VIRTUAL CONFERENCE

2024 AAC Early Starts Conference, LIVE

FREE, LIVE, & VIRTUAL!
February 15, 2024 & February 16, 2024
(with On-Demand Options for Purchase)

If you are a parent or professional supporting a child five years or younger with complex communication needs, join us to learn and share at this third annual virtual learning event! Two days of live sessions with experts, AAC users, and caregivers sharing their knowledge & experiences!  

AACcessible and The AAC Academy by AACcessible are excited to host this third annual AAC Early Starts (AACES) Conference for professionals and families! The mission of this event is to promote awareness of and education on the holistic supports and services needed to maximize early intervention outcomes for children with complex communication needs. This conference will occur entirely online with live learning sessions and keynote speakers spanning two full days. Topics will focus on the unique needs of complex communicators aged birth through five years and the experiences of AAC users and families from this early stage in their AAC Journey. The scope of presentations will cover the whole child, lending knowledge, support, inspiration, and hope across domains of development. Leading experts across the fields of special education, early intervention, rehabilitation, and augmentative communication will join to share their knowledge and skills in this comprehensive, free, and live event!
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THE SCOOP

  • 20 LIVE presenters 
  • Professional & partner topics
  • Free access to the live event
  • Low cost access to recordings
  • CMH/PDH options available with recordings purchase or All Access Membership

Holistic & Natural Focus

Learn from professionals across developmental domains and the unique perspectives of families and AAC users as they reflect on the early stages of the AAC Journey.  

Better Outcomes

Improve support & service for the youngest complex communicators to secure a brighter future full of hope, joy, possibility and independence. 
#AACES2024 on-demand options

Want CMH/PDH?

Check out purchase options here! If you're an All Access Member, you get access to recordings & CMH/PDH for #AACES2024 FREE with your membership!
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DON'T MISS OUT!

Get #AACES2024 Access +

With your annual membership (just $100 per year!), you could get access to the entire library of conference recordings and CMH/PDH opportunities for less than half of the cost of purchasing each session recording individually. And the perks don't stop there! Members have access to over 50 other staple courses in our online library, with new content added monthly! Check it out!

2024 AACES Keynote Speakers

Inclusion ,Accessibility, & Alternative Access in the Preschool Classroom

Mary Katherine Dally, M.S., CCC-SLP, ATP
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Live Thursday Feb. 15, 2024
2:00 - 4:00 PM PACIFIC TIME
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Join this engaging session to learn how to design accessible communication, play, and learning opportunities for preschoolers with complex needs. After two hours with Mary Katherine Dally and her innovative DIY spirit, you'll be able to identify different access methods for your preschool students and explain a total access approach. You'll also grab tons of go-to,  play-based learning activity ideas to use with students of all abilities in your classroom, home, or therapy space tomorrow!

Routines-Based AAC Implementation for Young Children

Amy Starble, MS, CCC-SLP
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Live Friday, Feb. 16, 2024
8:30- 10:30 AM PACIFIC TIME
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Join this practical session to explore the use of a routines-based intervention (RBI) approach to support AAC implementation for children under 6 years of age. Amy will emphasize thoughtful acquisition of information about a child’s current participation and communication in daily routines through the use of routines-focused interviews and observations. From there, she'll walk through cases and examples to show you how to coach caregivers across settings as they work to embed AAC within a variety of daily routines. 

Pivotal Practices for
High Quality Inclusion

Megan Gallagher & Megan Cartwright, Educators
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Live Friday, Feb. 15, 2024
8:30- 9:30 AM PACIFIC TIME
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Through their innovative, research-based program implementation at The Rise School of Denver, these leaders have learned the inclusion ropes. This session will explore how to develop high-quality inclusion for preschool children by creating and planning an environment that promotes all dimensions of belonging (Dr. Erik Carter), embedding meaningful opportunities to build friendships, and pulling from various social-emotional frameworks that foster the development of a universal, supportive classroom environment.
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Conference Program

Explore the #AACES2024 Conference program, packed full of engaging sessions for everyone! This is a dynamic program that is subject to change, so check back frequently for the most up to date information.  

