Illinois
SOCIAL INTERACTION AND COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE
SUPPORTED BY FOCAL POINT
photo photo
Treatment study focused on use of computer interaction to facilitate speech (left)

Professor DeThorne and two graduate students in Speech-language Pathology (right)

Past Event

April 20, 2012: Symposium on Activity-Based Approaches to Communication

sabac2012

This is a one-day symposium focusing on play-based communication and social interaction designed to be of interest to clinicians, teachers, researchers and caregivers.

Invited Speaker

Kathryn Drager, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the Pennsylvania State University in Pennsylvania, USA. Her research interests include augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) and applications for beginning communicators, including young children, individuals with severe developmental disabilities, and children with autism.

Talk Title and Abstract

AAC to Improve Social Interaction & Language Development for Beginning Communicators

This presentation will present research investigating an augmentative and alternative (AAC) intervention for beginning communicators to increase social communicative interaction and language development. Aided AAC applications and an interactive intervention strategy will be discussed for children with autism spectrum disorders and other disabilities, as well as older individuals with developmental disabilities. The design of AAC systems will be discussed, along with recommendations to improve design of systems to better meet the needs of beginning communicators with autism and other disabilities. Additionally, an intervention utilizing these design features within interactive play and meaningful activities will be demonstrated. Research results with young children and older individuals will be presented. Videotaped examples will illustrate the application of the AAC intervention with children and adults.

Co-Sponsors

Symposium Schedule

8:00-8:30 am Registration and Continental Breakfast
8:30-9:15 am Dr. Karrie Karahalios, Associate Professor of Computer Science and Co-Director for the Center for People and Infrastructures
9:30-11:30 am Session I: Dr. Kathryn Drager
11:30-1:00 pm Lunch Sessions: Small Group Discussions (Lunch provided; select discussion group on-site)
  1. Supporting social and emotional competence and preventing challenging behavior during activity based instruction for learners with a range of abilities
    Facilitator: Charis Lauren Price, Ph.D. Student in Early Childhood Special Education, University of Illinois
  2. Supporting social interaction by using structured play and learning tasks for children that are beginning communicators
    Facilitator: Tracy S. Gunderson, M.S. CCC-SLP, Clinical Instructor in Speech and Hearing Science, University of Illinois
  3. Supporting phonological and vocabulary development with AAC users
    Facilitator: Kristin L. Lyons, Ph.D. Student in Speech and Hearing Science, University of Illinois
  4. Facilitating social interaction for adolescent and adult beginning communicators
    Lisa Mellman, M.S. Student in Communication Sciences and Disorders, The Pennsylvania State University
1:00-3:30 pm Session II: Dr. Kathryn Drager
3:30-3:45 pm Closing Remarks

Location:

The Hawthorne Suites * 101 Trade Center Drive * Champaign IL 61820

5.5 Continuing Education Credits for:

Available on site

Cost:

To Register:

The Autism Program (TAP)
Doris Kelley Christopher Hall
904 W. Nevada St. MC-081
Urbana, IL 61801

If you have any questions, please contact one of us:

Volunteers: