Teaching Skills Starts with Safety: AAC, Co-Regulation, and Emotion Coaching in Practice

Presenter(s)

Event Details

Topic:

autism spectrum disorder (ASD)

Format:

hands-on session (participant-provided devices)

Subject Level:

intermediate

Age Span:

infant / toddler
preschool
kindergarten - grade 6
grades 7-12
adult

Target Audience:

AT specialist
autism specialist
consultant
educator
family member / caregiver
occupational therapist
paraprofessional
special educator
speech language pathologist

Professional Development Credits

IACET CEUs:

0.01

ACVREP CEs:

1

Presentation Length: 1 hour

Location:

Verandas 6, 8

Description:

This session will guide participants through a neurodiversity-affirming approach to supporting individuals who engage in unsafe behaviors by integrating AAC, co-regulation, and emotion coaching. Participants will first explore how dysregulation impacts communication, learning, and safety, and will examine common underlying causes such as sensory needs, communication breakdowns, and environmental factors.

The presenter will demonstrate preventative strategies that support regulation before escalation, including visual supports, environmental modifications, and proactive AAC implementation. Participants will then learn and practice co-regulation strategies that reduce demands, support nervous system regulation, and promote re-engagement without relying on verbal language.

The session will transition into emotion coaching, where participants will learn how to support individuals in identifying emotions, labeling causes, and developing self-advocacy skills. Concrete examples of language supports and communication strategies will be provided.

Participants will examine AAC system design and programming for emotional expression, regulation, and self-advocacy, including practical examples such as break requests, sensory communication, and problem-solving language. Accessibility considerations for individuals with motor, sensory, and cognitive differences will also be addressed.

Participants will engage in case-based problem solving and leave with practical tools, AAC programming ideas, and strategies that can be immediately implemented across settings.

Learning Outcomes:

As a result of this activity, participants will be able to:

• Participants will apply co-regulation and emotion coaching strategies to support self-advocacy and regulation across environments.

• Participants will identify AAC and AT tools and features that support communication during dysregulation and reduce unsafe behaviors.

• Participants will design and implement AAC programming strategies that build self-advocacy, emotional expression, and regulation skills

Disclosures:

Financial Disclosure:
James Phillip A. Engracia, MA, CCC-SLP, is a salaried employee of Encompass (nonprofit pediatric therapy organization). He has received compensation for presenting workshops, webinars, and conference sessions related to AAC, assistive technology, and speech-language therapy. He does not receive financial support from AAC device or software companies and has no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities producing products discussed in this presentation.

Non-Financial Disclosure:
James Phillip A. Engracia holds a Washington State Speech-Language Pathology license and maintains the Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC-SLP) through the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.