user in front of me. Takeaway: If you aren’t seeing progress, take a step back and measure what YOU are doing and can do in smaller increments. *note these goals are not individualized nor written in a “smart” format to copy/paste. Please see my other posts on all that’s required for a “smart goal” and modify to include any added representation forms and information on measurable methods.* Questions? Want other goals? Drop your thoughts in the comments and follow for the rest of this series and more AAC support. 👇👇👇
I repeat, We are NOT giving up on speech. AAC is not the “last resort.” It’s not something you try after everything else fails. It’s a bridge to communication. A support for language. A way to reduce frustration and increas
I repeat, We are NOT giving up on speech. AAC is not the “last resort.” It’s not something you try after everything else fails. It’s a bridge to communication. A support for language. A way to reduce frustration and increase connection—right now. We have to move away from the idea that speech is the only goal… because communication is so much bigger than that. When we introduce AAC, we’re not taking something away. We’re adding access. We’re opening doors. We’re saying: you deserve to be heard in any way that works for you. And here’s the truth—AAC doesn’t stop speech. It supports it. Research tells us that it can in fact help increase spoke words. It doesn’t need to be scary. It can be for anyone who is struggling with reliability of their oral communication. 💬 Follow along for more AAC support 👇 Drop your questions or experiences with AAC below—I’d love to hear them
“I’m fine, it’s fine, everything is fine.” Tell me it’s not just me!?😆 why is it that mixing playdoh or kinetic sand turns an off day into a bad one? Seems to always be the tipping point lol. Drop your “im fine” moments in the comments and follow for more AAC innovations and relatable SLP highlights 🫠
Mindset is the first barrier to AAC. Not the device. Not the system. Not the child. If we walk in believing someone “isn’t ready,” “doesn’t understand,” or “doesn’t want to communicate,” we&rsquo
Mindset is the first barrier to AAC. Not the device. Not the system. Not the child. If we walk in believing someone “isn’t ready,” “doesn’t understand,” or “doesn’t want to communicate,” we’ve already limited what’s possible. Because AAC success isn’t just about access to a device— it’s about access to belief. Belief that communication can look different. Belief that language develops over time. Belief that every person has something to say. When we question whether someone wants to communicate, we’re not being cautious— we’re gatekeeping. Everyone communicates. Everyone deserves a system that honors that. The shift starts with us. That’s my AAC #1 truth. What’s yours?! 👇👇👇
…It’s just funny and all…🤨🤨🤨 Why are people still surprised or shocked that a student or child DOESNT have behaviors with an SLP or has a hard time transitioning away from them? When we feel safe and secure because our communication is honored and acknowledged and, in some cases access is given without having to earn it, we are calm and “behaviors” disappear. 🫠 It shouldn’t surprise us. Most times, and especially for individuals with complex communication, behavior is a form of universal communication when symbolic language or other modalities fail them. If you are finding challenging behaviors impeding communication progress please check these barriers first: ✅Access that is freely given and not earned ✅An environment that is safe and secure ✅Communication that is acknowledged Need research to break down these barriers & help others see the power in AAC?! Share these with them👇 Yau, S. H., Choo, K., Tan, J., Monson, O., & Bovell, S. (2024). Comparing and contrasting barriers in augmentative alternative communication use in nonspeaking autism and complex communication needs: multi-stakeholder perspectives. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 15, Article 1385947. Edgar, T. C., Schlosser, R., & Koul, R. (2024). Effects of an augmentative and alternative communication intervention package on socio-communicative behaviors between minimally speaking autistic children and their peers. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 33(4), 1619–1638. Donaldson, A. L., Corbin, E., & McCoy, J. (2021). “Everyone Deserves AAC”: Preliminary study of the experiences of speaking autistic adults who use augmentative and alternative communication. Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, 6(2), 315–326. Want more help to breakdown barriers for the AAC users you support? Hit the FOLLOW button and share this reel with a friend.
