This module helps SLPs better support AAC users’ full participation in society. It includes four readings written or co-written by AAC users, and addresses four key areas of adult life: safe housing, relationships, service access, and meaningful activities. The module supports interaction with the authors, and promotes self-reflection and professional action by the SLP
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Learning Outcomes
You will be able to:
- Describe four key goals of adult life for all individuals, including AAC users
- Describe the importance of considering alternatives to speech for autistic individuals
- Describe both high-tech and low-tech approaches that can be used to support communication for individuals who have had a traumatic brain injury (TBI)
Prerequisites
None
Assessment Type
Throughout the module, you will be directed to write brief self-reflection texts after reading an article/watching a video. At the end of the module, you will write and submit
- a question or comment for one of the authors, and
- a description of an action you plan to take to address one of the issues described in the 4 papers.
Accommodations
If you need special accommodations, please contact Kelly Webb at kdw5@psu.edu.
Target Audience
Speech-language pathologists looking for evidence-based strategies in AAC and who work with individuals with complex communication needs.
More Information
For more information about this program, please contact Kelly Webb at kdw5@psu.edu.
Grievances and Complaints
If you have a complaint regarding registration, delivery process and procedures, facilities, access, service, or any other grievance about the program please submit your written complaint via email to Kelly Webb at kdw5@psu.edu within 30 days after program completion. Upon request, Kelly will provide a copy of how complaints are addressed for any continuing education program offered by the Penn State Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders.
Affirmative Action and Nondiscrimination
Please visit https://affirmativeaction.psu.edu/welcome/statements/ to view information regarding affirmative action and Penn State’s nondiscrimination policy.
If you do not have an ASHA Member Number or are not an ASHA certificate holder, please review the following link which contains ASHA’s Eligibility to Earn ASHA CEUs Online Form. This should be completed as part the reporting process.
Contents in This Course
- The importance of alternatives to speech for autistic individuals
- corbin, endever*. (2025). Speech is exhausting. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 41(3), 245–247. https://doi.org/10.1080/07434618.2025.2513907
- Supports and barriers to community participation for adults who use AAC
- McNaughton, D., Rackensperger, T., & McLemore, L. (2025). Supporting meaningful participation in society by adults with developmental disabilities who need and use AAC: lived experiences, key research findings, and future directions. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 41(3), 250–263. https://doi.org/10.1080/07434618.2025.2504497
- AAC for people with ALS
- Nazareth, G. (2025). Speaking from the heart: a story about innovation, resilience, and infinite possibilities with AAC. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 41(3), 248–249. https://doi.org/10.1080/07434618.2025.2508491
- AAC for people with traumatic brain injury (TBI)
- Ramirez, P. (2025). Alternative ways to access AAC technologies. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 41(3), 297–299. https://doi.org/10.1080/07434618.2025.2513902
Grievances and Complaints
If you have a complaint regarding registration, delivery process and procedures, access, service, or any other grievance about the program please submit your written complaint via email to Kelly Webb at kdw5@psu.edu within 30 days after program completion. Upon request, Kelly will provide a copy of how complaints are addressed for any continuing education program offered by the Penn State Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders.
Time Ordered Agenda (based on word count and Moodle data)
(based on word count and video run time; word count calculated on ASHA CEU Calculation Worksheet)
- 86 minutes: McNaughton et al (2025), 8600 words
- 5 minutes: Participant questions and comments for McNaughton et al – 500 words
- 21 minutes: Corbin (2025), 2100 words
- 9 minutes: Participant questions and comments for Corbin – 900 words
- 8 minutes: Nazareth (2025) 800 words
- 2 minutes: Participant questions and comments for Nazareth – 200 words
- 29 minutes: Ramirez (2025), 2900 words
- 2 minutes: Participant questions and comments for Ramirez – 200 words
- 14 minutes: Learner Assessment (1400 words)
- 3 minutes: Feedback (322 words)
TOTAL: 3.0 – 180 minutes
Disclosures and Author Information
The Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Augmentative and Alternative Communication (RERC on AAC) is a multi-site team of researchers, individuals with disabilities, clinicians, engineers, clinicians, educators, and professions who share the goal of researching and designing AAC that meets the communication and participation needs of individuals with disabilities. The contents included in this module were developed under grants from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grants # 90RE5017, #90REGE0014). NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contents do not necessarily represent the policy of NIDILRR, ACL, HHS, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.
None of the authors have a financial interest in the AAC applications discussed in this module.
- David McNaughton – no financial or non-financial disclosures related to report
- endever* corbin – no financial or non-financial disclosures related to report
- Tracy Rackensperger – no financial or non-financial disclosures related to report
- Lance McLemore – no financial or non-financial disclosures related to report.
- Lance McLemore – no financial or non-financial disclosures related to report.
- Godfrey Nazareth – no financial or non-financial disclosures related to report
- Pancho Ramirez – no financial or non-financial disclosures related to report