ISAAC Conference

Creating a More Inclusive Rehab: AAC Access for Adults with Acquired Injuries
2025-10-28 10:00 - 11:00 (America/Toronto) | Online (Zoom)
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Session ID: 21
Objectives:
Participants will be able to:
1. Identify ways that augmentative and alternative communication can benefit adults with acquired injuries in inpatient and outpatient settings.
2. Describe how a patient’s communication needs change throughout their recovery and across the continuum of care.
3. Describe the ways that augmentative and alternative communication can assist in promoting patient independence and self-advocacy.
4. Discuss implementation of various communication options for a variety of diagnoses.

Empowering Communication Through Eye Gaze and Access Technologies: Innovations in AAC for Individuals with Complex Needs
2025-10-28 10:00 - 11:00 | Online (Zoom)
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Session ID: 27
Objectives:
Participants will be able to:
1. Describe the technical principles of eye gaze access and how understanding these principles may change how you position and evaluate clients using eye gaze.
2. Demonstrate the ability to assess, select, and customize eye gaze AAC systems based on individual user needs, including motor, cognitive, and visual considerations.
3. Analyze new and emerging technologies and evidence-based practices in eye gaze AAC to support improved communication outcomes across diverse clinical populations.

Bridging evidence-based feature-matching with a "single preferred AAC system" within schools
2025-10-28 10:00 - 11:00 | Online (Zoom)
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Session ID: 124

Objectives:
Participants will be able to:
1. Identify 6 components of feature matching described by Schlosser’s PESICO template.
2. Compare and contrast 3 aspects of the stakeholder perspective of classroom educators and school system administrators within the feature matching process.
3. Describe 3 AAC features required for the intervention of aided language input across a classroom or whole school environment.
4. Compare and contrast how any two AAC systems best match to the needs of the user, environment, stakeholders, and intervention.

The effects of unaided alternative and augmentative communication interventions on communication in children with autism spectrum disorder
2025-10-28 10:30 - 11:00 | Online (Zoom)
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Session ID: 84
Objectives:
Participants will be able to:
1. Describe the effects of unaided AAC on expressive, receptive, and social communication in children with ASD.
2. Discuss the implications for clinical practice with children with ASD using AAC.
3. Identify current research gaps and future directions in unaided AAC intervention for children with ASD.

Communication Matters: Setting up a Mentoring Programme for, and run by, AAC users.
2025-10-28 10:30 - 11:00 | Online (Zoom)
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Session ID: 91
Objectives:
Participants will be able to:
1. Define what an AAC Mentor is.
2. Identify two or more other skills that can benefit qualified AAC mentors.
3. Discuss two or more positives and negatives of running an AAC Mentoring scheme.
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Alzar la Voz: Desarrollar la Autodeterminación
2025-10-28 10:30 - 11:00 | Online (Zoom)
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Session ID: 115
Objectives:
1. Esta presentación aumentará el conocimiento de los participantes sobre el desarrollo de habilidades de autodeterminación en usuarios adultos de CAA.
2. Como resultado de esta presentación, los participantes aprenderán cómo implementar el cuestionario “Framing a Future”, una herramienta que permite establecer diferentes objetivos en varias áreas de la vida de un usuario de CAA.
3. Como resultado, los participantes comprenderán el valor de contar con un sólido grupo de apoyo entre pares en la comunicación, para que un usuario de sistemas aumentativos y alternativos (CAA) pueda desarrollar habilidades de autodeterminación.
4. Como resultado, los participantes comprenderán cómo el planteamiento de objetivos a futuro afecta emocionalmente a un usuario de CAA.

Objectives:
Participants will be able to:
1. Discuss the development of self-determination skills in adult AAC users.
2. Explain how to implement the “Framing a Future” questionnaire, a tool that helps set goals across various areas of life for AAC users.
3. Discuss the value of having a strong peer support group in communication, enabling AAC users to develop self-determination skills.
4. Describe how future goal-setting emotionally affects AAC users.