Conference Schedule

We have two full days of learning laid our for you here on the conference schedule! Portions of the schedule offer concurrent sessions (Classroom 1, Classroom 2)-it might be hard to choose! This is a dynamic schedule that is subject to change, so check back frequently for the most up to date information.

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Okay, I'm jazzed!  But I have a few questions...

Is this conference live?

Yep!  The full two days of the AACES Conference are live.  All sessions will be hosted virtually in the course platform at The AAC Academy.  

Bummer! I can’t attend live. Will sessions be recorded?

Yep!  All sessions will be recorded and launched in the course platform after the conference is finished.  Although you have free access to the live conference, on-demand access requires purchase of individual sessions or an All Access Membership.  

Do you offer CEU or CMH/PDH? 

Those attendees who are interested in certification maintenance hours (CMH) or professional development hours (PDH) for conference sessions must purchase an on-demand option (or an All Access Membership) to access quizzes and be eligible for CMH certificates. You can attend the live sessions and complete the quizzes for certificates after each live session, or watch session recordings and complete quizzes for certificates at your own pace.   Quiz and certificate access for CMH will not be provided to those attendees who do not purchase an on-demand access option, but you can still watch the sessions live and learn for free!   ASHA CEU’s will not be hosted or provided for these events.   Learn more about the difference between CMH and CEU’s here.

Are their scholarships for on-demand access?

Yep!  All are welcome to attend the live conference for free.  If you'd like to be considered for a scholarship or coupon code for on-demand access to recordings and CMH/PDH options , you can email us at info@aaccessible.org for more info.  

Complimentary or discounted access to on-demand materials will also be offered to conference presenters and volunteers while supplies last.  

How do I  join the live sessions?

Zoom links will be shared prior to the live event.  You will find these in your conference course player when you are logged in to your AAC Academy account and navigate to the 2024 AAC Early Starts Conference LIVE course in your profile. 

What is the course player all about?

All session handouts, exhibit hall vendors, and other materials related to the conference can be found within your course player once you register for the event.  If you enroll in an on-demand option to access CMH/PDH and recordings, you will find these options within the course player for your purchased session(s) as well. 

Will there be handouts?

We have asked all speakers to consider providing a handout and will collect and post those as they are available.  All handouts received in advance will be posted to the course player in the learning Path as they are received and those shared during the live sessions by the presenter (via link or file upload to chat) will be posted ASAP once shared.  Some presenters will not provide a handout but you can access a full transcript of the conference in an on-demand package and can take notes etc.... as you need throughout the conference.  
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Want to Sponsor #AACES2024?

We welcome individual and corporate sponsors who share in our mission to improve access to AAC knowledge, skills, and tools through education, awareness, advocacy, and action.  More information on sponsorship options and a link to the sponsor application can be found on our conference sponsorship page. 
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#AACES2024 Sponsors

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LessonPix

LessonPix is an affordable, easy to use web-based tool for finding and creating resources to support a wide range of student learning needs. Available anywhere you have internet access, with no need for installation, you can create the materials you need to support students in classrooms, at home and in therapy. With features and multiple file formats, including our new PowerPoint add-in LessonPix is ideal for hands on face to face activities or for distance learning and teletherapy. All files can be downloaded as either a PDF or as a PowerPoint.
The heart of LessonPix is our easy to use Materials Creation Wizard with easily customizable templates including picture schedules, books, augmentative communication templates, games, and a huge variety of curriculum activities. We have over 50,000 clip art images that also can be easily combined and customized. Users can also upload their own images to meet the specific needs of the students that they serve.
Our Sharing Center has thousands of pre-made resources contributed by the LessonPix user community. It is easy to download these activities and use as is or modify them to meet your own needs.
At $36 a year for an individual license and with discounts for group orders there is not an easier or more affordable solution on the market .
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AACcessible

Get the keys to AAC with mission driven tools, training, and community resources!  Get the keys to AAC with mission driven tools, training, and community resources!