Virtual Community of Practice Series: Autism and Communication
Vanderbilt’s Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders (TRIAD) will provide educators across the state of Tennessee with a virtual community of practice series focused on autism and communication. This professional development opportunity is designed for school-based speech-language pathologists/therapists and open to all educators with professional learning goals related to these topics. This series will include four sessions that occur between January to February 2024. The purpose of this series is to build professional relationships and develop shared practices related to autism and communication. Each session includes 30 minutes of pre-learning and 60 minutes of meeting with other professionals to engage in joint activities and discussions to learn from each other. Pre-learning activities will include reviewing information (e.g., articles, podcasts, videos, online modules) and preparing for learning by responding to a post in the shared digital workspace. Members will earn up to 6 hours of professional development.
Session 1 (January 16):
Discuss characteristics of a Community of Practice (CoP)
Establish CoP norms
Preview upcoming topics
Discuss relevance of upcoming topics with CoP colleagues
Session 2 (January 30):
Understand communicative differences in autism
Understand some current perspectives and research around autism and communication and how they impact our teaching practice and context
Identify changes you might make around IEP accommodations, modifications and treatment objectives
Determine next learning steps
Session 3 (February 6):
Discuss considerations for supporting language and social communication skills for autistic students.
Describe specific strategies for supporting language and social communication skills for autistic students.
Session 4 (February 20):
Explain how autism impacts reading and writing
Overview of reading comprehension and how it relates to language development
Typical profiles of autistic readers regarding reading comprehension
Discuss the steps to implement story-based lessons or shared stories for autistic students
Review resources for teaching story-based lessons or shared stories to autistic students
| Community of Practice Member Requirements |
- This professional development opportunity is designed for school-based speech-language pathologists/therapists and open to all educators with professional learning goals related to these topics.
- Members are encouraged to engage in all four sessions in the series. Each session includes 30 minutes of pre-learning activities and 60 minutes of community of practice meetings. Please register even if you cannot attend all the sessions.
- This series can be completed by an individual or with a group. Each member must register to ensure they receive up-to-date information and earn individual hours for professional learning.
- Members must have access and be able to use Zoom technology. If participating with a group, each person will need to log into Zoom.
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Community of Practice Series Topics |
- Session 1: Introduction to TRIAD Community of Practice Series: Autism and Communication
- Session 2: Current Perspectives around Autism and Communication
- Session 3: Considerations for Autism and Receptive and Expressive Language
- Session 4: Considerations for Autism and Written Language
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Community of Practice Series Format |
Each session includes 30 minutes of pre-learning and 60 minutes of meeting with other members. Pre-learning includes reviewing information (e.g., articles, podcasts, videos, online modules) and responding to posts in the shared digital workspace. |
| Proof of Attendance |
- Each member will receive a certificate of participation documenting the number of hours engaged in the series.
- American Speech-Language Hearing Association Continuing Education Units will be submitted for participants completing at least 1.5 hours.
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*Participants must complete all pre-learning activities and attend all community of practice meetings to receive 6 professional development hours.