Communication Matters - Tips, Tools, & Strategies for the RCMP on a National Scale
2025-10-28 10:30 - 12:00 | Online (Zoom)
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Session ID: 74
Objectives:
Participants will be able to:
1. Describe the key components of the current Communication Matters pilot project.
2. Discuss the development of a national education initiative for the RCMP, based on the guiding questions.
3. Identify strategies and tools that support effective communication between law enforcement and individuals with communication disabilities.
4. Identify barriers and possible solutions to accessing law enforcement services.

Voices Across Borders: Inclusive and Culturally Grounded AAC Innovations in Arabic-Speaking Countries
2025-10-28 11:00 - 11:30 | Online (Zoom)
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Session ID: 2

Objectives:
Participants will be able to:
1. Identify key challenges and barriers to AAC implementation in Arabic-speaking countries, including cultural, linguistic, economic, and systemic factors.
2. Describe the current state of awareness, training, and access to AAC among professionals, families, and users across the Arab world.
3. Evaluate culturally responsive and inclusive strategies for improving AAC accessibility and effectiveness in Arabic-speaking countries.
4. Formulate actionable recommendations for advocacy, policy reform, and professional development that support advancement of AAC services in linguistically and culturally diverse contexts.

Empowering Marginalized Voices: Inclusive AAC Strategies Through Technology and Community-Based Advocacy
2025-10-28 11:00 - 12:00 | Online (Zoom)
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Session ID: 10

Objectives:

Equity in Expression: Hot Topics and Bold Moves in AAC Practice
2025-10-28 11:00 - 12:00 | Online (Zoom)
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Session ID: 14
Objectives:
Participants will be able to:
1. Explain why an AAC User should be given access to a large grid size with icons in consistent places
2. Provide 3 reasons why an AAC User might stim on their device
3. Explain why an AAC User should be given access to vocabulary related to slang, humor, and health

AAC in the Mainstream: Innovative Approaches to Inclusion and Access
2025-10-28 11:00 - 12:00 | Online (Zoom)
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Session ID: 94
Objectives:
Participants will be able to:
1. Describe strategies to help instruct students in a general education setting on using AAC with peers in various classrooms.
2. Identify possible candidates in various settings to implement and participate in an inclusion program.
3. Summarize an outlined plan to implement an inclusion program in their own setting.
4. List activities targeting social skills to create connections between general education and special education populations.

Supporting the Mental Health and Wellness of Children and Youth with AAC at School: What are we doing? What needs to be done?
2025-10-28 11:00 - 12:00 | Online (Zoom)
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Session ID: 108
Objectives:
Participants will be able to:
1. Discuss the unique challenges faced by students who need AAC and how these challenges might impact their mental health and wellbeing.
2. Identify three current approaches to supporting mental health and wellness for children and youth who need AAC while reflecting on further actions that may be needed.
3. Describe strategies and steps that school stakeholders can implement to help to ensure students who need AAC are meaningfully included in mental health and wellbeing initiatives.

The Remarkable Impact of Hiring AAC Users as Paid Speakers
2025-10-28 11:00 - 12:00 | Online (Zoom)
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Session ID: 117
Objectives:
Participants will be able to:
1. Identify key benefits of hiring AAC users as paid speakers.
2. Describe strategies for accessible and empowering speaking opportunities that center AAC user autonomy and lived expertise.
3. Explore approaches to partnering with AAC users in a way that respects communication needs, preferences, and professional contributions.

Using adapted Q-Methodology to elicit the preferences of persons with aphasia regarding communication strategies to support end-of-life decision-making
2025-10-28 11:30 - 12:00 | Online (Zoom)
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Session ID: 95
Objectives:
Participants will be able to:
Upon completion of this presentation, delegates will be able to:
1. Explain the importance of AAC strategies in supporting persons with aphasia to make end-of-life decisions;
2. Describe Q-Methodology as a research strategy to elicit the views of participants;
3. Describe how AAC adaptations to Q-Methodology can facilitate the participation of persons in need of AAC in research aimed at eliciting their views

Speech-Language Pathologists Approach to Goal Writing for AAC: A Survey Study
2025-10-28 20:00 - 20:30 | Online (Zoom)
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Session ID: 17
Objectives:
Participants will be able to:
1. Identity linguistic, operation, social, and strategic goals that may be used for children who use AAC.
2. Describe the results of a national survey of speech-language pathologists that explored goal writing practices.
3. Discuss the clinical implications of the results of the national survey of speech-language pathologists relative to goal writing for AAC services.

