Name: Rethinking Our Role and Response to Communicative Behaviors
Start: 2026-11-06T12:15:00-0500
End: 2026-11-06T13:30:00-0500

Act now! We reach capacity and sell out every year. Registration closes Wednesday, October 28, 2026 — or sooner if capacity is reached.

Ticket Options

#TalkingAAC: Pre-Conference Workshop
Wednesday, November 4, 2026 | 12:00–4:00 PM
Kellogg Center, East Lansing, MI
- Choose one 4-hour workshop
- Cost: $100
- Full details click here
#TalkingAAC: Two-Day Conference
Thursday & Friday, November 5-6, 2026
- Build your schedule for this two-day event
- Cost: $300
- Price includes breakfast, lunch, & parking
- Full details click here

NOTE: To attend all 3 days, you must purchase both a Pre-Conference Workshop ticket and a Two-Day Conference ticket.

Registration & Session Planning

All registration and session planning will be handled via Sched:

Click the green Log In or Sign Up button below to access Sched.
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After you’ve purchased your ticket(s), you can plan which sessions you’d like to attend.
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Need to update your app to this year’s conference? In the Sched app, go to My Account > Change Events> type in the name of the event #TalkingAAC 2026
A new Guest Buyer option lets you purchase tickets for others without creating a SCHED account. Once ticket(s) are selected, choose Continue as Guest.

Ticket Purchase - Error Message

If you receive an error message when purchasing your ticket, please contact TalkingAAC at [email protected] or 517-299-5200 for assistance.

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Refunds & Ticket Transfers

Refunds available up to 10 days before the event. Sched & Stripe fees are non-refundable.
Ticket transfers (e.g., to a coworker) may be approved before October 28, 2026.

Stay Informed

Watch for updates from #TalkingAAC and Sched with session details and reminders as the event approaches.

Questions?

www.talkingaac.org

[email protected]

517-299-5200

Rethinking Our Role and Response to Communicative Behaviors

Friday November 6, 2026 12:15pm - 1:30pm EST

Auditorium

Limited Capacity seats available

When a student "acts out," what are they truly telling us? For students with complex communication needs, behavior is often the most powerful—and sometimes only—tool available to express unmet needs. This interactive session challenges educators to shift their perspective from seeking compliance to fostering connection and understanding.

Participants will begin by reflecting on how their own beliefs, biases, and reactions shape their responses to student behavior. We will explore the neuroscientific link between anxiety and regulation and introduce the concept of interoception—the "eighth sense" that helps students recognize internal body signals like hunger, pain, or distress. By moving toward an interoceptive approach, educators can support a student’s unique inner experience rather than forcing them to mask it.

To support this shift, we will discuss a variety of strategies to utilize Augmentative and Alternative Communication to support student regulation, autonomy, and communication needs, especially in moments of communication breakdown. We will explore how robust modeling provides students with the essential vocabulary for self-advocacy and emotional expression before an escalation occurs. Furthermore, we will examine how to use AAC to validate a student's autonomy—honoring "no" or "stop" through their device to reduce the need for physical resistance. By providing a reliable voice during high-stress moments, we can decrease the communicative breakdown that often leads to dysregulation.

Through hands-on practice, attendees will learn to use a Communicative Behavior Inventory framework to attribute meaning to specific behaviors and plan adult responses that prioritize co-regulation over control. Together, we will walk away with concrete strategies to support students in communicating even in their toughest moments.

Presenters

Megan Hojnacki, MA, CCC-SLP

AT/AAC Specialist, Alt+Shift

Megan Hojnacki is an SLP by training and currently an AT/AAC specialist for Alt+Shift. After a transformative experience at Camp Alec (as seen on Disney+) and 20 years of experience in public education, Megan is a firm believer that literacy and AAC are inseparable rights for all... Read More →

Kelsey Brewer, MA

AT/AAC Specialist, Alt+Shift

Kelsey Brewer, M.A. is an assistive technology and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) specialist with over nine years of experience in special education. Her primary expertise lies in Early Childhood Special Education, specifically supporting students ages 3–5. Kelsey’s... Read More →

Friday November 6, 2026 12:15pm - 1:30pm EST
Auditorium

General Session

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#TalkingAAC 2026

Megan Hojnacki, MA, CCC-SLP

Kelsey Brewer, MA

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Success you have shared X tickets.

#TalkingAAC 2026

Megan Hojnacki, MA, CCC-SLP

Kelsey Brewer, MA

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