Course Description

Course Description: AAC implementation extends far beyond teaching vocabulary and operating a communication device. Designing implementation strategies that assume potential, presume competence, and expand participation requires communication partners who recognize that language develops through curiosity, responsive interaction, shared experiences, and collaborative meaning-making. This interactive course provides a practical exploration of AAC implementation strategies that support access, participation, literacy, co-construction, and authentic communication for individuals with complex communication needs. Through clinical stories, research, practical demonstrations, and reflective discussion, participants will examine how everyday implementation decisions can either expand or unintentionally narrow shared meaning, language development, authorship, and human connection. Participants will leave with practical strategies for supporting communication across evaluation, intervention, communication partner coaching, literacy, and emerging technologies while preserving communicative intent, agency, and authentic expression.​

Cost: Free

Audience
This course is developed for SLPs, OTs, PTs, teachers, TVIs and other professionals supporting school-aged children or adolescents with significant disabilities. No prerequisite learning or materials required

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Course Completion Requirements

• Attend the entire 6-hours
• Complete a Self-Assessment
• Submit a Course Evaluation

Learning Objectives: 
Participants will: 

• Describe the role of co-constructed communication in language development, communicative competence, and AAC implementation.
• Analyze AAC interactions using a gate-opening perspective to identify how communication partner practices may expand or unintentionally narrow shared meaning, participation, authorship, and authentic communication.
• Apply evidence-informed AAC implementation strategies that support multimodal communication, language development, communication partner coaching, and responsible AI use while preserving communicative intent, agency, and authentic voice.​
  

Instructor Information

Brenda Del Monte

​MA, CCC-SLP

Brenda Del Monte is a speech language pathologist and an assistive technology evaluator and facilitator. She worked as an SLP in Washington State public schools and is currently a private practitioner in Arizona, where she does AAC evaluations and trainings. Brenda Del Monte is a co-founder of Believe Beyond Ability, a non-profit organization that evaluates, determines, provides and trains those with multiple disabilities on assistive technology to increase independence. She is currently a co-host of the Awe and Wonder Podcast hosted by the Technically Speaking and Special Ed Tech Center.
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Instructor Disclosure: Brenda Del Monte receives payment from the Special Education Technology Center as speaker and consultant. She owns a company called Technically Speaking AAC and co-hosts and develops content for “Awe and Wonder AAC & AT Podcast”. She receives royalties from Amazon for the sale of her book “I See You In There”.

Time Ordered Agenda

​Comprehensive breakdown of course sections, activities, and completion metrics

Course Section

8:30–8:50 Why We Need to Rethink AAC Implementation
Introduce the course, the gatekeeper → gate opener philosophy, why AI forced us to examine assumptions we should have always questioned, and the guiding question: Does this interaction expand shared meaning and participation, or unintentionally narrow them? Introduce the three implementation questions participants will use throughout the day.

8:50–9:25Story 1: Human Connection Opens the Gate Three clinical stories will anchor the discussion on how we evaluate the quality of interactions, therapy sessions and growth.

9:25–9:50The Seven Types of Co-Constructed Communication
Using the previous stories, a visual framework of 7 types of co-construction will be identified and explained. Explain that these are not sequential steps but lenses through which implementation decisions can be examined.

9:50–10:05Break

10:05–11:15 Clinical Stories, Framework Analysis, Implementation Ideas
After each implementation idea, participants identify which types of co-construction occurred and discuss how the interaction either expanded or narrowed participation. Clinical stories will be provided to strengthen understanding.

11:15–12:00 Winging It!
Practical implementation ideas that require minimal prep time is what most participants are needing. This hour will rapid fire ideas that you can implement tomorrow, knowing that each one is engaging and effective.
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12:00–1:00 Lunch

1:00–2:00 Literacy as Co-Construction
Demonstrate how each literacy activity can simultaneously address multiple forms of co-construction. 

2:00–2:15 Break

2:15–2:45 Training Adults to Become Gate Openers
Parent coaching, educators, BCBAs, interdisciplinary teams, and adult learning principles. Participants analyze common therapy activities and redesign them to expand shared meaning and participation. 

2:45–3:30 Making it Fun! Fun and engaging activities will create buy-in with your client and their communication partners. Let's focus on building human connection through highly engaging implementation ideas.

3:30-4:00 AI-Mediated Co-Construction
Communication compression, authorship, identity, AI expansion, and ethical implementation. Clinical demonstrations showing how AI can support—not replace—human communication and preserve authentic voice.
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4:00–4:30 Application & Reflection
​Participants apply the framework to their own cases, identify implementation changes, develop action plans, and revisit the guiding question as a clinical reasoning tool.