Look at my photos: establishing common ground in photo-mediated multimodal interactions involving a child with complex communication needs
2025-10-28 20:00 - 20:30 | Online (Zoom)
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Session ID: 32
Objectives:
Participants will be able to:
1. Identify multiple communication modalities utilized by the child with CCNs in interactions to negotiate and establish common ground.
2. List multimodal strategies professionals can strategically use to promote participation and autonomy in therapy.
3. Describe the role(s) of photos in multimodal interactions involving the child with CCNs.

Tale of Two Districts: Including Everyone & Adopting a Universal Language System Approach
2025-10-28 20:00 - 20:30 | Online (Zoom)
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Session ID: 78
Objectives:
Participants will be able to:
1. Describe what is meant by a universal first approach to providing AAC supports and services across a school district.
2. Describe the thinking that resulted in each district choosing PODD an the universal language approach.
3. Identify three benefits that the districts identified when reflecting on their journeys.
4. Explain why a developmental evaluation approach was appropriate for this type of systematic implementation of AAC.

Decolonizing AAC
2025-10-28 20:00 - 21:00 | Online (Zoom)
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Session ID: 3
Objectives:
Participants will be able to:
1. List at least 3 things every clinician or educator should be asking clients and families about their language use
2. Describe at least 3 cultural differences between mainstream American culture and Indigenous cultures of North America
3. Identify at least 2 ways to include languages other than English in their work with clients.

Finding My Child's Voice: A Parent's Journey to AAC
2025-10-28 20:00 - 21:00 | Online (Zoom)
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Session ID: 7
Objectives:
Participants will be able to:
1. List examples of tech barriers for AAC users
2. List examples of how AI can do more for AAC users
3. List practical steps to support AAC therapy now and in the future

BINGO! Promoting AAC Engagement through Family Game Nights
2025-10-28 20:00 - 21:30 | Online (Zoom)
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Session ID: 119
Objectives:
Participants will be able to:
1. Identify at least 2 ways that experienced AAC users can help lead group online game/social activities.
2. Identify at least 2 game/social activities that can occur in hybrid (in-person and virtual) settings.
3. Identify 2 benefits of peer-led social activities.

Utilization of a Single Preferred AAC System in US Schools
2025-10-28 20:30 - 21:00 | Online (Zoom)
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Session ID: 24
Objectives:
Participants will be able to:
1. Describe the historical AAC assessment processes.
2. List the stakeholders typically involved in AAC assessments.
3. Summarize the practices being used in schools that use single preferred AAC systems.

Communication partner training considerations for patients who utilize AAC for communication to assist with reducing abandonment
2025-10-28 20:30 - 21:00 | Online (Zoom)
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Session ID: 44
Objectives:
Participants will be able to:
1. Identify 3 barriers to AAC carry-over identified by caregivers.
2. List 3 different evidence-based caregiver training approaches for AAC.
3. Describe cultural factors related to feature matching with AAC.

Persistent Gaps and Promising Practices: Employment Experiences of Canadians with Speech Disabilities
2025-10-28 20:30 - 21:00 | Online (Zoom)
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Session ID: 62
Objectives:
Participants will be able to:
1. Describe the employment-related barriers experienced by Canadians with speech disabilities across the employment lifecycle.
2. Explain how current employment systems and practices often overlook the communication needs of individuals with speech disabilities.
3. Discuss actionable strategies for improving employment inclusion and equity.

