Foundations of Communication Session #1

This presentation is designed for speech-language pathologists and teachers of students who have complex communication needs. The presentation stresses collaboration and offers methods to create communication rich environments across the academic day that focus on the educational standards for these populations.

Explore Course

This course provides an overview of language processing in the brain and discusses communication vs language. Light tech, augmented communication strategies will be discussed and the importance of use of communication across the educational standards and content areas. The workshop provides suggestions on how to use a communication system across the school day in a variety of educational environments.

Presenters

Perry Flynn
M.Ed. CCC-SLP BCS-CL
Perry Flynn is a fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and Board Certified Specialist in Child Language,. He is theConsultant to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction in the area of Speech-Language Pathology and a professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at UNCG and a Member of the Special Olympics North Carolina, Board of Directors.
Maureen Kaniuka
MA, CAS
Maureen boasts being in education since the dark ages, with 36 years serving in a variety of roles, including classroom teacher, reading and math specialist, school psychologist, and statewide autism consultant in North Carolina. She earned a BA in Elementary Education and Philosophy from Boston College, a Masters and Certificate of Advanced Study in School Psychology from East Carolina University, and an add-on in Curriculum, Instruction, Supervision from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Maureen is affiliated with a range of professional organizations and has presented at statewide and national conferences on a range of topics. She was named the North Carolina School Psychology Practitioner of the Year in 2016.
Matthew Martinez
MA
Matthew has been in education for 24 years, serving students with significant cognitive disabilities. He earned his BA in Moderate and Severe Disabilities from Morehead State University and a Masters in Low Incidence from East Carolina University. He has had the privilege of educating students with significant cognitive disabilities from kindergarten through age 22 and he continues to advocate through his work as the state-wide consultant for Significant Disabilities at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.

Learning Objectives

Identify the locations of language centers in the brain
Differentiate communication from language
Identify the concepts of Bloom's taxonomy and examples of the components of language in the educational standards of English Language Arts but also Science, Social Studies, etc.

Agenda

15 minutes	Communication versus language
20 minutes	Language processing in the brain
25 minutes	Communication skills, expressive/receptive, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, phonology
10 minutes	Language development milestones
10 minutes	Selected pragmatic functions across the school day
40 minutes	Bloom’s taxonomy, Web’s depth of knowledge and the educational standards in English language arts and a variety of other content areas including the extended content standards

Disclosures

Financial Disclosures:	Perry is paid by UNCG. He is receiving compensation for this course. Matthew is paid by the NC Department of Public Instruction. He is receiving compensation for this course. Maureen is paid by the NC Department of Public Instruction. She is receiving compensation for this course.
Non-Financial Disclosures:	Perry has no non-financial relationships to disclose. Matthew has no non-financial relationships to disclose. Maureen has no non-financial relationships to disclose.
Content Disclosures:	Perry has no additional content information to disclose. Matthew has no additional content information to disclose. Maureen has no additional content information to disclose.

ASHA

This course is offered for .2 ASHA CEUs, Intermediate Level, Professional Area

Foundations of Communication Session #1: $39.00
This course supports SLPs and educators in building communication-rich environments for students with complex communication needs. Emphasizing collaboration, it offers practical methods to integrate communication opportunities throughout the school day while aligning with educational standards. Includes access to the recorded course and optional ASHA reporting.

Add-ons

Foundations of Communication Session #2

$39.00

This course is designed for SLPs and educators supporting students with complex communication needs. Learn how to collaborate effectively to create communication-rich environments that align with educational standards and support meaningful participation throughout the school day. Includes access to the recorded course and optional ASHA reporting.

Foundations of Communication Session #3

$39.00

This course equips SLPs and educators working with students with autism or intellectual disabilities with practical tools for assessing complex communication needs. Learn how to gather meaningful data, apply the SETT framework, and make informed assistive technology decisions—guided by federal evaluation guidelines and real-world case examples. Includes access to the recorded course and optional ASHA reporting.