Identifying and Navigating Initial AAC Challenges

Live Webinar via Zoom

60 minutes

Introductory

Supporting AAC can feel complicated and frustrating, even when everyone is doing their best. This webinar takes a practical look at common barriers to AAC success and reveals small strategies that bring meaningful outcomes. Explore gentle, evidence-based alternatives that support autonomy, engagement, and connection for immediate use across school, clinic, and home settings.

Instructor:

Lauren Enders Gonzales, M,A, CCC-SLP

This course was designed for:

Families, educators, SLPs, and other AAC supporters

Continuing Education

Course ID:

EA-2601

Contact Hours:

➡️ REGISTER for Identifying and Navigating Initial AAC Challenges (EA-2601)

ASHA Continuing Education

ASHA Course ID:

ABPJ2601

ASHA CEUs:

0.1

This course is offered for 0.1 ASHA CEUs (Introductory level, Professional area).

Learning Outcomes

Participants will leave the session being able to:

List three specific AAC approaches that families commonly use with good intentions but that slow down communication progress.
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Name two reasons why well-meaning family members might accidentally create barriers to their child's AAC use.
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Choose one assessment question from a provided list that helps identify if current AAC strategies need adjustment.
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Select two gentle conversation starters from provided examples to discuss AAC changes with families without causing defensiveness.
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State one way to respect a family's cultural values while suggesting a different AAC approach.

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Time-Ordered Agenda

0:00 – 0:10 | Introduction & Common AAC Implementation Barriers

0:10 – 0:35 | Evidence-Based Alternatives That Support Autonomy

0:35 – 0:50 | Practical Strategies for Immediate Implementation

0:50 – 1:00 | Q&A and Self-Assessment Wrap-Up

About Your Instructor

Lauren Enders Gonzales smiling at the camera.

Lauren Enders Gonzales, M.A., CCC-SLP is a Speech-Language Pathologist, Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) and Assistive Technology (AT) Specialist with over 30 years of experience in a school setting.

Speaker Disclosures

Engaging AAC Solutions, LLC: Lauren Enders Gonzales is the founder and owner of Engaging AAC Solutions, LLC and receives financial compensation from this entity.
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The NIKA Project: Lauren serves as a member of the Board of Directors for The NIKA Project in a non-financial capacity.
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Relevant Course Content: No relevant financial or non-financial relationships exist with commercial AAC companies or specific product vendors for the content presented in this course.

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Satisfactory Completion Requirements

To finish the course and earn a certificate of completion, participants must:

• Attend the full webinar; attendance will be tracked automatically by Zoom; partial credit will not be available for this course.
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• Complete and submit the self-assessment/course feedback form by 11:59 PM EDT on Sunday, October 11, 2026.

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➡️ REGISTER for Identifying and Navigating Initial AAC Challenges (EA-2601)