Exploring an Increase in Frequency of Intervention in Homecare with New AAC Users
2025-10-28 21:00 - 21:30
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Session ID: 18
Objectives:
Participants will be able to:
1. Describe results of a burst of therapy
2. Identify the benefits of having a burst after first receiving an AAC device
3. Discuss implications of a burst of therapy

Effectiveness of Parent Instruction in Partner-Augmented Input via Tele-practice on Parent and Child Interaction
2025-10-28 21:00 - 21:30
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Session ID: 19
Objectives:
Participants will be able to:
1. Identify benefits of partner instruction
2. List benefits of partner augmented input
3. Summarize effectiveness of parent instruction via tele-practice

Moving from the Margins to the Center: Advancing Inclusive Qualitative Research Practices with AAC Users
2025-10-28 21:00 - 21:30 | Online (Zoom)
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Session ID: 48
Objectives:
Participants will be able to:
1. Describe common methodological approaches used in qualitative research studies that have successfully included AAC users as participants over the past decade.
2. Discuss emerging best practices and recommended strategies for designing inclusive, accessible qualitative research protocols that accommodate the communication needs of AAC users.
3. Discuss how to support the inclusion of AAC users in research by recognizing their role as valuable and essential contributors to the evidence base in AAC and related fields.

From Access to Achievement: Standards-Based Goals that Support AAC Inclusion
2025-10-28 21:00 - 22:00 | Online (Zoom)
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Session ID: 15
Objectives:
Participants will be able to:
1. Identify relevant academic standards and deconstruct them into component skills to inform individualized, standards-aligned educational goals for students who use AAC
2. Describe how to write functional, measurable educational goals that address both communication and academic needs across grade levels and educational settings
3. Describe how to apply evidence-based practices to embed AAC strategies—such as core vocabulary, aided language input, and multimodal communication—into standards-based instructional goals

Lenguaje Natural Asistido: Un Recorrido desde la Evidencia hacia la Experiencia en Contextos Hispanohablantes
2025-10-28 21:00 - 22:00 | Online (Zoom)
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Session ID: 98
Objectives:
1. Comprender los fundamentos teóricos y empíricos del Lenguaje Natural Asistido (LNA) como estrategia basada en evidencia para apoyar el desarrollo comunicativo de personas con necesidades complejas de comunicación.
2. Identificar los cambios recientes en la aplicación del LNA, incluyendo las variables que influyen en su efectividad: funciones comunicativas modeladas, intensidad, contextos de uso, y rol del interlocutor.
3. Reconocer los desafíos y barreras más frecuentes en la implementación del LNA en comunidades de habla hispana, especialmente en contextos educativos y familiares.
4. Explorar prácticas y adaptaciones efectivas desarrolladas por profesionales y familias en entornos hispanohablantes para aplicar el modelado con CAA de manera sostenida, significativa y culturalmente contextualizada.

Objectives:
Participants will be able to:
1. Explain the theoretical and empirical foundations of Aided Language Stimulation (ALS) as an evidence-based strategy to support communication development in individuals with complex communication needs.
2. Identify recent changes in ALS application, including variables that influence its effectiveness: modeled communicative functions, intensity, usage contexts, and the role of the communication partner.
3. Describe common challenges and barriers in implementing ALS in Spanish-speaking communities, especially in educational and family contexts.
4. Discuss effective practices and adaptations developed by professionals and families in Spanish-speaking environments to apply AAC modeling in a sustained, meaningful, and culturally contextualized way.

'I still have trouble with this': The Views of People with Rett Syndrome Regarding Communication and Literacy
2025-10-28 21:30 - 22:00 | Online (Zoom)
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Session ID: 56
Objectives:
Participants will be able to:
1. Explain common communication profiles of people with Rett syndrome.
2. Discuss how Talking Mats were used to support interview procedures.
3. Explain two clinical implications of the research to be applied when working with people with Rett syndrome.

The Journey to Developing a Regional Support Network: The Story of the Wisconsin (USA) AAC Network
2025-10-28 21:30 - 22:00 | Online (Zoom)
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Session ID: 96
Objectives:
Participants will be able to:
1. Identify and describe three core functions of the Wisconsin AAC Network.
2. Access and utilize public-facing resources from the Network, including recent newsletters and outreach materials.
3. Apply key principles from the Network’s formation to initiate or strengthen a local AAC support structure within their own community or country.