Two things can be true. AAC best practice lives in the overlap—not in extremes. Multimodal learning and supports with communication can happen at the same time. Stimming and language access can coexist. Barriers to AAC use are real—and th
Two things can be true. AAC best practice lives in the overlap—not in extremes. Multimodal learning and supports with communication can happen at the same time. Stimming and language access can coexist. Barriers to AAC use are real—and they are not the communicator’s fault. Explicit teaching and implicit language learning both matter. We need to be aware of both and avoid pitfalls with examining HOW our AAC user learns best. When we stop forcing “either/or” thinking, we make space for access, autonomy, and real communication. Follow for more AAC tips and share with a friend who needs this support/reminder. Did I miss any “yes/and” statements? Add them below 👇
Back into our GLP AAC series. Here are some possible Blippi-inspired gestalts and mitigations you might consider for an AAC user who loves B-L-I-P-P-I. Quick reminder, these are not targets or gestalts automatically — they’re examples o
Back into our GLP AAC series. Here are some possible Blippi-inspired gestalts and mitigations you might consider for an AAC user who loves B-L-I-P-P-I. Quick reminder, these are not targets or gestalts automatically — they’re examples of potential meaningful language that can support gestalt language processors in their development. This post is part of an ongoing series exploring GLP + AAC through familiar media. 👉 Follow for more examples in the series 👉 Want more info on GLP & AAC, comment GUIDE for the FREE intro course. 👉 You can also find the full GLP AAC Course I authored at www.meaningfulspeech.com Let me know in the comments if there is other media you want to see next 👇👇 Let’s keep honoring gestalt communicators with curiosity, respect, and joy. 💬✨
Instead of a default voice, AAC users can now have a voice that actually sounds like them—their age, their identity, their personality. Right now, Personal Voice can be used with any AAC app that allows it to pull from the iOS personal voice f
If you’ve been around me for awhile you know how I feel. AAC stimming is not a problem to fix—it’s communication, regulation, and learning in action. When we write IEP goals that honor exploration, scripting, sensory needs, and pre Writing goals around access and communication partners when we are meant to reflect everything around the AAC user’s performance can feel….well impossible. But when writing meaningful goals for AAC success we must consider the role com Thought it was time for another goal series where we explore how we can write goals that can help us see progress and help our AAC users enhance communication skills. This week we are going to dive into 3 of the biggest AAC barriers you might see a I repeat, We are NOT giving up on speech. AAC is not the “last resort.” It’s not something you try after everything else fails. It’s a bridge to communication. A support for language. A way to reduce frustration and increas
“I’m fine, it’s fine, everything is fine.” Tell me it’s not just me!?😆 why is it that mixing playdoh or kinetic sand turns an off day into a bad one? Seems to always be the tipping point lol. Drop your “im fine
Mindset is the first barrier to AAC. Not the device. Not the system. Not the child. If we walk in believing someone “isn’t ready,” “doesn’t understand,” or “doesn’t want to communicate,” we&rsquo
…It’s just funny and all…🤨🤨🤨 Why are people still surprised or shocked that a student or child DOESNT have behaviors with an SLP or has a hard time transitioning away from them? When we feel safe and secure because our commu
Two things can be true. AAC best practice lives in the overlap—not in extremes. Multimodal learning and supports with communication can happen at the same time. Stimming and language access can coexist. Barriers to AAC use are real—and th Back into our GLP AAC series. Here are some possible Blippi-inspired gestalts and mitigations you might consider for an AAC user who loves B-L-I-P-P-I. Quick reminder, these are not targets or gestalts automatically — they’re examples o

Looking For Free Learning Opportunities?

I regularly share free tips, strategies, and education on AAC, gestalt language processing, sensory processing, and communication support over on Instagram at @aacinnovations. Come learn alongside me.

Have a general question?

Let me know and reach out, and I will do my best to get back to you in a timely manner.