AGOSCI 2025

9:00 am - 9:50 am - 13 March 2025

Opening & Welcome

Session - Plenary - Hall C

9:00 am

Welcome to Country

9:05 am

Conference Welcome - Amelia Edwards & Jodie Whitford, Conference Convenors

Amelia Edwards, Jodie Whitford

9:20 am

AGOSCI Welcome - Darryl Sellwood, AGOSCI Chairperson

Darryl Sellwood

9:30 am

Official Welcome - Honourable Emily Bourke MLC

9:50 am - 10:50 am - 13 March 2025

Keynote Address

Session - Plenary - Hall C

9:50 am

The Meaning of Voice

Kathy Look Howery

10:50 am - 11:20 am - 13 March 2025

Morning Tea

Session - Break - Foyer E - Exhibition

11:20 am - 12:40 pm - 13 March 2025

Concurrent Session 1a

Session - Include, Innovate - Hall C

11:20 am

Including AAC users in conversations about their own lives: what we learned from carrying out a research study with young people with cerebral palsy who use AAC

Megan Walsh, Chris Pacheco

11:40 am

Brodie's communication journey!

Brodie Shaw

12:00 pm

Empowering Autonomy Through Risk Enablement: Olivia's Decision Adventures

Marissa Carlyon, Olivia Rowswell

12:20 pm

Safeguarding Communication for Adults with Communication Disability in Community Programs: The Development of the Communication Toolkit Application

Amelia Edwards

11:20 am - 12:40 pm - 13 March 2025

Concurrent Session 1b

Session - Include, Innovate, Interact - Room E1

11:20 am

InterAACt: Communication, Connection and Community

Elizabeth Lea

11:40 am

Children’s Perceptions of Natural and Synthetic Voices

Hannah Osborn

12:00 pm

A Tool to Support Inclusive Conversations: Talking Mats ‘Supporting Communication with AAC’ Resource

Claire Della Torre

12:20 pm

Use of Talking Mats to gain student voice at the Ponds School

Betty Campbell

11:20 am - 12:40 pm - 13 March 2025

Concurrent Session 1c

Session - Innovate, Interact - Room E2

11:20 am

Rethinking Non-Face-to-Face Therapy Support for AAC Users: Time for a Bigger Conversation

Rebecca Hudson

11:40 am

Development and Support of Social and Emotional Wellbeing for Individuals with Complex Communication Needs and Coexisting Diagnoses

Cale Begley

12:00 pm

We need to fill the gap

Siobhan Daley

12:20 pm

Innovations in Communication Partner Training - Integral to AAC success

Haylee Parfett, Claire Montague, Kelly Pearce

11:20 am - 12:40 pm - 13 March 2025

Concurrent Session 1d

Session - Include, Innovate - Room E3

11:20 am

Phonics Implementation with People Who Need AAC: What Does the Evidence Base Say?

Nick Drover, Jane Farrall

12:00 pm

Benefits of Synthetic Phonics Approach on Literacy Skill Development for Adult AAC Users

Cassandra Cook, Kurt Pollock

12:20 pm

"Navigating High School Transitions for Students with Complex Communication Needs: Physical, Social and Curriculum Inclusion

Noosha Hodgen, Lucinda Panitz, Philippa van Dorsselaer, Pamela Vavra

11:20 am - 12:40 pm - 13 March 2025

Concurrent Session 1e - Supported Decision Making

Session - Include - Gilbert Suite

11:20 am

Supported decision-making for students with CCN

Erin Sheldon

11:20 am - 12:40 pm - 13 March 2025

My Communication Passport

Session - Base Camp - Skyway Foyer

Create a personalised communication passport to share your communication preferences and ensure your voice is heard everywhere you go!

12:40 pm - 1:40 pm - 13 March 2025

Lunch

Session - Break - Foyer E - Exhibition

1:40 pm - 3:00 pm - 13 March 2025

Concurrent Session 2a

Session - Innovate, Interact - Hall C

1:40 pm

The benefits of movement and getting outdoors on communication and social interaction

Melissa Riepsamen, Melinda Smith, Laurence Byrne

2:20 pm

Screech Theatre Performances - Not just for Entertainment

Dale Gonelli

2:40 pm

Communication Champions: Revitalising a culture of communication within day and lifestyle services

Elizabeth Weston

1:40 pm - 3:00 pm - 13 March 2025

Concurrent Session 2b

Session - Include, Interact - Room E1

1:40 pm

Making conversations about mental health easier: The role of communication partners according to people with communication access needs

Eleanor Watson

2:00 pm

Building Strong Minds: Including People with Cerebral Palsy in Mental Health Care

Connor Bryant, Nerida Kho

2:40 pm

Spontaneous use of speech later in life: The potential impact of supported decision making, access to robust AAC, and meaningful community relationships.

