Feeling Unsure How to Support AAC in Your Classroom?
You don’t need to be an AAC expert to build real communication access — you just need the right support.
The AAC Bootcamp is a practical, guided learning experience designed to help educators move from uncertainty to confident AAC support in real classrooms.
I know how overwhelming supporting AAC can feel, and I’m here to guide you so you can feel confident, supported, and see your students communicate and thrive. 💕
If You Know AAC Matters, But It Still Feels Hard
- You’re not alone. Many educators deeply believe in AAC — but were never given clear, practical guidance that shows how to support it confidently in real classrooms.
- Instead, AAC is often introduced in pieces, tied to compliance, or focused on devices rather than access. That can leave even the most dedicated educators feeling unsure, overwhelmed, or worried they’re doing it wrong.
- AAC Bootcamp was created to bridge that gap — with practical support, clear modeling, and a focus on communication access over perfection.
You Deserve to Feel Confident
Supporting AAC Every Day
- Clear, consistent AAC modeling across the day
- Communication access that honors autonomy and presumes competence
- Shared language across adults — not AAC living with one person
- Confidence in what to model and what can wait
You don’t have to figure out AAC on your own — I’ll guide you step by step as you build confidence and communication access that lasts beyond this week.
Support AAC in a Way That
Fits Your Real Classroom
AAC doesn’t need to feel heavy, intimidating, or disconnected from the rest of your day. With the right guidance, it can become a natural, supportive part of how your classroom runs.
- Many educators care deeply about AAC and communication access, but feel overwhelmed trying to piece everything together — tools, expectations, team alignment, and what to focus on first.
- AAC Bootcamp was designed to change that. Instead of mastering devices or doing everything at once, you’ll learn how to build consistent, respectful access to language across tools, environments, and people.
- The goal isn’t perfection. It’s clarity — so AAC support feels doable, aligned, and sustainable in the classroom you’re already teaching in.
With AAC Bootcamp, you’ll build:
- clear priorities so you know what to focus on first — and what can wait
- consistent AAC modeling that fits naturally into daily routines
- shared understanding across adults, so AAC doesn’t live with just one person
- communication access that honors autonomy and presumes competence
- confidence to take action, even if you’re new to AAC or have felt unsure where to start
Who AAC Bootcamp Is For?
AAC Bootcamp is for educators and support staff who want to support communication with clarity and care — not pressure or perfection.
You don’t need prior AAC training. You don’t need a classroom full of devices. And you don’t need to have everything figured out before you begin.
- Special education teachers supporting autistic learners
- Speech-language pathologists working in early childhood or school settings
- Paraprofessionals and classroom support staff who want shared understanding and confidence
- Related service providers collaborating with classroom teams
- Educators new to AAC or those looking to feel more confident and aligned
- Parents and caregivers who want to support AAC and communication
While examples are grounded in classroom settings, strategies easily translate to home routines and everyday interactions.
You don’t have to figure out AAC alone. This experience is designed to support you step by step — so communication access grows without added pressure.
Meet Your Guide
Hi, I’m Tara Phillips — a speech-language pathologist and early childhood educator with over 25 years of experience supporting autistic children, families, and educators.
I created AAC Bootcamp after seeing AAC introduced too late, treated as a last resort, or taught in compliance-based ways — and after listening to autistic voices who shared what it meant to grow up without access to communication.
This experience is for educators and caregivers who care deeply about communication access but haven’t always been given clear, practical guidance that fits real classrooms. You don’t need to arrive confident — just willing to begin.
My role isn’t to judge or overwhelm you — it’s to walk alongside you as you build sustainable, autonomy-honoring AAC practices that fit naturally into your daily routines and last beyond this week.
What You’ll Get Inside AAC Bootcamp
AAC Bootcamp is designed to support real learning, real classrooms, and real follow-through — without overload or pressure.
Inside AAC Bootcamp, you’ll receive:
- Four focused training sessions (3 pre-recorded + 1 live) designed to build confidence step by step — so learning feels clear, grounded, and manageable.
- Guided instruction on AAC foundations, core boards, and AAC devices, with an emphasis on multimodal communication, modeling without expectation, and presuming competence.
- Real classroom examples and modeling so you can see what AAC support actually looks like across routines, activities, and tools — not just hear about it.
- A practical AAC Bootcamp workbook to help you organize your thinking, track communication access, and focus on what matters most without busywork.
- Daily “quick wins” that help you apply one small, meaningful step at a time — so AAC support moves from theory into practice.
- A live support session to ask questions, troubleshoot challenges, and connect learning to your own students and setting.
- Replay access to all sessions through Sunday, February 14th, so that you can catch up if you missed a day.
This isn’t about mastering devices or doing everything perfectly. It’s about building consistent, respectful access to communication — with clarity and care.
A Clear, Supportive Path - One Day at a Time
February 9–11 are pre-recorded trainings that are available to watch when it works for you (through February 15th, 2026).
February 12 is a live session from 6–7 PM CT (replay included and available through February 15th, 2026).
Day 1: Foundations of AAC For Educators
We begin by grounding AAC in what it truly is—and releasing what it is not. You’ll explore AAC across no-tech, low-tech, and high-tech systems, why access matters more than output, and how modeling without expectation and presuming competence shape communication support from the start. This day often brings immediate relief and clarity.
Day 2: Core Boards in Real Classrooms
This day focuses on using core boards as shared language tools, not compliance systems. You’ll learn what to model beyond requests, how large core boards support group activities, and how to build shared understanding across adults so AAC doesn’t live with just one person. We also address PECS in context and real classroom implementation.
Day 3: AAC Devices in Everyday Life
Here, we slow things down and normalize the learning curve. You’ll explore how devices function as full language systems, why consistent layouts and motor planning matter, and how to model without prompting or testing. We also look at protests as communication and supporting different language processing styles, including Gestalt language processors.
Day 4: AAC, Advocacy, and Meaningful Goals
The final day connects AAC support to long-term access. You’ll learn how to write neurodiversity-affirming AAC goals, frame present levels through strengths and access, and understand accommodations and modifications. We’ll also explore advocating for AAC with families and teams—and how to use the AAC IEP Writing ChatBot as a supportive thinking partner.
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