Full-Day Workshop:

Create with Confidence: Practical Skills for Creating Meaningful Communication and Learning Supports for Diverse Learning Needs in Grid

Tuesday, 8:00 am – 3:30 pm – Atrium 7

Discover how empowering—and fun—creating and modifying communication and learning supports with AAC can be! This full day, hands-on workshop welcomes all experience levels to explore Grid’s creative flexibility while building meaningful communication and learning supports that students truly connect with. Through guided practice, you’ll learn to design, customize, and personalize grids using essential and advanced editing tools, AI powered features, and adaptable access options. We’ll explore existing grid sets, when to build or adapt, and how to design activities aligned with meaningful IEP goals. You’ll leave confident, inspired, and ready to use Grid as both a powerful communication system and dynamic instructional tool.

Michele Bishop, B.A., ATP, Alicia Alverson, MS, CCC-SLP, ATP, Brenda Del Monte, MA, CCC-SLP; Cassie Sementelli, MA, CCC-SLP.

1-Hour Presentation:

Rethinking Symbols in AAC: What We Know, What We Assume, and What Matters

Wednesday, 10:00 am – 11:00 am – Plaza 1

Graphic symbols sit at the heart of AAC—but how much do we really understand about how they support language and literacy? This session invites attendees into an engaging, research-informed conversation that challenges common assumptions about symbol learning. We’ll explore what matters most when choosing and teaching symbols, including transparency, iconicity, and the interplay between symbol knowledge and language development. Together, we’ll compare symbol types—from single-meaning, multi-meaning and semantically-coded symbols and the alphabet—to consider what symbols represent and how they shape different types of comprehension. Participants will be encouraged to rethink how symbols support (or sometimes hinder) literacy, and what mindful symbol use looks like in practice. The session concludes with practical clinical takeaways to guide evidence-based AAC assessment, intervention, and system design.

Alicia Alverson, MS, CCC-SLP, ATP; Amanda Grabiner, MS, CCC-SLP, ATP; Melanie Gylling, MA, CCC-SLP.

1-Hour Presentation:

Connect and Thrive: Scaffolding AAC from Childhood to Real-World Participation

Thursday, 11:30 am – 12:30 pm – Atrium 7

AAC doesn’t end with school- it supports how people engage in life. This session explores how AAC can be used to support participation in hobbies, relationships, daily routines, and self-expression across school, home, and community settings. Using AAC systems as a demonstration tool, presenters will highlight practical strategies for embedding meaningful, real-world communication opportunities into everyday environments. Emphasis will be placed on supporting transition from school-based AAC use to long-term outcomes in adolescence and adulthood. Attendees will gain actionable ideas to move beyond task-based communication toward supporting autonomy, identity, and participation, regardless of age, ability, or access method.

Alicia Alverson, MS, CCC-SLP, ATP; Amanda Grabiner, MS, CCC-SLP, ATP.