Kimberley Robson

1:40 pm - 3:00 pm - 13 March 2025

Concurrent Session 2c

Session - Innovate - Room E2

1:40 pm

I used AI to write this paper: communicating with Augmentative Innovation

Darryl Sellwood

2:20 pm

Integrating AAC and Gaming: No Longer a Final Fantasy

Jessica Dickson, Lesley Gallagher

1:40 pm - 3:00 pm - 13 March 2025

Concurrent Session 2d

Session - Innovate, Interact - Room E3

1:40 pm

Exploring the tools for assessment of communication in multimodal communication and AAC

Stephanie Weir, Jenna O'Brien, Sally Clendon

2:20 pm

Supporting Interaction: Exploring Reports on PODD for Children with Communication Support Needs

Emma GRACE

2:40 pm

GLP: Implications for AAC, beyond supporting people who communicate using echoes

Bronwyn Wood

1:40 pm - 3:00 pm - 13 March 2025

Concurrent Session 2e - AAC in Schools

Session - Include - Gilbert Suite

1:40 pm

What does it mean to know a word? Vocabulary instruction for AAC learners

Erin Sheldon, Shannon Braithwaite

1:40 pm - 3:00 pm - 13 March 2025

My Communication Passport

Session - Base Camp - Skyway Foyer

Create a personalised communication passport to share your communication preferences and ensure your voice is heard everywhere you go!

3:00 pm - 3:30 pm - 13 March 2025

Afternoon Tea

Session - Break - Foyer E - Exhibition

3:30 pm - 5:00 pm - 13 March 2025

Concurrent Session 3a

Session - Include, Interact - Hall C

3:30 pm

What I Wish My Teachers Knew

Margie CHARLESWORTH

3:50 pm

“I want to do what the others are doing”: Accounts of children who use AAC and their parents on inclusive education

Anna Kopsaftis, Amelia Edwards, Pammi Raghavendra

4:10 pm

From Little Things, Big Things Grow: The Impact of an AAC Peer Training Program at an Inclusive Primary School

Amelia Edwards

4:30 pm

The Window

Kiah Haysom

3:30 pm - 5:00 pm - 13 March 2025

Concurrent Session 3b

Session - Include, Interact - Room E1

3:30 pm

Bridging the Vocabulary Gap for Students who use AAC

Abirami Thirumanickam

3:50 pm

Describing the Outcomes of PODD to Support Interaction with Children: Perspectives of Professionals

Emma GRACE

4:10 pm

Augmentative and Alternative Communication: Access and inclusion for children with sensory disability and additional needs

Sarah Marshall, Vicky Cheung, Emma Bugarija

4:30 pm

Experiences of Professionals in Using PODD to Support Interaction with Children with Communication Support Needs

Emma GRACE

3:30 pm - 5:00 pm - 13 March 2025

Concurrent Session 3c

Session - Innovate, Interact - Room E2

3:30 pm

Building the skills of communication partners

Melissa Riepsamen, Melinda Smith

4:10 pm

Panel: Things I Wish My Communication Partners Knew

Siobhan Daley, Joseph Harrall, Delara Kapadia

3:30 pm - 5:00 pm - 13 March 2025

Concurrent Session 3d

Session - Include - Room E3

3:30 pm

“Take the time to get to know us": a framework and toolkit for inclusive research with people with cerebral palsy who use alternative and augmentative communication (AAC)

Megan Walsh, Brenton Ponza, Darryl Sellwood

3:30 pm - 5:00 pm - 13 March 2025

Concurrent Session 3e - AAC in Schools

Session - Include, Innovate - Gilbert Suite

3:30 pm

Vocabulary in Action: Practical ideas to support AAC learners in the classroom and beyond

Shannon Braithwaite

3:50 pm

Invested Teaching - Communication in the Curriculum

Amanda Hartmann, Emily Seoud, Michaela Coleman

5:00 pm - 6:15 pm - 13 March 2025

This is Not About Me: Documentary Screening and Q&A with Jordyn Zimmerman

Session - Presentation - Gilbert Suite

5:00 pm

This is Not About Me: Documentary Screening and Q&A with Jordyn Zimmerman

Jordyn Zimmerman

Program

Sponsorship & Exhibition

General Information

Registration & Accommodation

Inclusion, Accessibility & Getting There

Program

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4