(WC 94364 SHORE 2025) Awareness, Acceptance, Appreciation, and Action: A Pathway for Meaningful Social Interaction

Course overview

Unlike traditional approaches that focus on Level 1 autistic individuals, this session highlights strategies to support those with higher support needs-especially non- or limited-speaking individuals who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) tools. Through a mix of lecture, case studies, and video, we'll explore the 4 A's of Autism-Awareness, Acceptance, Appreciation, and Action-as a practical framework for educators, clinicians, and allied professionals. In this session, you'll: Gain awareness of social interaction challenges faced by non-speaking autistic individuals Recognize when traditional methods fall short and AAC-based strategies are essential Appreciate the strengths and contributions of nonspeaking individuals Identify immediate and long-term steps to foster inclusive, empowering communication Includes video clips from Carl the Collector, a groundbreaking PBS Kids series featuring an autistic lead character. A must-see session!