On-Demand Webinar:
Unlocking Literacy Instruction
for
Nonspeaking Students who use AAC
with Readtopia
Presented by:
Brandi Wentland M.A., CCC-SLP, BCS-AAC
Join this free virtual webinar designed for special education teachers, speech-language pathologists, and special education directors who are working to strengthen literacy instruction for nonspeaking students in grades three through high school+ who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems.
In this 45-minute session, you’ll learn how to use Readtopia to foster literacy and language development through the delivery of explicit literacy instruction focusing on vocabulary development, comprehension, and language growth.
You’ll explore practical, ready-to-use tools and strategies to foster communication, participation, and confidence in every learner using tools like word webs and character maps to enhance understanding, along with ways to pre-teach vocabulary, adapt content into smaller chunks, and offer meaningful access through shared and independent reading.
You’ll also learn how to identify and expand vocabulary within AAC systems, ensuring that students have the words they need to engage effectively. Finally, we’ll highlight the critical role of families and caregivers and offer strategies to extend literacy learning beyond the classroom.
Leave with tools and confidence to make literacy instruction more accessible, relevant, and engaging for every learner.
What You’ll Learn About Literacy Instruction for Non-speaking Students
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
- Design scaffolding strategies to support comprehension
Apply techniques such as wait time, descriptive teaching, and content chunking to help students who use AAC understand and engage more deeply with texts - Implement explicit vocabulary instruction for AAC users
Identify and expand vocabulary within learners’ AAC systems, plan for vocabulary growth, and apply evidence-based methods to pre-teach, model, and reinforce target words during reading and related activities. - Develop visual supports and engagement tools to enhance meaning
Create word webs, character maps, and background knowledge builders that help learners make connections, support memory, and extend language and literacy learning beyond the classroom.
You’ll also learn how to collaborate with families and caregivers to reinforce literacy skills at home and make reading experiences more interactive and relevant.
Why Attend?
- Gain actionable strategies to build capacity for effective literacy instruction for nonspeaking students.
- Discover how to integrate AAC tools effectively with Readtopia in order to strengthen AAC integration across reading and communication goals.
- Receive ready-to-use resources to use immediately in your classroom.
- Receive a form to obtain a certificate of completion while building confidence in supporting complex communicators.
The presenter brings classroom experience, AAC expertise, and evidence-based strategies to help you apply what you learn immediately.
This webinar is curated for teachers, SLPs, OTs, and paras involved in literacy instruction for their special education learner(s). You will leave with knowledge of how to elevate your learners and will be provided with a form to fill out to give you a certificate of completion.
Visit the Building Wings for additional free webinars for special educators, including upcoming live webinars and access to on-demand recordings of previously held live webinars. You can also sign up to receive an email notification when live webinars are posted.
