Workshop Recordings

What's Good About Echolalia? It's Language! 

Presented by Marge Blanc

A 2-part webinar series: Recorded on July 22 & 29, 2022

Register here

Unless we know echolalia is part of gestalt language development, echolalic students are misunderstood and ignored, or even ridiculed. And they are stuck with dead-end gestalts that don’t easily lead them to the next steps. That’s where we can help. Just by knowing the truth about echolalia, we take gestalt language processors seriously, and partner with them to:

• honor their gestalt communication
• acquire more gestalts that lead to more flexible communication
• move through the stages of gestalt language development
• eventually self-generate their own unique language

This workshop will bridge the research of the past to the realities facing our students today, and give you the tools you need to understand gestalt language processing, differentiate it from the more familiar style we think of as typical (called ‘analytic’), and the ways you can support all gestalt language processors such as:

• refraining from applying ‘analytic’ strategies that have not worked for gestalt processors
• not allowing anyone to teach them rote language’ that interferes with true language development
• supporting these students to move through the stages of gestalt language development and reach their potential of generating their own unique, spontaneous, grammatical language.

Register here

Marge Blanc, M.A., CCC-SLP

Marge Blanc is the director of the Communication Development Center in Madison, Wisconsin, USA —  and author of Natural Language Acquisition on the Autism Spectrum: the Journey from Echolalia to Self-Generated Language (2012). A Speech-Language Pathologist for 45 years, Marge met her first autistic gestalt language processor when she was a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Marge subsequently founded the CDC clinic in Madison, to serve autistic clients and others who benefit from sensorimotor supports.

Marge conducted clinical research as part of her practice, detailing gestalt language development in a wide variety of children and young adults. Her longitudinal findings described and quantified the stages of gestalt language development outlined by Barry Prizant, and supported by the research findings of Ann Peters. Now in its sixth printing, the book was endorsed by Barry Prizant as “…the most comprehensive consideration of echolalia and language characteristics of persons with autism to date…(which) brings us back to a crucial understanding of language characteristics and language acquisition in ASD…” Her book has been the foundation for Marge’s NLA presentations, including three courses with Northern Speech Services. The heart of those courses will be presented to you in this two-part webinar series.

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7 Up! Seven Ways To Boost Your AAC Implementation - Webinar

Presented by Chris Bugaj (LIVE from New York)

About the presenter

Chris Bugaj MA, CCC-SLP

Christopher R. Bugaj  is a founding member of the Assistive Technology Team for Loudoun County Public Schools.

Chris co-hosts the Talking With Tech podcast featuring interviews and conversations about augmentative and alternative communication and has hosted The A.T.TIPSCAST; a multi‐award winning podcast featuring strategies to design educational experiences.

Chris is the author of The New Assistive Tech: Make Learning Awesome For All,published by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). Chris is the co-author of Inclusive Learning 365: EdTech Strategies for Every Day of the Year and The Practical (and Fun) Guide to Assistive Technology in Public Schools both of which are also published by ISTE.

Chris co-authored two chapters for a book published by Brookes Publishing titled Technology Tools for Students with Autism. Chris co‐produces and co‐authors the popular Night Light Stories podcast which features original stories for children of all ages.

Chris has presented over 500 live or digital sessions at local, regional, state, national and international events, including TEDx.

AGOSCI presents this live webinar in partnership with the following organisation:

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