Interventions to Increase Functional Communication Skills
Participants will learn functional communication skills and interventions to implement at school and home. Strategies to stimulate, respond and enhance communications will be discussed. The three parts of language as form, content, and function will be presented with strategies to facilitate these skills. Learn several steps to expand functional communication forms of augmentative and alternative communication. Participants will identify content strategies to expand and support students with beginning communication skills.

Ms. Rachel Davis enjoys working with children and helping them to discover new possibilities as a speech language pathologist. Her focus is on maximum engagement during therapy sessions to advance speech, functional communications, and language skills. Ms. Davis obtained a Bachelor of Science in Education - Communication Disorders, and a Master of Education - Communication Disorders, from Valdosta State University in Valdosta, Georgia. Her professional speech therapy experience includes working with school districts as a special education team leader and providing services to students. In the education setting she has collaborated with special education teams, parents, general educators, and special educators to promote students’ academic achievement. Previously, she worked in acute care and inpatient services with adolescents and adults. Her current and past professional involvement includes memberships with the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Arizona Speech-Language Hearing Association (mentorship program), and Georgia Speech-Language Hearing Association.